The best of Chocolate, Chocolate and more 2013

It’s the end of another year. I’m not a big one for resolutions. I know I’ve got the same ones everyone else has, Eat healthier, exercise more, save a little more money… And I know that I’ll break them all at some point in time. But I do keep trying. That’s the real point of a resolution, in my opinion. To remember it occasionally. To choose the healthy salad over the huge hamburger, only take 2 cookies instead of 4. Walk to the mail box instead of driving. 

I look at the end of the year as a time for reflecting back on what’s happened during the past year. My kids are growing up so fast. They don’t need me as much as they used to when they were small. I even have one now with a “real” boyfriend, boy is that scary. My oldest just has one more year of high school and then he’ll be heading off to college. Scary.  My youngest is now in middle school, I don’t have a baby anymore.

2013 is also the year I’ll remember as the year that I knew I was really able to create something amazing. This site. This blog. This thing that started out as just a fluke to share what my girls and I were baking up during summer vacation of 2011. I didn’t even know how to keep track of analytics for the first 10 months, I just knew I got excited when I so that 20 people visited to check out my recipes on any day. In 2012, I realized this blog was more than just a hobby, and in 2013 I took things to the next level. I learned about photography. My photos still aren’t what you’d see in a magazine, but they are now something to show you how yummy a recipe might taste. I moved from Blogger to self hosted WordPress (the scariest thing a blogger can do.) I learned about SEO. I started optimizing my Social Media game.

There’s still much more I need to learn and want to do for this site but I must be doing something right. In 2013, 1,880,000 Unique Visitors found something worth looking at on this site. I’ve received  many comments, e-mails, facebook messages telling me that you’ve made my recipes, that your families loved them, that you’ve added your own special twist to a recipe. I love that! My goal has always been to share recipes that people would try in their own kitchens.

I thought it only fitting to share what you, my readers, thought were some of the best recipes from this year.

The Best of Chocolate, Chocolate and more 2013

15. Reeses Chocolate Peanut Butter Magic Bars-Reese’s Cups are in the top 3 for all time favorite candies so to put them on top of this already scrumptious bar, well, it’s just a match made in heaven!

14. Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns-These rolls take a little bit of time but as you can see, the effort is worth it. And they’re not hard to make at all. I promise, your family will be fighting to get that extra caramel off the plate too!

13. Red Lobster Cheddar bay Biscuits-No one makes biscuits like Red Lobster, so addicting!  I promise, these taste just like them. Don’t skimp  on the garlic butter.

12. Red velvet Cake Batter Fudge-If you’re a fan of Red velvet then it is a fudge you’ll love! So easy to make and perfect for so many occasions!

11. Hershey Kissed Brownie Bites-can you really go wrong adding a Hershey Kiss to the top of anything? These Brownie Bites are easy to make and even easier to gobble up!

10. Copycat Chick-Fil-A Nuggets-seriously some of the best fried chicken around! Great for lunch and dinner or even as part of a snack/appetizer table for a party!

9. Pumpkin Pie Crunch-I can honestly say, as someone who’s not a fan of Pumpkin, that I loved this dessert! I heard from many of you that you did too!

8. Key Lime Pound Cake-This cake was such a great change up from the usual lemon. The lime flavor both in the cake and the glaze…yup, I’m drooling just remembering it.

7. Mocha Frappuccino-This just be my favorite drink of the summer. Frozen Coffee, milk, a straw, just need some warm weather and a good book and I’ll be sipping these on the back deck again!

6. Cherry White Chocolate Pudding Cookies-seriously, I can’t believe how well these cookies turned out. Just playing around in the kitchen, these cookies are a hit. I love the taste, the color, the white chocolate chips!

5. Strawberries and Cream White Chocolate bark-I knew the minute I saw the freeze dried Strawberries in Target that this bark would happen. It’s happened several times now, and it’ll happen again come Valentine’s Day. Things don’t have to be complicated to be amazing!

4. Cream Cheese Mints-This recipe has been around for years, standing the test of time. These mints are perfect for any occasion!

3. Buckeye Bark-Chocolate and Peanut Butter! Why spend time rolling all those balls for traditional Buckeye candy?

2. Smores Cookie Bars-Who needs a campfire to enjoy the classic combination of Chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers? These bars are amazing and and easy to make!

1. Cake Batter Fudge-Sprinkles just make everything more fun! Not even 10 minutes to make, this sweet fudge will have your crowd smiling and asking for more!

Now I would be short changing you to say that these were the top posts of 2013 without including the most viewed post of the year. It wasn’t a recipe but a round up of 50 amazing recipes from other blogs.

50 Cookies for your Christmas Plate-This just proves, you can never have too many cookie recipes!

As we end 2013 and start off a new year, I just want to thank all of you who come to this site, read my stories, try my recipes, leave comments, give feedback…I love and appreciate you all. Happy New Year to you and yours, stay safe and God Bless.