The Most Raved About Recipes from Our What's Cooking Facebook Group

Recipe: Beef Tamale Pie

We love a full dinner that comes together in our cast-iron skillet, and this savory pie is a new go-to. Many of our readers put jalapeno slices on half of the cornbread topping to satisfy family members who wanted the extra spice and those who didn’t. Readers said this recipe is “definitely a keeper.”

Recipe: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is the most talked-about recipe in the cooking group, and for good reason: They’re insanely delicious. Many admitted to sneaking a bit of the dough before baking—but we’re not naming names!

Recipe: Skillet Corn with Shrimp and Sausage

This skillet recipe was so popular because it satisfies everything you could need in a weeknight dinner recipe: one dish, only 30 minutes of time, and fresh ingredients. Our readers found fun ways to mix it up using whatever fresh veggies or proteins they had on hand.

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Apple Butter

Our readers can’t get enough of fresh apples in the fall, and they couldn’t stop raving about this homemade apple butter recipe. From breakfast to dessert, they found plenty of creative ways to use it. Bonus: It will make your house smell amazing.

Recipe: Curried Chicken Pot Pie

A bit of red curry paste takes your favorite chicken pot pie recipe to over-the-top delicious places. This suppertime favorite also freezes well to help you out during the busy holiday season. One reader said it might be “the best new recipe of 2020.”

Recipe: Wacky Cake

If you’re on dish duty, this is the dessert recipe you need. This depression-era cake is made with just a few ingredients and mixed right in the pan. “This is the easiest and most delicious chocolate cake! I love that I almost always have all the ingredients in our cabinet!” raved one reader.

Recipe: Chocolate Cobbler

This ultra-decadent dessert is like a cross between tender cake and pudding-like fudge. A tip from the Test Kitchen: When it says not to stir, resist the urge! Serve this chocolate cobbler warm with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream. One reader described this dish as “a chocolate lover’s dream.”

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cornbread Dressing

Our readers are all about a make-ahead recipe, and many of them turn to this classic cornbread dressing recipe to “free up your oven and your time” on Thanksgiving Day.

Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake

Regardless the season, our readers can’t resist this Key Lime Pound Cake recipe, and we understand why. It’s like a tropical vacation is sitting on your cake stand!

Recipe: Tater Tot Breakfast Bake

If there’s one thing our readers can appreciate, it’s an easy, make-ahead recipe. This simple breakfast casserole starts with store-bought ingredients and can be prepped the night before you serve it, whether you need a main dish for Christmas brunch or something to go with your Saturday morning coffee.

Recipe: Reese’s Cake

Our Facebook group is full of avid bakers, so it’s no wonder they turned to this ultra-decadent chocolate-and-peanut butter concoction.

Recipe: Mini Cranberry-Cheesecake Pies

These festive little bites adorned many of our readers’ Thanksgiving tables, and one even said “everyone should make them.” Sugared cranberries and a touch of orange zest are the prettiest toppings.

Recipe: Oyster Casserole

Southern Living readers love a vintage recipe, and this casserole with Lowcountry roots is a holiday mainstay on many a table. Known to some as oyster dressing, this dish has countless iterations that are all delicious.

Recipe: Apple Butter Pound Cake with Caramel Frosting

Cut into this decadent pound cake to find a ribbon of homemade apple butter. A drizzle of homemade caramel frosting and a topping of crispy apple chips make for festive presentation worthy of a holiday dinner.

Recipe: Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza

Friday night movie at home? Don’t dial up the pizza joint. Put your cast-iron skillet to work for the best homemade pizza. Let your kids choose their favorite toppings for a fun dinner they’ll love.

Recipe: Crispy Potato Galette

This cast-iron skillet recipe produces both a crispy and a creamy layer of potatoes. Few tips from the Test Kitchen: This recipe needs to be assembled and baked quickly. If left to sit too long, the potatoes will leach too much liquid. Do not hold the potato slices in water prior to tossing, as this will remove the starch which is needed to hold the galette together.

Recipe: Sock It To Me Cake

Vintage recipes are always a hit with our readers, and this nostalgic cake from the ’60s is a continued success with bakers. Delicious with a morning cup of coffee or after dinner, this comforting cake has a simple ingredient list that’s easy to follow.

Recipe: Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

Our readers love to get a head start on holiday prep, and this turkey gravy recipe is an absolute go-to for them.

Recipe: Peach Custard Pie

This recipe from our July 2020 issue combines the best of creamy old-school pies with fresh summer peaches. It’s easy and beautiful, which makes it ideal for simple summer gatherings. One reader said it’s “easy and absolutely delicious.”

