2022 flew by! The first half of 2022 I used my favorite cookbooks from last year a lot - 100 Cookies by Sarah Kieffer and Half Baked Harvest Super Simple Cookbook by Tieghan Gerard. But then in June, we packed up our condo, and moved to a new townhome. I didn't end up breaking out my cookbooks until the holidays. But I love our new house (and kitchen), which meant the second half of the year was heavily influenced by my new ability to host larger get-togethers (birthday, holidays, a housewarming party, and a cookie exchange), which, of course, I tried a bunch of new recipes for! Based off this list, it may seem like my year was filled with more desserts than savory lunches and dinners, but I find that it's just easier and more fun to to find new desserts to make!
See below for some highlights, head back into the archives for some 2022 recipe round-ups, or read about my cooking and baking journey in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Since 2018, we've got 258 new recipes, but who's counting?
#03: Croissants
Recipe Inspiration: Sally's Baking Addiction Croissants and The Flavor Bender Homemade French Croissants
Date Made: 01/16/22
Thoughts: Flake it 'til you make it! Thanks to a three day weekend, I made my first ever croissants from scratch - 81 layers of flaky, airy buttery dough. One of the most useful tips I found was spreading *softened* butter into the first block shape and letting it chill rather than cutting cold butter into chunks and hoping it rolls into a rectangle. I think mine turned out great for my first try - next time I would shape them slightly differently and maybe make them on a warmer day so they’d proof better! Talk about a baking project. My biggest #AveryApproved tip, though? Do not, I repeat, do not attempt croissants unless you have a three day weekend!
#09: Jamaican Beef Patties
Recipe Inspiration: Bon Appetit Jamaican Beef Patties
Date Made: 02/05/22
Thoughts: The worst part about this new recipe - I never got a good photo of it (and I even made it twice this year!)! But these were so good I just had to include them in this round-up either way. I first made these for our Winter Olympics potluck where we each pick a country to make a food from (gotta rep that Jamaican Bobsled Team!), and they were such a hit. The flaky buttery pastry contains turmeric that gives it a bright yellow color. The beef is seasoned with tons of goodies, including onion, habaneros, garlic, paprika, and allspice. So good!!
#13: Homemade Oreos
Recipe Inspiration: 100 Cookies Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (from the 100 Cookies Cookbook)
Date Made: 02/21/22
Thoughts: I followed Sarah Kieffer's Chocolate Sandwich Cookie recipe (but let’s be real, it’s an Oreo!) in the 100 Cookies cookbook and it turned out! The chocolate cookie was thin and crispy and the cream was oh-so-fluffy! What more could you ask for in an Oreo? I loved the how the star tip of my piping bag gave the cream an extra little detail. How do you like your Oreos? Double stuffed? Twist apart? Dunked in milk?
#19: Chocolate Bourbon Walnut Pie
Recipe Inspiration: d
Date Made: 03/20/22
Thoughts: My first homemade pie, including a homemade pie crust. In crust, we trust. I’ve been meaning to make a pie forever and I finally did it! This one was a great pie to start with - the crust was perfectly pliable! My pie crust collapsed a little in the oven, but I like that you can tell it’s homemade. The filling was a warm and gooey combination of, you guessed it, bourbon, walnuts, and chocolate chips. I ended up taking this one to a bridal shower, and also got to use my adorable ruffled pie plate that I received at my own bridal shower!
#20 Blood Orange Olive Oil Cookies
Recipe Inspiration: 100 Cookies Blood Orange Olive Oil Cookies (from the 100 Cookies Cookbook)
Date Made: 04/01/22
Thoughts: I received a Hungry Harvest delivery equipped with a few juicy blood oranges! I knew I wanted to bake with these olive oil cookies with blood orange glaze (once again, from Sarah Kieffer's 100 Cookies)! The olive oil cookie itself was a little bit of a pain to roll out since the dough was so crumbly and delicate. I was also scared the cookie would come out tasting like olive oil (spoiler: it did not), but it ended out is basically being a really nice understated shortbread that wasn’t too sweet. I zested the blood oranges and squeezed fresh juice from two of the fruits to make the glaze. It was very well received! And as you can see, these made for quite the photo!
