Top 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2023

Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone! It’s the last day of what has been a pretty good year. I traveled to NYC where I scratched an important item off my bucket list (seeing a live taping of the Stephen Colbert show); one of my closest friends welcomed a baby, who has become my unofficial nephew; I visited the UK a whopping three times, where I went to see an Arctic Monkeys concert in London and visited the highlands of Scotland; I got a promotion at work; I spent a quality time with family and friends in Rhode Island over Christmas break. And of course: I continued to work on this blog, which remains one of my very favorite activities, nearly 10 years on.

And on that note!

It’s time for Pancakes & Biscotti’s annual Top Recipes post! Below you’ll find the blog’s ten most popular, most viewed, and most clicked on recipes of 2023. The verdict this year: your favorite dishes erred more towards Italian than American, with a straight down the middle divide between sweet and savory. Read on!

Looking for other Recipe Compilations? Click here.

10. biscotti occhio di bue

Consider yourself warned: these cookies are reminiscent of shortbread and therefore completley moreish on their own. Throwing a Nutella into the mix renders them even more addictive, but you can also fill them with jam. One (or two, or three) of these are divine with a morning coffee. Click here for the recipe.

9. pallotte CACIO E OVA

This recipe turns out pallotte (think cheesy fried bread dumplings) that are spheres of fried bliss, crisp and golden on the outside and soft and fluffy within. They are not meek: a pile of Pecorino give them a pleasantly sharp, intense flavor, and demonstrates that sometimes, too much is just enough. Click here for recipe.

8. panettone loaf cake

This recipe shot to the top of my views list after being posted only a few weeks ago, and with good reason. This is a chic, festive little cake that gives you all the flavor of a panettone without all the work: its packed with raisins and candied orange, and flavored with vanilla bean, honey, and citrus. Click here for the recipe.

7. LENTIL SHEPHERD’S PIE

This vegan take on Shepherd’s Pie was one of my favorite recipes of 2023, and has been added to my regular rotation — the olive oil mashed potato topping is light and fluffy and the perfect foil to the hearty filling within, packed with wholesome lentils, meaty mushrooms, and sweet carrots and peas. Click here for the recipe.

6. PASTA ALLO SCARPARIELLO

I’ve noticed through the years that readers love a quick pasta dish, so wasn’t surprised to see this in the top 10: here spaghetti tangles with juicy cherry tomatoes and basil, along with toasty garlic, a small but mighty peperoncino, and sharp, punchy Parmesan and Pecorino. A splash of pasta water makes the sauce smooth and pulls the whole dish together. Click here for the recipe.

5. SFORMATO DI ZUCCHINE

This sformato (think a kind of casserole or bake) is a pan of delighful contrasts: there’s fluffy ricotta. crisp breadcrumbs, mild zucchine, and sharp Parmesan. There’s also melty, pleasantly stringy mozzarella, to keep things interesting, and to up the cheese quotient. This dish makes for a delicious, substantial vegetarian main. Click here for the recipe.

4. blueberry doughnuts

I was a little nervous these doughnuts wouldn’t be so popular, given that they involve frying (not everyone’s favorite cooking method) so was very happy to see it all the way at number 4. These gems turn golden and biscuit-like when they hit the oil, and are dotted with pockets of jammy blueberries, with a lovely pearly glaze. Click here for the recipe.

3. CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL CAKE

A chic, luxurious, (vegan!) cake that is sticky, gooey, and deeply chocolate-y, one that does not at all taste less than a traditional dairy-rich cake, effortlessly holding its own. The sprinkle of sea salt over the glaze renders the cake moreish and addictive, not to mention festive and sparkly. Click here for the recipe.

2. CREMA DI PISTACCHIO

Crema di pistacchio is one of those delicacies everyone falls in love with while visiting Italy, but cannot find back at home. Problem solved with this homemade version, made with white chocolate, butter, and milk. plus lots of (toasted!) pistachios to give the crema a hefty pistacchio-punch. Slather on cookies, pastries, or cakes. Click here for the recipe.

and drumroll, for 2023’s Most Popular Recipe…

1. POLPETTE IN BIANCO

The most viewed, most clicked on, most read, and I’d thus imagine most cooked recipe of 2023 were these polpette in bianco, or rather meatballs with a pan sauce made with white wine, lemon, and parsley. I’m not surprised: these meatballs just happen to be one of my favorite recipes I came up with this year. The sauce keeps the meatballs juicy and tender — use it to baste your polpette, mop it up with a piece of bread, or use a swirl of mashed potatoes as your vehicle to ensure not one drop goes to waste. Click here for the recipe.

See you all in 2024 for another year of blogging! Happy New Year everyone!