Recipe: Apple Butter-Pecan Quick Bread

We saw more readers make this recipe than any of the other recipes using our Slow-Cooker Apple Butter. Delicious with your morning cup of coffee (warmed, with a pat of butter!) or after a meal, this bread smells and tastes like everything you love about fall baking.

Recipe: Savory Dutch Baby

You might know Dutch babies as sweet breakfast treats, but you’ve got to try this savory recipe. You probably have all of the ingredients you need to whip up this quick recipe on a Saturday morning. “I had never heard of this before but man…it’s awesome!!” said one reader.

Recipe: Strawberry-Spinach Salad

Although our cooking group is full of bakers who share towering layer cakes and beautiful Bundts, they can also appreciate a light and healthy recipe. This salad from our April 2020 issue has been a favorite. You can add grilled chicken for an extra protein boost to make it a full meal.

Recipe: Corn-and-Bacon Fettuccine

This summery pasta makes the most of fresh corn and herbs, and a little bacon sure doesn’t hurt. Even though it looks pretty on the plate, it comes together in just 30 minutes from start to finish.

Recipe: Cakey Strawberry Cobbler

This tender cobbler recipe is perfect as-is, but we loved to see the different variations our readers dreamed up when making it. You can use this easy, yummy cobbler recipe with any fruit you have on hand, regardless the season.

Recipe: Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks and Mushrooms

Our cooking group knows: Everything tastes better when it comes from the cast-iron skillet. This recipe uses up that puff pastry that’s been sitting in your freezer, too. “This one is definitely a keeper!” said one reader.

Recipe: Salted Irish Cream Apple Crostata

Jerrelle Guy dreamed up this gorgeous fall dessert for us, and it was an immediate hit with readers. The good news for novice bakers is that the flaky crust is so much easier to make than a homemade pie crust. If that’s not enough to convince you, one reader said it, “might be the VERY BEST thing I’ve ever tasted!!”

Recipe: Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Cake

This recipe from a few years ago saw a huge resurgence online this summer. The combination of peaches, bourbon, and brown sugar is just too good to turn down when the farmers’ market is full of fresh peaches. “Best cake ever! It will not disappoint you,” said one reader.

Recipe: Chicken Divan

If our cooking group is any indication, this 1950s dinner party staple still holds up today. The ingredient list is simple and the results will pass any picky eater’s test.

Recipe: Homemade Orange Rolls

Sure, orange rolls are easy to pick up in the frozen section, but if you’re looking for a fun new baking project, you should definitely try this recipe one weekend. Many of our readers got the kids and grandkids to help with this one!

Recipe: Chicken-Bacon-Ranch Casserole

Chicken, bacon, and ranch are three of our favorite ingredients, so of course they’re delicious together in a creamy pasta bake that’s ready with just 30 minutes of hands-on time. This dinner was praised by readers for how easy and delicious it turned out. One even said it was an “instant family favorite!”

Recipe: Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream

This stunning layer cake was the first in our roundup of cakes to bake every month in 2020, and our readers embraced the challenge. We love the “naked” presentation of the layers drizzled with homemade chocolate ganache. Many readers shared that they made the cake layers ahead of time with great success.

Recipe: Stuffed Okra Poppers

We put a Southern spin on jalapeno poppers with okra and a pimiento cheese-like filling. This recipe turned out to be the appetizer of the summer.

Recipe: Skillet Shrimp Destin with Orzo

This skillet supper is ideal for al fresco dining in the summer. Pair with a cool glass of dry white wine, and voila! You’ve got a company-ready meal in just 35 minutes. One reader said this her husband asked for this “fantastic” recipe to be added to the weekly rotation!

Recipe: Italian Cream Cake

This old-fashioned cake recipe has been a reader go-to for decades, whether for birthdays or holidays. One reader who hadn’t baked it in a while said, “I forgot how truly delicious this cake is.”

Recipe: Crustless Ham and Spinach Quiche

We’re always up for a new quiche recipe that we can enjoy at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This one doesn’t require fussy homemade dough and calls for a simple ingredient list that can be adjusted with what you have on hand. “It’s so easy and delicious!” said one reader.

Recipe: Strawberry-Lemonade Cake

This reader-favorite layer cake made for some beautiful triumphs and funny fails in our cooking group. It’s a labor of love, but the results are so worth it. Read one of our favorite reader anecdotes about this cake: “The Strawberry Lemonade Cake is my fav to make for Easter. Made it for the first time 6 years ago. It was my Dad’s instant favorite! He passed away in Dec of 2015. Making this cake tonight reminded me of him.”

