Recipes

The 10 Most Popular Recipes in December

Featuring salty-sweet party snacks, rich (but thrifty!) lobster pasta, and gooey chocolate cookies!
Platter of Lobster Pasta with white wine
Photo by Laura Murray, Food styling by Kat Boystova, prop styling by Allie Wist

December is for holiday parties, cozy gatherings with friends, and well, super competitive cookie swaps. The month's most popular recipes reflected all of that, with our readers turning out trays of salty-sweet party mix, irresistibly fragrant slow-roasted pernil, saucy-glossy lobster pasta, and double chocolate cookies. But it wasn’t all indulgence all the time. There were bouts of Bulgogi-style eggplant (from none other than Maangchi!) and soul-warming bowls of oats simmered in dashi were Healthyish for a change of pace. Here, find the 10 most popular recipes from December, starting with No. 1.

  • Image may contain Food Cookie Biscuit Dessert Chocolate and Brownie
    Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    1/10

    Obscenely Chocolatey Chocolate Cookies

    Here's the cookie to bake when you want to impress your friends at the cookie swap but you're not about to spend hours cutting out reindeers and piping royal icing. 

    View Recipe
  • This image may contain Plant Food Produce Bean Vegetable and Lentil
    Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    2/10

    Lemony Lentils and Rice With Caramelized Onions

    This recipe is inspired by mujadara, a simple combination of lentils, rice, and onions that exists in various forms across the Middle East. It's comforting but not too rich, and it's fresh and vegetarian without relying on many perishable ingredients. In other words, it's the perfect meal for the nights in between holiday parties.

    View Recipe
  • Platter of Lobster Pasta with white wine
    Photo by Laura Murray, Food styling by Kat Boystova, prop styling by Allie Wist
    3/10

    Lobster Pasta

    A creamy, eye rollingly rich pasta sauce that tastes deeply lobstery, but even more deeply of love.

    View Recipe
  • Pernil
    Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Yekaterina Boystova
    4/10

    Pernil (Slow-Roasted Pork)

    Get ready to fill your home with the mouthwatering scent of this super tender, super satisfying holiday centerpiece. 

    View Recipe
  • Strips of glazed panfried eggplant in a serving dish topped with toasted sesame seeds next to a bowl of white rice.
    Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Kat Boystova
    5/10

    Bulgogi-Style Eggplant

    This easy weeknight pan-fried eggplant is so flavorful and pleasingly chewy, it’s practically meaty. 

    View Recipe
  • Image may contain Food Bread Cracker Seasoning and Sesame
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li
    6/10

    Salty-Sweet Party Mix

    Whether you prefer the buttery richness of classic party mix, or you’re on the sugarcoated puppy chow team, this recipe has you covered. 

    View Recipe
  • Chicken puttanesca with olives recipe
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li
    7/10

    Saucy Chicken Puttanesca

    Here, chicken legs are gently oven-braised in puttanesca sauce until nearly falling off the bone. 

    View Recipe
  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Platter Plant and Breakfast
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li 
    8/10

    Egg Korma With Frizzled Onions

    Whole jammy eggs are seared in ghee until blistered and crispy, then smothered in a gently spiced coconut sauce. 

    View Recipe
  • A bowl of savory oatmeal topped with shaved radishes pickled cucumbers green onions and chopped peanuts.
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    9/10

    Dashi Oats With Crunchy Veg

    Instant dashi powder gives so much savory umami flavor to the oats that this porridge can easily be served for dinner. 

    View Recipe
  • This image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Vegetable and Produce
    Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova
    10/10

    Greens Gratin With All the Cheese

    Here's a fun party trick: Ask your friends to guess how many pounds of greens went into this supremely cheesy gratin. Three huge bunches of kale (and/or chard) get drowned in garlic- and rosemary-infused cream, then blanketed in cheddar cheese and panko and sent into a hot oven, where they sizzle and shrink. 

    View Recipe