#24: Apricot & Cardamom Palmiers
Recipe Inspiration: 100 Cookies Apricot & Cardamom Palmiers (from the 100 Cookies Cookbook)
Date Made: 04/15/21
Thoughts: In her note, Sarah claims these are "quick and easy" but I would argue these are harder than they look to get right! First, the frozen puff pastry I used came in 9x9" squares, so I was unsure if rolling them out further was necessary. I ended up rolling them out but the dough was so thin. Also, once rolled, Sarah specifies to slice the dough and then chill the prepared baking sheet in the oven. Next time, I plan to leave the dough in its folded log shape and freeze as a log before cutting. I think this would help 1) not take up as much freezer space, 2) prevent the jam from squeezing out every time I cut it, and 3) keep their shape better instead of collapsing before and during baking. I also baked for about 4-5 more minutes than specified since they didn't have the color in the photo after her specified bake time. This sounds like a lot of issues, but honestly, they're all technical issues that can be easily fixed for next time! I loved the combo of apricot and cardamom jam, and loved that they were only 4 ingredients. These would be such a great addition to a Christmas Cookie Tin. See my blog post about these here!
#28: Mint Caper Tapenade
Recipe Inspiration: The Forest Feast Carrots with Mint-Caper Tapenade (from the The Forest Feast Road Trip Cookbook)
Date Made: 05/02/22
Thoughts: The carrots are easy but what makes this dish pop is the mint caper tapenade they sit atop! I also love the nutty profile the pine nuts added. The tapenade is so good and would make an excellent sauce or dip for grilled meats as well. If I remember correctly, we had peppercorn crusted pork chops and lemony smashed potatoes with these carrots.
#33: Falafel
Recipe Inspiration: The View from Great Island Falafel
Date Made: 07/19/22
Thoughts: Safe to say, I’m obsessed with this green falafel recipe which I made for the first time at my green themed dinner party in the new house! I made this falafel from scratch, including soaking chickpeas overnight. (Which, fun fact: soaked chickpeas like to pop in the middle of the night if you’re ever wondering what that sound is…) I loved all the spices and herbs that went into the mix, and the rich green color their insides turned out. This recipe is going in the #AveryApproved recipe box, stat!
#36: Grill Cupcakes
Recipe Inspiration: Frugal Mom Eh! Grill Cupcakes
Date Made: 08/20/22
Thoughts: Potluck Category is: Grilled Foods! Had myself some fun attempting these BBQ cupcakes in what I deem my first #ShowStopper challenge bake! This is probably the first purely decorative bake I’ve made, and I can’t wait to try more in the future. While the chocolate base was a box mix, I made the orange and red buttercream from scratch. Super easy to make but definitely want to work on my piping skills! The chocolate grill grates were super delicate but the gummy kebabs were the perfect little touch to finish off my BBQ!
#39: Apple Bees Knees
Recipe Inspiration: A Saucy Kitchen Apple Bees Knees
Date Made: 09/19/22
Thoughts: I love a good Bees Knees, but this Apple Bees Knees cocktail was just the drink I needed to kick off the new season! In addition to the gin and lemon juice, I incorporated a splash of apple juice, and made the most amazing rosemary-infused honey simple syrup! It truly made my house smell like fall! This cocktail was inspired by this month’s #BrokenOvenBakers theme of baking for a cause: #SaveTheBees! Okay, so it’s not quite baking but in the spirit of the cause and #NationalHoneyMonth, I think it was close enough!
#41: Rosemary Cashews
Recipe Inspiration: Toaster Oven Love Rosemary Cashews
Date Made: 10/12/22
Thoughts: Who would have thought that cashews of all the housewarming food would have been the biggest hit?! Not me! Just a little bit of fresh rosemary, pure maple syrup, sea salt, and red pepper flakes go a long way! Someone even asked if I got these from Trader Joe's. (Oh my heart...) Well now that I know how beloved the toasted rosemary cashews are, I'll definitely make these again - they'd be a great appetizer for your Thanksgiving get-togethers or tied up in a little gift bag as a stocking stuffer for Christmas!