Recipe: Southern Sunrise

It’s no secret that this year has inspired more cocktail drinking than most, so we weren’t surprised to see that this summery, big-batch drink was popular amongst readers. You need just a few ingredients to make it yourself.

Recipe: Greek Stuffed Peppers

There are countless ways you can tweak this healthy dinner recipe to fit what you have on hand—use ground turkey instead of ground beef, cauliflower rice instead of the traditional white rice, and add diced zucchini and other vegetables to the mix. One reader said this recipe was “easy, tasty, and healthy” and that sounds perfect to us!

Recipe: Buttery Pineapple Crumble Bars

Our readers who love to bake had so much fun with these sweet bars that use sweet pineapple and kitchen staples like flour, butter, and sugar. Bake a batch to make your neighbor’s day! Readers even adapted this recipe with peaches, blueberries, and mangoes.

Recipe: Asparagus with Cheese Sauce and Herb Breadcrumbs

This fresh recipe is the ultimate spring side dish. Pretty enough for Easter lunch but quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal, this recipe from our April 2020 issue is a keeper. One reader said “it got rave reviews” from her family.

Recipe: Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits

With this fall cobbler recipe, homemade drop biscuits are so much simpler to make than a fussy lattice crust. For even more depth of flavor in this recipe, we use two types of apples, both sweet and tart.

Recipe: Chicken-and-Broccoli Skillet Pasta

This new recipe is already gaining traction with readers because it’s oh-so-easy and oh-so-delicious—“So worth making! Delicious!!” said one. Ready in 30 minutes using just one pot, you can serve this supper straight from the skillet for a family-style meal kids and adults will love.

Recipe: Deep-Dish Berry Cobbler

This May 2020 cover recipe was a hit with readers. They loved how versatile the filling is (use whatever fruit you have!) and how easy it was to make a pretty lattice topping with refrigerated pie crusts.

Recipe: Maque Choux with Sausage

If there’s one thing this summer showed us, it’s that our readers love finding ways to use all that fresh summer corn. This variation on the Louisiana classic comes together in less than 30 minutes and just one dish.

Recipe: Chocolate-Zucchini Cake

Who would know that this decadent chocolate cake has veggies in it? One reader said that her friend texted her it was “the most wonderful moist cake she had ever had.”

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Pie

If our readers aren’t whipping up a BLT with their summer harvest of tomatoes, they’re making tomato pie. This totally-from-scratch recipe starts with a parmesan-buttermilk crust and ends with a sprinkle of fresh herbs from the garden. Readers found ways to adapt the recipe with store-bought crusts and whatever cheese they had on hand.

Recipe: Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Regardless the season, a warm bowl of chicken soup is always just what the doctor ordered when you need a little comfort. Our Food Editor shared a few shortcut tips that she’s used on this recipe: Swapped out the orzo for farro to add some healthy whole grains (up the cooking time by 15 minutes). Used a shredded rotisserie chicken (you’ll need 3 cups of chicken). Substituted fresh thyme for the parsley.

Recipe: Mini Cinnamon-Apple Pies

These November 2020 treats went straight from the cover to our readers’ tables. One reader swapped the lattice crust for pie crust leaf cookie cutouts, which was so adorable.

Recipe: Jalapeño Cornbread Sticks

Our readers love heirloom kitchen pieces, and we saw plenty of them rediscovering their cast-iron corn stick pans for this recipe specifically. It adds just the right amount of zing to classic cornbread, and the crust is perfectly crispy.

Recipe: Bakeshop Blueberry Muffins

Don’t waste money and time with a store run on Saturday morning—these classic blueberry muffins only take 10 minutes of hands-on time. Our readers love to make these ahead and divide them up for breakfasts throughout the week.

Recipe: Baked Linguine with Spicy Tomato-Cream Sauce

Pasta night just got so much more delicious. This recipe uses fresh refrigerated linguine instead of dried pasta to save you time. Plus, it finishes with a quick broil in the oven to achieve delicious texture.

Recipe: Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Cider Glaze

Is there anything better to wake up to than the aroma of cinnamon rolls? We didn’t think so until our Test Kitchen came up with this recipe that combines classic cinnamon rolls with the flavors of fall.

Recipe: Pasta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

We’re always on the hunt for a new, refreshing pasta salad recipe when summer rolls around, and this was the pick of the season. The combination of flavors in the vinaigrette is incredible, and fresh herbs finish it off beautifully.

Recipe: Oven-Baked Risotto with Ham, Leeks, and Peas

Risotto gets a bad reputation for being fussy to make, but this truly one-dish dinner makes it easier than ever. Our readers found ways to tweak this recipe with what they had on hand, and one said “it was a hit” with her family.