hummingbird high’s 2015 review
Time for my annual lookback, where I review your favorite recipes and my favorite recipes. Ready for it? Here goes!
Readers’ Favorite Recipes of 2015
The following recipes are YOUR favorites from the year — that is, the most viewed recipes of mine from 2015. Unlike the past few years in which you guys seemed to be enamored by chocolate and cake, you guys really expanded your palettes this year with some pies, cookies, and cupcakes. I dig it.
Incredibly addictive salty honey pie from the Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book plus my meticulously researched pie baking tips all in one place. You guys know what’s up.
2. 24 Hour, 24 Dollar Chocolate Chip Cookies
Turns out that incredibly fussy chocolate chip cookie recipe from Jaques Torres and the New York Times really makes the best chocolate chip cookie ever. Seriously.
3. Pomegranate Citrus Meringue Cake
In which you listened to me contemplate the crazy, wonderful world of blogging for fame and we all discovered that we’re in it together.
My Favorite Recipes of 2015
Similar to previous years, it was really, really hard to narrow it down to just three recipes. Talk about choosing between your children! Here are the three that made the shortlist, but really, this is just a small selection from a great year’s worth.
1. Chocolate Hazelnut Gianduja Blondies
Yes, yes — gianduja (Italian chocolate infused with hazelnut paste) is a bit of a pain in the butt to source, but I promise it’s worth it for this recipe. Not only is it a favorite of mine for the year, but it might actually be one of my favorites from THE ENTIRE BLOG. That’s a big freakin’ deal!
2. Overnight Black Sesame Buttermilk Rolls with Goat Milk Glaze
One bite of these rolls will convince anybody that both black sesame, goat milk, and goat cheese deserve to be in more desserts. Yes — even the folks with the less adventurous palettes.
3. Triple Chocolate, Double Graham S’mores Cupcakes
This recipe made you guys’ Top Five for the year, but I’m going to one up y’all and put it in my Top THREE. Classic s’mores in a classed-up cupcake form, complete with ooey, gooey torched marshmallow frosting. Mmm.
I remodeled my kitchen in Portland last summer and finally shared the results with you guys earlier this year! There are three parts to the series featuring the kitchen before the remodel, my inspiration for the new kitchen, and the final results.
This year, I had the honor of being re-nominated as a finalist for Saveur Magazine’s Best Baking & Desserts Food Blog Award. And it was such a blast to hang out with all the folks I’d been online friends with for forever and ever. PS — I was going to use a photo of some donuts I ate with Steph, but instead decided to go with this goofy (and crazy pixelated) photo of Alana doing Molly‘s hair in my hotel room (sorry ladies).
This year, I had the honor of being invited back to Portland for Bon Appetit’s Feast food festival. Food lovers, you don’t want to miss this one — it seriously is the most amazing, epic, and legitimate feast I’ve had all year (and yes, it even outranks my Asian-style Thanksgiving).
- I found myself suddenly and unexpectedly moving back to San Francisco. I had many mixed feels about it, but it was the right thing to do at the time.
- This was a big year for travel! I hit up Austin, Texas (#hummingbirdhighhomecoming), Singapore and the Philippines (#hummingbirdhighgoestoasia), and London, Amsterdam, and Glasgow (#humhieurotrip2015).
- Speaking of hashtags, my house in Portland also got one this year: #casahummingbirdhigh