#48: Cookies & Cream Cake
Recipe Inspiration: Life, Love and Sugar Chocolate Oreo Cake
Date Made: 11/18/22
Thoughts: My sister requested a cookies & cream cake for her birthday this year - which ended up being my first ever layered cake. I made the cake mix from scratch - which was rich and moist. The Oreo butter cream was delicious, but it was kind of a pain to use. The Oreo crumbs kept getting stuck in my piping tip, and the cake ended up being too short to make a chocolate ganache drip, so I had to change my decorating plans on the spot to Oreo crumbs pressed on the bottom, and Oreo halves on top!
#52: Sourdough
Recipe Inspiration: I'd have to ask my husband!
Date Made: 11/30/22
Thoughts: My husband obtained his first sourdough starter from a friend after we moved, so he's been busy perfecting his sourdough recipe this year. When I read The Holiday Swap in December (which features a family bakery with a special sourdough recipe), I wanted in (you can read about my #ReadItAndEat post here! I love that baking bread is something we can do together. The actual starter seems simple - just flour, water, and a little salt - but don’t let that fool you. Lots of time and effort (and a lot of patience) into shaping and folding the dough to get it just right!
#53: Linzer Cookies
Recipe Inspiration: Live Well Bake Often Linzer Cookies
Date Made: 12/4/22
Thoughts: I love hosting as you know, so I threw a cookie exchange the first week of December for my friends. Linzer cookies are an Austrian nutty and buttery shortbread sandwich cookie filled with jam! The shortbread uses a combination of almond and all-purpose flour. It rolls out into a perfect consistency and the dough didn’t spread at all after baking - I may have to start using this recipe for regular cut-out cookies! I ended up using apricot preserves, as that was the jam currently open in my fridge. I love the stained glass look of the jam in the middle of the cutout. Linzer cookies are best made ahead of time since the jam continues to soften the cookies over time (and we all know we’re team soft cookies over here). Topped with a dusting of powdered sugar, I love how these turned out and that they were much easier than I thought they’d be to make!
2022 New Recipes - Full List
#01: Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Couscous Pilaf
#02: Brown Sugar Cookies
#03: Croissants
#04: Raspberry Cheesecake Stuffed Cookies
#05: Potato Galette
#06: Ginger Molasses Pan Banging Cookies
#07: Chocolate Chunk Pan Banging Cookies
#08: Lamb Couscous Plate with Avocado Goddess Dressing
#09: Jamaican Beef Patties
#10: Rice Spring Rolls
#11: Lemon Blueberry Gluten Free Scones
#12: Green Curry Pork Tenderloin
#13: Homemade Oreos
#14: Homemade Thin Mints
#15: Lemon Orzo Chicken
#16: Yellow Chicken Curry
#17: Pretzel Buckeyes
#18: Cinnamon Roll Blondies
#19: Chocolate Bourbon Walnut Pie
#20: Blood Orange Olive Oil Cookies
#21: Cashew Butter Chicken
#22: Sweet Potato Pierogi
#23: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
#24: Apricot & Cardamom Palmiers
#25: Cinnamon Rolls
#26: Apricot Chicken
#27: Homemade Wonder Balls
#28: Mint Caper Tapenade
#29: Cookie Dough Cups
#30: Lemon Oat Bars
#31: Cauliflower Shawarma
#32: Gluten Free Red Velvet Cookies
#33: Falafel#34: Black Bottoms
#35: Potstickers
#36: Grill Cupcakes
#37: Cauliflower Walnut Taco Meat
#38: Grilled Romaine Salad
#39: Apple Bees Knees
#40: Molasses Sugar Cookies
#41: Rosemary Cashews
#42: Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
#43: Petite Pumpkin Pies
#44: Prosciutto Wrapped Pears
#45: Hummus Stuffed Peppers
#46: Maple Pecan Cookies
#47: Chocolate Ice Cream
#48: Cookies & Cream Cake
#49: Cranberry Orange Swirl Cookies
#50: Bacon Green Bean Bundles
#51: Apple Pie
#52: Sourdough
#53: Linzer Cookies
#54: Coconut Chicken Tikka Curry
#55: Sugar Pan-Banging Cookies
#56: Baklava
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