It's that very special time of year when we pause and reflect on the year past, and for me, that means taking a few moments to think about the most delicious (usually buttery and sugary) things I've put in my mouth.
And in 2010, these were some of the standouts--50 things--some homemade, some made by others, and listed in no particular order--which I wish I was eating again, right this instant. And no, I don't have any regrets, and no, I am not going to be dieting in 2011.
Here goes:
Custom CakeSpy artwork cupcakes for CakeSpy Shop Opening (pictured top): You might think it was hard to eat cupcakes with an anthropomorphic cupcake version of myself on them, but it wasn't.
Chocolate Brownie Pie: this decadent treat was my offering for Seattle's Pie day celebration, and I am so proud to say that it was one of the first items to disappear!
Velveeta Fudge: The most controversial sweet of the year, but I loved it. So rich and creamy. So awful and awesome, all at once!
Avocado Cake: So dense, so rich, so decadent. I wish I was eating it again right now.
Deathcake Royale: A yearly favorite, from Seattle's Cupcake Royale.
Berthillon Ice Cream, even if the cone kind of does look slightly unfortunate. In Paris, this is the place for ice cream, and now I know why: it is delicious.
Doughnut Upside Down Cake, which I made for Serious Eats; because yes, a classic (Pineapple Upside Down Cake) can be improved by substituting doughnuts for fruit.
Linzer Cookie, Mount Bakery, Bellingham, WA. This was the perfect specimen of what a linzer cookie should be: crumbly, nutty, and with a nice, tart contrast from the preserves. Simple but perfect.
Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict: Yes, I'm serious. As serious as a heart attack.
Opera Cake from Dalloyau, Paris. The place that made Opera Cake legendary, and still the maker of some of the best.
Bouchon Ho-Ho, NYC. I'm sometimes wary of fanci-fied fast food, but this was very good.
Homemade Oreos from Abigail's Bake Shop--construction-wise, they were like Oreos, but taste-wise, something else on a whole different level.
King Cake from Sucre, New Orleans: What a sweet treat in the beginning of 2010--a rich, creamy cake to kick off the new year.
Salted Peanut Crisps: there's a reason why they were the official cookie of 1950-55, according to Betty Crocker.
Cornmeal Blueberry Cookie Bars: Almost healthy, to boot!
Cupcakes by Cake Eater Bakery, Minneapolis: Muraling was hard work, and I needed some delicious cupcakes to keep me energized. Happily, the cupcakes made by the place I was doing a mural were delicious!
Nanaimo Bar by French Meadow Bakery, Minneapolis: who would have thought I'd discover my favorite Canadian treat in Minneapolis? Not only did I, but a fine specimen indeed.
Macarons by Pierre Herme, Paris: like little cookie clouds. They made me understand why people love macarons.
Coffee Eclair from Stohrer, Paris: Stohrer has been making pastries since the 1700s, and obviously they've honed the art: these eclairs are very, very good.
Hot chocolate from Angelina, Paris: like melted candy bars, this drinking chocolate was a truly decadent treat, and the fact that it was served on a fancy tray in the shadow of the Louvre didn't hurt the experience!
7-Up Cake: This cake had a lot of butter, but a lot of delicious flavor too: the lemon-lime of the soda added a certain je ne sais quoi that made it almost too easy to keep eating.
Lollipops by This Charming Candy: these lollipops are nothing like the ones you used to get at the Doctor's office: in refined flavors like salted caramel, pistachio-marshmallow, and tangerine-clove, these are meant to be eaten with pinkies out!
Pain au Chocolat from Bakery Nouveau, Seattle: who doesn't love crispy butter and chocolate, all served up for breakfast? This was a particularly fine variety.
Blackout Crumb Bars: Le yum. A decadent pairing of chocolate with crumb topping and shortbread crust.
Biscuits with Sugar Butter: This was the true breakfast of champions. So delicious and rich, I could have eaten my weight in it.
Lime Coconut bar, Street Treats, WA: Street Treats was one of my favorite new retail operations to start up in Seattle in 2010, and this bar was certainly a standout: a dense, creamy lime filling between crumb topping and a sturdy crust.
An early morning donut from Donut Pub, NYC: because no matter if 3am is early or late, it's the perfect time for a doughnut, and this place had me covered on a dark and stormy night.
Cupcakes from Frills, OR: these rich, delicious cupcakes saved my life during a long day vending at Crafty Wonderland.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies inspired by David Lebovitz: worth stalking.
Blondie-topped brownies: Blondies? Brownies? Why decide? Indulge in both, at once. I did, and I loved it.
Pine State Biscuits, Portland, OR: Carbohydrate Heaven.
Banana Jumbos. OMFG.
Apple pie by High 5 Pie: perfectly crisp, not-mushy apple slices, paired with a most decadent, buttery crumb and crust. Perfection.
Chocolate Mudslide Cookies. Perfect for chocolate lovers: somewhere between truffle and cookie, reside these fat, flavorful little nuggets, which I loved every bite of.
The "Pixie" from Pix Patisserie, Portland, OR: a petite, but very sweet, little bite from the cutest bakery in Portland.
Behemoth Crumb Cake: nothin' but crumb, this was sort of last-meal territory for me, so good I couldn't stop eating it.
Red Velvet Cake Shake: Because yes, there is a way to make Red Velvet Cake better: mix it with ice cream and serve it with a straw.
Cinnamon rolls stuffed with chocolate chip cookie dough. Do I really have to explain why this one made the list? They were made of awesome, duh!
Kaleidoscope cookies: not only pretty to look at, these little treats pack a buttery, crumbly punch that makes you want to eat a full rainbow-full.
Pineapple butter cakes from Taiwan. Thank you, thank you, Kairu, for introducing me to this addictive treat.
Cookies by My Dough Girl, Utah: cookies with macadamias, chocolate, and zucchini? Unlikely as it may sound, it works, and it works well.
Trailer Park Special from Angel Food Bakery: a highlight from my September trip to Chicago, this featured a delicious homemade Twinkie, zinger, and more.
Vegan Oat Bar, Caffe Ladro, Seattle: A constant favorite, and it continued to be so this year.
Cowboy Pie from Hill Country Fried Chicken (oh, and many other things along Broadway)
Yumball, Three Tarts, NYC: if the name doesn't tell you why I loved this thing, the picture (above) should fill in the blanks.
Salt n pepper cookies by BAKED: like fancy oreos, with a kick: so compulsively eatable.
Nanaimo Bar Hybrid from Savary Island Pie: Nanaimo bar? Rice Krispie Treat? Scotcheroo? Why decide? Have them all at once. Le nom.
Buttermilk biscuits by Macrina: Fact, I have one of these almost every morning for breakfast. And I plan to continue this trend, until the day comes that I cannot even look one of these beauties in the eye anymore.
Baked Brownies: Still the best.
Hot chocolate from 7-11. What can I say, you can take the girl out of NJ, but you can't take the NJ out of the girl.
...and how about one bonus sweet to take us into the new year? How 'bout one I haven't written about yet, but will soon: the absolute singular sensation that is the Pumpple Cake (entire apple and pumpkin pies baked into vanilla and chocolate cakes, all held together with a ridiculous amount of frosting!), from Flying Monkey Patisserie? That's a pound or more of pleasure per slice, and we loved every inch of it.
Happy 2011!