The Most Popular Recipes of 2025

And I talk about lifting!

The end of the year does not inspire much reflection in me — I’m usually too busy! However, now that we’re in 2026, instead of ideating resolutions, I’ve been thinking of something I’m really happy I started doing last year. None of my resolutions has ever stuck around more than a few weeks, which is why I try to not make them, let alone announce them. (Some research even suggests that if you tell someone else your goal, you might be less likely to achieve it.) I’m a pretty calcified person. Creating new patterns in my social life, diet, work ethic, etc. is difficult for me. I’ll probably never be someone who makes his bed in the morning. No matter how many times I try to build that habit, it just might not happen. So I don’t even have any resolutions this year, private or otherwise. (I just need to find a new apartment by the end of this month!)

A habit I am proud to have stuck with all of last year is a regular practice of lifting weights. I’m not really going to talk about how often or what I do, not that anyone has ever asked for that, lol. I feel comfortable talking more about this now because … I already did it! And I’m not planning on changing anything about it so I don’t think I’m self-sabotaging my own goals, either.

I hate to say this, but lifting weights has become such a part of my weekly routine that: 1) I don’t have to convince myself to go to the gym 2) I don’t have to agonize over fitting it into my schedule (this is easier because I work for myself) 3) I actually *shudder* look forward to it most of the time 4) it genuinely improves my mental wellbeing. It has been nice to be able to track my progress linearly instead of all of the various, sometimes nonsensical metrics I use to determine success with my job. It’s almost like a video game. There’s solace in knowing exactly what I need to do and not having to overthink it. When my mind is chaotic and I can’t get anything done, unplugging (as much as my too-online brain will allow) and focusing on my silly little tasks at the gym typically helps.

Finding a way to achieve a goal — or even just creating a new habit — let alone one that also tricks you into enjoying it and putting it on an almost-autopilot, that’s something I didn’t think was possible for me. I resisted this specific type of exercise for a long time, after trying so many others. My main rationale against it: I just didn’t think I was *that* kind of guy. The idea that I would ever touch a barbell was just so foreign to me. I was tying way too much identity to a place, a workout, a body type — a straight, jock archetype.

And it’s not like that feeling came from nowhere. Growing up, and well into my college years, the body standard for young gay guys was thin. Now, the pendulum has swung and it’s much more popular to just get jacked. If you’re like me, you likely bowed out or were shamed out of most sports by the time you left high school. If you don’t have the right body type, many workout spaces can be actively hostile to you, especially if you’re a woman. And especially in today’s political climate, there’s an increasingly slippery slope between getting more protein and going full MAHA. People can’t even be interested in building muscle without getting raw milk videos flooding their Reels page.

When I went full-time with easygayoven in 2022, I started running, which I hated. I’d suffer through 30 minutes of it, multiple times a week, even though afterwards my brain would admittedly feel great. I was happy that I had developed a habit and stuck with it, but eventually I realized that I was working against what my body wanted. My knees hurt, my hips hurt, my ankles hurt. Running is not kind to anyone’s joints, and as a big guy, I was putting a lot of pressure on them. I couldn’t run as fast or far as I wanted to, even after two years of regular training. I began paying $125 a month in the winter months just to use my gym’s *treadmill* and nothing else. (Do not contact me for financial advice!)

So at the start of last year, maybe a little bit before that, I stopped running and started lifting weights. I didn’t think of it as a goal or a resolution, just a shift from doing one thing to trying something else. I had no idea what I was doing. I spent a lot of time watching Youtube tutorials the night before a gym day, or clandestinely next to a piece of unknown equipment, to try and teach myself. My gym offers free personal training sessions, but I was too anxious to use them. This was supposed to be a semi-private journey and I was afraid that any negative experience would turn me away from an already precarious new practice. My greenness probably embarrassed me a few times, even though I know that most people are not watching and do not care. I’m still learning, and there are still exercises I won’t try yet because I’m too nervous. And that’s okay! I have let the fear of being a beginner stop me from doing too many things for too long.

I’m not even trying to offer advice here, but I think a few factors made this change stick for me. One, the positive feedback loop is excellent. Chemicals in the brain go woo-woo when you exercise and eventually that makes you want to do it again. I enjoy making progress, my mental health is steady, and, vainly, I like how I look. Two, unlike running, I don’t absolutely hate my life while I’m lifting. I’m working with my body and mind instead of against them. Lastly, and I think most importantly, I took this change at my pace, privately, with low pressure, instead of concocting unrealistic goals, getting overwhelmed, then throwing in the towel.

This is just my personal journey and is not prescriptive whatsoever. No matter what your plans are, please go easy on yourselves as we enter Whole 30 and Dry Jan season. There is pressure from all sides to start something new or accomplish more or be better — and I’m sure we all could be making changes that would benefit our lives — but keeping your head above water right now is also valiant enough. If you are making a change, good luck, but just remember you don’t have to make any goals or resolutions if you don’t want to. January is a shitty month to try and overhaul your life anyway.

The recipes you all gravitated towards the most in 2025 were mostly one of two categories: A few weird little spins on cakes, but overwhelmingly, fun cookie flavor combinations that shouldn’t work, but still do. And in case you’re curious, the most popular recipe this year, which blew all of these out of the water (by a factor of 2x) were the mango white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.

Let’s take a look back at them, in chronological order, starting with January.

I doubted myself when I was pouring powdered cheese out of the mac and cheese box packets, but I’m glad I listened to my gut!

It’s like a banana bread that’s fancy enough to serve for dessert at a nice restaurant.

This was lots of fun to make and eat — my goal in life is to “confetti” every baked good.

I didn’t think many people would make this, but you all struck while the rhubarb was hot!

I’ve basically been working on this brownie recipe on and off for years, so I was glad to 1) publish a version that was more streamlined with even better results 2) hear how much people loved it online.

The It Girl this year!

Another recipe where I was pleasantly surprised by its reception! This is an example of a “doing it for me” recipe, where I don’t really expect it to pop off. I had no idea it would be so popular.

Making a s’mores cookie that actually tasted like a s’more has long been a KPI here at EGO. We cracked it with this recipe.

One of the last recipes of the year, which made it into my cookie boxes!

Which was your favorite recipe of this year? Doesn’t have to be on this list! Let me know in the comments.