Most Popular Recipes of 2018 (2024)

Hello! How was your Christmas (or your Tuesday, if you don’t do Christmas)? I had a ball eating and laughing and gallivanting around Austin with my family. We cooked like crazy and spent most of the rest of the time loving on these three sweet pups. Don’t you love their matching jammies?It’s hard to believe that 2018 is ending—how was Maine four months ago? how am I now closer to 34 than to 33?—but here we are.

My year-end blog tradition is to do a rundown of the ten most popular recipes on this site over the last 365-ish days, so…well, let’s get to it, shall we?
10. Caramel Pudding/Wedding Cake. July feels so long ago now that I almost forgot I spent half that month making my biggest single baked good to date: a three-tiered eighteen-layer wedding cake with alternating layers of chocolate and caramel pudding! Every recipe that went into the finished cake is on this site (and explained in further detail in my Let’s Make a Wedding Cake series), but this caramel pudding is the surprise hit of them all! It’s made completely from scratch and is just as good by itself as it is layered with vanilla cake.
9. Blueberry Kolaches. If you’ve never heard of a kolache before, you must never have driven from Dallas/Fort Worth to Austin! For the uninitiated, they’re a pillowy-soft filled Czech pastry. This version is made with blueberries, but if you’re looking for something a little more seasonal, check out my recipe for kolaches filled with fresh grapefruit curd.8. . I was raised with Texan grandmothers, so you know I love a fluffy, flaky biscuit. This is my second go-round with this southern staple (the first is here), and while they’re pretty great by themselves, they’re even better with rich, silky chocolate gravy.
7. Banana Pudding Cookies. Y’all sure do love banana pudding! There’s been a twist on that classic on every top 10 list so far. Maybe I’ll make the real deal in 2019, but until then, I’ll get my fix with these cookies. They don’t contain any pudding mix, but they taste *exactly* like banana pudding. The best.
6. Rosemary-Parmesan Cheese Straws. Who doesn’t love a cheese straw? Crispy, flaky, cheesy—perfect with a co*cktail or mocktail, or just on their own. These Rosemary-Parmesan Cheese Straws have been a favorite this holiday season and were even featured on Buzzfeed a few weeks ago! #isthisreallife
5. Pumpkin Pie with Toasted Pecan Crust. We’re all familiar Pumpkin Pie—it’s spiced and wonderful and it’s simply not Thanksgiving without it. But did you know that you can make it without eggs, granulated sugar, and pastry crust? And that this vegan, gluten-free, pecan-crusted version might actually be better than the original? Give it a try and you may agree.4. Maple Layer Cake. Wedding Cake aside, this might be my favorite layer cake of the year. It’s stunning, simple, and bursting with maple flavor!
3. Toasted Oat Graham Crackers. These crispy, crunchy, non-traditional graham crackers were created for the express purpose of eating vegan gluten-free s’mores while on my annual trip to Maine. They’re super easy to make (the dough comes together in a food processor!) and they’re so much more than just a vehicle for melty chocolate and toasted marshmallow…although they’re reeeeeeally good at that. If you’re into making things with gluten-free oats, check out these Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies, too. So dang good.2. Silky Smooth Sweet Potato Pie. I was surprised to see this pie in the top 10, but I shouldn’t be. I mean, what’s not to love about sweet potato pie?! This version is made with a twice-sieved filling, so it’s rich, dense, and not at all fibrous.1. Chocolate Mousse Cake. This cake was originally published in 2017, and I’m so glad to see it getting its due now. This triple decker grain-free beauty is made with my favorite flourless chocolate cake, an easy chocolate mousse, and a thick layer of whipped cream—need I say more? Make one for your New Year’s Eve celebration; it’s the perfect way to move into 2019.
Did your favorite E2 Bakes recipe make the cut? Let me know in the comments or on social media!

Happy New Year ❤