Our Favorite Recipes of 2016
As the year-that-felt-like-it'd-never-end comes to a close, we're thinking back on the best of times—aka the best food. Pasta made 2016 a little better, and we entered 22 new chicken recipes into our hall of fame, but those are just the tip o' the iceberg of great recipes.
Alex Lau3/25Pumpkin Spice Icebox Cake
“I was assigned to test this recipe and it’s because I’m obsessed with it. It’s so easy and fluffy, and despite the photo, I cover it in whipped cream so it looks more cake-like. I can eat the whole thing myself but my guests have also LOVED it when I host dinners solely to serve this dessert.” —Alex Beggs, senior web editor
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Claire Saffitz4/25BA’s Best Buttermilk Biscuits
"Tall and flaky is usually how I describe my Tinder dates, but in the case of these biscuits, it's the perfect combination. These are less scary than a metal can of biscuits popping open prematurely—you know the feeling—and once you master the cut, stack, and roll technique, you'll be hosting brunch parties just for an excuse to make them. Or, you know, eat a dozen by yourself..." —Alyse Whitney, associate web editor
Marcus Nilsson6/25Contramar’s Red and Green Grilled Snapper
"Now that it’s cold and dreary outside, I am waxing way nostalgic for July when we grilled whole tomatoes, onions, garlic, and serrano chiles to make Salsa Roja to top these grilled snapper tacos. I bought squeeze bottles for the Salsa Roja and Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa Verde, and people freaked out joyously." —Brooke Shuman, video editor
Peden + Munk8/25Anything Goes Donabe
"I love that it's tied to dashi—the best dashi I've ever seen in print—with a beautiful blend of ingredients to cook in a donabe. It's a super clean, really satisfying winter stew that still makes you feel healthy-ish." —Alex Grossman, creative director
Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marc Williams10/25BA’s Best Eggplant Parmesan
"I've never cooked a recipe that deserves the title of 'the best' more than this eggplant parm. It's a long recipe, but every step is justified and results in the most perfectly seasoned, proportioned, and structured eggplant parm you'll ever eat. And it lives up to the ultimate test: It's even better out of the fridge the next day." —Alex Delany, assistant web editor
Gentl & Hyers11/25Chocolate-Avocado Pudding
"If I’m hosting you at my house for dinner, chances are, this is what we’ll be eating for dessert. Was deeply, deeply skeptical when I saw avocado (meh) and pudding (extra meh) but I trust editor-at-large Christine Muhlke (who loves it) and Gjusta (where the recipe comes from) so I tried it and I’ve never looked back. It’s SO EASY and truly delicious. Full explanation of why I love it here." —Elyssa Goldberg, associate web editor
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott12/25Anchovy Pasta With Garlic Breadcrumbs
"Tiny little umami fish! Breadcrumbs! Lemon zest! Not exactly what you think of when you think of a comforting bowl of noodles. But once you make this, you'll wonder why you haven't been making—and eating—crunchy, savory, spicy, herb-y, perfect weeknight pasta every day of your life." —Kurt Soller, features editor
14/25Apple Pandowdy
Matt McGrath15/25Poutine on the Ritz Burger
"This recipe combines one of the best ideas ever (putting fries on everything; I'm from Pittsburgh) and one of the best television shows ever (Bob's Burgers). No, it's not an everyday weeknight meal, and yes, it's only appropriate for when you really want to splurge and are feeling rather 'ritzy,' but the bottom line is this jam-packed burger is deeeelicious and pretty much the most gratifying thing I ate in 2016." —Jill Baughman, digital recipes editor
Alex Lau18/25Ginger Cashew Chicken Curry
"While it’s true that I love any recipe that has a garnish that doubles as a 'cooking snack,' the ginger-cashew curry is also extremely memorizable and customizable. And honestly, even if you don’t want to make the recipe, just read the step-by-step instructions for a good laugh—and a genius Peyton Manning reference." —Rachel Karten, social media manager
Photo by BOBBI LIN20/25Cranberry-Lime Pie
"This is the first pie I've ever made and one of my favorites. When I made it, I spread the crust over the entire pie dish all the way up the sides. When I make it again, I'd layer it on a little thicker, sacrificing the pie's depth—even if I end up tossing some of the excess filling, I'd get more crust per bite." —Bilal Shaikh, associate analytics director
Peden + Munk23/25Dashi
"This might sound lame, but my most searched BA recipe of the year—by a long shot—is for the basic dashi from January’s Japanese home cooking story. Two ingredients, less than an hour of hands-off prep, and you’ve got a world of wholesome, warming dishes—think simple miso soup, savory spinach ohitashi, loaded seafood stews—at your fingertips." —Amiel Stanek, associate editor
Photo by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott25/25BA's Best Bread
"There is no doubt in my mind that the single greatest recipe we published this year was Claire Saffitz’s BA’s Best Bread recipe. To be honest, Claire should probably be off somewhere working for NASA or Google or just sitting in a room inventing stuff, but for some unfathomable reason she decided to come work in our test kitchen. Recipes like this are the crusty, chewy, and effing-delicious result." —Chris Morocco, senior food editor
