With 2010 quickly coming to an end, I thought it’d be fun to do a recap of both reader favorites and my own favorite posts that didn’t make the reader favorite list. The reader favorites list are the top 15 most viewed posts this year. I’ll be sharing my own favorites list later this week.

Have you tried any of the reader favorites?

I’ll be busy thinking up lots of fun ideas for the new year. So stay tuned! If you haven’t already, I’d love it if you’d join me on facebook or follow me on twitter. Are you a subscriber to my feed yet? It’s an easy way to have all new posts delivered to you immediately! How awesome is that? You’d never miss a post. And as always, if you ever have any questions or just want to say hi I’d love to hear from you. Send me a message using the email/contact form located to the right of the page.

Without further ado… here are the top 15 reader favorites:


Peppermint Bark
I still can’t get over how well loved this extremely simple recipe quickly became. You’ve all blown me away. Not only is this recipe seriously easy but it’s cute and as inexpensive as you want it to be. I used a patterened silicone snowflake mold to create shaped peppermint bark. Be sure to check out the post for the pretty details.

Perfect for holiday gifting.


Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
A cookie perfect for a December weekend. It’s quick to make and is very seasonal, making it fun to bring to a holiday party.


Snickerdoodle Cookies
Snickerdoodles oh how I love thee. I had forgotten how amazing these little cookies are until I made them this December. So delicious. Fresh out of the oven or eaten days later these are light and fluffy. Beyond delicious.

I deemed these my absolute favorite cookie. Yes, they’re that good.

Dough freezes really well.


Gingerbread Cookies
In the world of holiday baking, gingerbread cookies are a must. I took this to the extreme making them super tiny to top off a batch of gingerbread cupcakes. I also made snowflakes out of the first half of the batch.

These have a soft and almost chewy texture. Perfect for me as I prefer my cookies to not be on the crunchy side.


Stuffed Pork Wontons
These have been a personal favorite of mine. Growing up, these delicious bite size deep fried goodies were only made for New Year’s but now I make them whenever I want.

They’re extremely easy to make and are perfect for really any special occasion but especially Christmas or New Year’s since that is when most people seem to traditionally eat Chinese food.

Don’t question me on these. Even my picky 3 year old loves them.


Gingerbread Cupcakes
A seasonal creation perfect to start the holiday season. The great thing about gingerbread cupcakes, even gingerbread in general is it’s suitable November through December or potentially even later. It’s definitely a late fall and winter favorite.

Top off these soft and airy cupcakes with vanilla or cream cheese frosting.


Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
I set out to make a slightly spicy chicken chili and boy did it work out. This was a huge hit and a recipe that will definitely be made many times over in my house.

One of the best parts is that it’s a quick fix by cooking in the slow cooker.  Perfect for cold winter days. I especially love slow cooking on the weekends, though it definitely is pure torture to be home and smell something as delicious as this cooking for hours.


Slow Cooker New England Clam Chowder
This was an experiment to make an easy and beyond delicious clam chowder recipe. It exceeded my expectations. If you love New England clam chowder, this is a must try.


Easy Fudge
What’s Christmas without fudge? I looked high and low through all kinds of recipes and even got a ton of suggestions for ones to try. I had to choose one, and though I was skeptical it turned out perfect. Extremely easy and tasty as any fudge should be.


Apple Coffee Cake Muffins
I love muffins. I love muffins loaded with apples and cinnamon even more. I can’t even tell you how many of these babies I’ve eaten. So good. They’re amazingly moist and packed with flavor.

The best part about these is that you can toss any additional add in items that you desire! The last time I made these I threw in some dried cranberries, because I love them but also because apples and cranberries go amazingly well together.

These freeze really well.


Cranberry Swirl Cookies
If you know me or have been stopping by to read over the past few months, you know how much I adore cranberries. These tiny cookies are packed with a homemade cranberry sauce giving them a wonderful tart flavor.


Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip m&m Cookies
These cookies have a special spot in my heart… and belly. These cookies are from my first ever post here on Baked by Rachel, which makes it that much more special that so many people seem to have loved them as well.

They’re especially good warm but are just as good the next day. If you’re like me and love a gooey cookie, pop yours in the microwave for a couple of seconds to soften it up. Ahhh-mazing.


Cranberry Orange Pinwheel Cookies
These are the Mr’s favorite holiday cookie, though they’re not necessarily classified as a holiday cookie. They could easily be eaten anytime of the year.

Soft, light and with just the right amount of fruity flavor. Even if you aren’t as big of a cranberry fan as I am, I promise these are delicious.


Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
During the great pumpkin shortage I found myself hoarding as many cans of Libby’s pumpkin as I could get my hands on. I still have quite a stash. Having so much pumpkin to spare, the ideas were flowing of what to make.

There are a lot of pumpkin trifle recipes floating around, but this one hits the spot. A soft gingerbread paired with whipped filling and pumpkin mousse. It’s different from the traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin dishes you might find.

Love pumpkin? You’ll love this.

Lastly and certainly by no means least…


Guinness and Baileys Irish Cream Cupcakes
I had it in my head last St. Patty’s day to make something sinful. I mean really sinful and just amazing in every way possible. You’ll be seeing these pop up again in a few months but feel free to save it now. You will absolutely be wanting to try these out in March… or maybe even sooner?

If I could have a stash of Guinness on hand, I’d use this as my go to chocolate cupcake recipe. It’s so moist and flavorful.

*Not for children or pregnant women.