Hi, everyone! Thanks for cutting me a break last weekend and allowing me to get by without a Spotlight. 
Class weekends (like last weekend) are always super busy for me because I teach all day on both Saturday and Sunday, and, then with the Omicron variant raging, I had a number of events and plans cancel that sent me into a rescheduling tailspin. I'm finally back on steady ground (for the time being anyway), and so it's high time to see the cookies that have been trending the fastest on the site! This week, we were hit with a wintry mix. With everything from snowmen and mittens to more classic Valentine's Day themes, our weekly hot list* is rather eclectic, though certainly quite impressive.
The first spotlighted clip, though not a cookie and solely royal icing, is indeed a wonder. Please check it out along with the other nine Spotlightees that follow! Well done, everyone!
#1: Rusty Chain by PUDING FARM
#2: Hearts by Cookies on Cambridge
Coincidentally, our #3 honoree made a Valentine's set in nearly the identical color palette as #2. It just goes to show that great minds think alike!
#3: St. Valentine by KUMIKO KISHI
Special congrats are in order for our next Spotlightee. Not only was she the first to enter our latest Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge, but she also hit this hot list three times this week, thanks to prolific cookie-ing and posting of some really cute sets! (Aside: Please do consider entering our landmark 50th challenge before February 27! The challenges always offer lots of learning and fun, and this one is certainly no exception. Plus, I'm randomly giving away two tickets to The Bake Fest in May!)
#4: Macramé Wall Hangings by LisaF [EDITOR'S NOTE: Again, congrats to Lisa on this charming challenge cookie and her other two recognitions below!]
#5: Happy Birthday, Betty by lulubakes
#6: Botanical Hearts by emilybaking
#7: Mitten Madness! by LisaF [EDITOR'S NOTE: I call Lisa the Cookie Philanthropist for good reason! This set is one of two that she gave to her local food pantry this week; the second one follows immediately below. Also to note: She gives away many more cookies than you see in her photos! 
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#8: Let It Snow! by LisaF
Now, our stunning cover image, done for the recent Art and Myths Collaboration . . .
#9: Selene, Moon Goddess for Art and Myths Collaboration by Los dulces de Kolo
And now for #10 . . . this last honoree is only here because I call the honorees as the site algorithms call them! Not a single cookie here is handpicked by me. It's the change in the number of combined views, likes, and comments on each post over the past week that determines who makes this list each Saturday.
#10: From Paris With Love by Julia M. Usher
If I had my druthers, one of you would be in the #10 spot, not me. The best way to assure a Spotlight mention is simply to post your latest projects! We're all super eager to see and learn from them, and, who knows, they might just land in the top ten!
Have a great rest of the weekend, and stay tuned for a Cookier Close-up interview and tutorial in the next week!
So that no one has an unfair advantage in making it onto a hot list, the algorithm is secret even to site administrators. Only our platform developers know the code, which has been exhaustively tested by those developers and Cookie Connection staff.
All photos shown here are the courtesy (and copyright) of the designers listed.
To check out our other hot lists, at any time of day, visit our Hot Spot, also found in the site's main navigation line.
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