Our 10 Most Popular Recipes of January

Simply Recipes / Annika Panikker

Our readers, among their many sterling qualities, leave behind the best feedback. The top reader comment (there are 6,354!) on our famous banana bread says, "WARNING. There s a huge problem with this recipe. You will be sad if you don’t double it!" followed by a dozen one-ups like, "embarrassing mate I have caused a localized banana shortage with my titanic loaf." It sounds a lot like kitchen banter among friends.

Then just last week, Jennifer Garner made lemonade for her 14 million Instagram followers—it's our perfect lemonade recipe. Telling others about our recipes you love is the kindest form of feedback to us. We do read every single one of your comments—the good and the ones that require us to troubleshoot the recipe—and we try our very best to respond to your questions. We love being your friendly guide in the kitchen.

So for January, we gathered the 10 recipes our readers clicked on most and a stand-out comment from a loyal reader.

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

1. Pepperoni Rolls

This weekend, I was walking out of a kids' basketball game when my son's friend ran up to me and asked if I could make him these pepperoni rolls. He'd tried them the last time he came over for a playdate. Charmed by his earnest request, I went home and made a double batch of these pepperoni rolls that have become a staple for my family (and now friends).

Smart reader tip: "Mist that dough with water when placing in a hot oven for the perfect crispy crunch on the outside. Just like they used to serve at the WVU Mountainlair." — Yeddard

Simply Recipes / Tara Omidvar

2. Brownie Baked Oatmeal

I have a 8-year-old that refuses to eat anything for breakfast other than a slice of untoasted white bread smeared with a lot of butter. So it was surprising when he ate half a pan of this brownie baked oatmeal (I left the coffee out) over the course of four breakfasts. It's that delicious!

When best to serve, according to a reader: "Especially good warm! Can double as breakfast or dessert." — Elisabeth R.

Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

3. Shrimp and Chorizo Chowder 

One of our readers, SteelCurtain, said everything you need to know about this recipe: "I licked the bowl clean! Literally!" Now that's an endorsement.

Another sweet reader comment: "I love this recipe, it is so simple to make and very much like the New England clam chowder, as well as my oyster chowder. I live alone, am old, well over 60, and love to cook, especially when I have leftovers to enjoy." — Sheila M. Higgs-Coulthard

Simply Recipes / Cynthia Christensen

4. Bibimbap

I grew up mixing bibimbap for our family of four in a giant bowl—I remember it being wider than my entire arm. My mom pulled every banchan from the fridge, reheated leftover rice, fried a few eggs sunny side up, and dumped them all into the bowl with a squirt of sesame oil and a spoonful of gochujang. Take this as permission to riff on this recipe with ingredients you already have.

How to plan ahead, according to a reader: "So, so good. All of the components are delicious individually, but they're even better together. I made the sauce, namul, and rice the day before. Then I stir-fried, crisped the rice, and made the rice the night of. It spit up the work nicely and made dinner prep about 30 minutes." — Dan S.

Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan

5. Gruyère Mushroom Pizza With Balsamic Glaze 

Good news comes in threes: 1) This recipe stars with store-bought pizza dough—the best time-saver. 2) Even if you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can get crispy edges in a regular pizza pan or baking sheet. 3) You can watch Karishma Pradhan make the pizza.

Reader question answered: "Aged gruyère or younger? I had a choice of 'aged 12 months' or 'melts well' and since the mozzarella is the real melter I went with aged." — Emily Wilson

Our senior editor, Sara Bir responded, "I like your reasoning of mozz for melt and aged gruyere for flavor."

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

6. Braised Short Ribs with Root Beer BBQ Sauce 

This is a short rib recipe that writer Laura Manzano's dad served at his restaurant in Florida. "My preteen mind was blown the first time I watched my dad cut open a giant pouch of concentrated root beer syrup (meant for the soda machine) and turn it into a delicious sauce," says Laura. Our minds are blown too!

Reader sharing plans for the future: "There are so many variations of this recipe; (I usually add chopped cilantro and sesame seeds after) but adding the veggies is something I will have to try." — NiteOwwwl

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

7. Banoffee Pie 

Our resident baker, Mark Beahm, created his version of a banoffee pie found in pubs and cafés across London, where he used to live. An easy graham cracker crust is layered with caramel, bananas, and whipped cream—what's not to love?

Reader upgrade: "I topped mine with Heath Bar crumbles just before serving. I think I'll sprinkle the dulce de leche with salt next time—but I love salt in sweet things!" — Elisabeth R.

Kalisa Martin

8. Easy Baked Salmon

I used to think cooking fish at home was for fancy people. I was so wrong. Take this easy salmon: a whole filet (faaaancy!) is sealed in a pouch as it bakes. Anyone can wrap fish in foil! The fish stays flakey and doesn't dry out. It's the simplest way to cook fish at home.

We have a superfan: "Perfect texture, perfect juicy and taste awesome. This is my six time less than three months." — D

Simply Recipes / Mike Lang

9. Easy Beef Stew 

Thank goodness for an easy beef stew that doesn't require browning your meat in batches—that's music to my ears!

Don't just take it from me: "This will be my go-to for beef stew for now on. My family loved it." — Dohna

Simply Recipes / Annika Panikker

10. Chocolate Mayonnaise Sheet Cake

There are three desserts I will always make room for: tiramisu, flan, and chocolate cake. We are always looking for ways to make chocolate cake not dry, more flavorful, or simply better. Are you in the same boat? Here's a recipe that uses an unexpected condiment you can find in your fridge to make a chocolate cake that'll yield zero leftovers.

Learning together: "If you add mayo why are eggs necessary?" — Mamadar

Sara's response: "The added eggs do help make a lighter cake. Mayonnaise has some egg content, but not enough to replace eggs totally. I've actually made this cake without eggs and it's still tasty, but better with added eggs."

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