As moderator of Cookie Connection, I have the unique vantage point of seeing every cookie photo that hits the site - and that's a lot! Most of the time, it's the season that dictates the dominant cookie subject matter . . . like right now, we've got a glut of adorable bunnies and decked-out eggs, as you well know.
But other times, certain themes or techniques appear, seemingly out of nowhere, and then catch on like wildfire with everyone scrambling to do his/her own special take. (It wasn't long ago that we all experienced the Frozen phenomenon, so you know what I mean, right?!)
Fortunately, Elsa and Olaf are behind us 
, and we've clearly moved onto the next big thing. Any guesses as to what it might be?!
Yes, it's what I've been calling the "etched or scratched wood effect" for lack of catchier words! Did you know that, since early January, y'all have posted nearly 100 cookies that fit this theme?! And I can't count even one-quarter of that number posted in the six months before!
I'm not sure what or who prompted this sudden excitement about rustic wood paneling. (Some say Hadas y Grumetes pioneered the technique, and then Arty McGoo popularized it in late 2014, but if you have more info, please fill me in.) Anyway, seeing as so many of you are celebrating this technique by trying it out, I thought we should honor the top of this trend this week.
So without further ado, here are the cookies that rocked this week's "etched wood" hot list*, with one etched brick cookie thrown in for good measure. If you haven't yet jumped on the wood-paneled bandwagon, these cookies are sure to give you the needed boost! (Note: Sometimes the wood effect is on one big "hero" cookie; other times, it's on one or more of the cookies in the set. But in all cases below, it's an eye-catching background effect.)
#1: Rustic Vintage Cookies by mintlemonade (aka Cookie Crumbs)
#2: Easter Cookies by HENS1
#3: Rosas by Nadia Rodriguez
#4: Love from Maine by Dany's Cakes
#5: Baby Shower! by Claudia Cazares [EDITOR'S NOTE: The sole brick stand-out!]
#6: Osito Cariñoso! by Claudia Cazares [EDITOR'S NOTE: You're on a roll, girl!]
#7: Mi Pequeño! by Claudia Cazares [EDITOR'S NOTE: Whoa, a third win for Claudia! Way to go!]
#8: ColecciÓn Primavera by Mis Recetas mÁs Dulces
#9: Vintage Spring by Katia @ GK Cookies
#10: Buckets of Blooms by Rocking Horse Sugar Decor
I think this trend has Frozen beat! 
'Til next week, happy cookie decorating!
* As a reminder, a word about how the rankings are determined: The rankings are not at all subjective. In fact, they are determined essentially by you, our members, and the activity (number of views, likes, and comments) you've bestowed on each photo. The site uses a top-secret algorithm that weighs these various factors to determine which photos are trending most quickly (i.e., are the "hottest") over specified periods of time. As such, the hot list at the time of this announcement may look a little different a few hours or a day from now as more photos are added to the site.
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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