16 Most Underrated Recipes

Here are the 16 most underrated recipes from The Spiffy Cookie that I thought were incredible but the internet did not. Let’s call them hidden gem recipes.

Eight years ago I shared 8 Go-To Recipes for the 8th Blogiversary but now I am going to share 16 recipes that don’t get the attention they deserve for the 16th Blogiversary. To be completely clear, this was a very difficult list to narrow down. After 16 years there have been a lot of duds – not because they were actually bad but they just did not perform in a way that reflects their potential. As a result, I unfortunately had a lot to choose from so I don’t know that these are the MOST underrated recipes, but they are 16 of the most underrated that I chose to declare as the hidden gems on The Spiffy Cookie.

Most of the recipes on this list are over 10 years old and suffer from lack of SEO optimization either due to not knowing it was a thing yet/it truly wasn’t a thing at the time I hit the publish button or they just have terrible photos from my early days. The blogging world has drastically changed over the years and my photography skills definitely have improved as well. But since this is not my full-time gig I struggle to keep up with it – silly day job that funds my hobbies.

Don’t be surprised if you revisit this underrated recipes list later on, past it’s publish date, and find that some of the older recipes have been updated with new photos because I also plan on using this list to prioritize those that could use a face lift with optimization and new photos. This post is doing double duty as a love note and a to-do list.

16. Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad – I may not have had this salad in 13 years since I first made it but it is still one of my all time favorites. It still pops in my head every fall as something I really need to revisit and update it with better photos but my husband is not a big fan of squash. Maybe this year will finally be the year!

15. Goat Cheese Stuffed Bacon, Peach, & Basil Burgers – This recipe title is all kinds of bad SEO but I don’t care, it’s descriptive and delicious. Maybe it should have been “Goat Cheese Stuffed Burgers with Bacon, Peach, and Basil” but it’s too late now. The flavor combo of peaches and basil continues to be one of my favorites and has appeared in other forms as well – goat cheese cheesecake with basil roasted peaches, peach-basil coffee cake, and peach panzanella salad.

14. Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls – The photos are terrible, I know, but could you imagine seeing banana bread flavored cinnamon rolls on a brunch menu and not ordering it? If banana bread French toast can be popular these absolutely should be as well. Clearly I need to remake this one. Poor me, right?

Homemade Oven-Fried Avocado Tacos with Cilantro Lime Creme

13. Oven-Fried Avocado Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Creme – I recently revisited the original fried avocado taco I ever had in Nashville a couple weeks ago, so when I saw this on the low visit count list I had to add it to the short list. Oven-frying might not be as popular anymore with the advent of “air-frying” but thrse tacos are still a hit in my house.

12. Churro Cookies with Chocolate Dipping Sauce – Speaking of not frying things, did you know you could make sugar cookies that taste just like churros? They look like shorter, squished churros but they are much easier and are still dipped in a chocolate dipping sauce! I thought I was doing y’all a solid but my efforts went unappreciated.

11. Orange-Lavender White Chocolate Chip Cookies – This flavor combination will never cease to amaze me. It sounds weird but the combination or orange, lavender, and white chocolate (or anything creamy) tastes like Froot Loops cereal in the best way .It translates to other citrus as well as I’ve also made lavender apricot thumbprints, and lavender linzer cookies with kumquat lavender jam.

10. Pistachio Baklava Bars – I love baklava but I have never been brave enough to make it myself. When my roommate in grad school introduced me to the cookie bar version I was sold and have made several different versions over the years (pumpkin and peanut) but this pistachio one remains my favorite. Maybe it got shorted due to being posted during St. Patrick’s Day?

9. Red Velvet Molten Lava Cakes – If this isn’t a show stopping dessert I don’t know what is. It’s not really any more difficult than a classic molten lava cake. If you were unaware they are quite easy, the only problem is that you do need to serve them immediately. No cheating with a truffle inside that you can reheat to make molten, these are the real deal.

No-Bake Banana Pudding Dessert Lasagna #bananapudding #nobake

8. No-Bake Banana Pudding Dessert Lasagna – This is one of my favorite dessert lasagnas and that’s saying something given how many types I have made over the years. Somehow the internet disagrees but maybe it’s just getting lost in the plethora of banana pudding spin-offs. All I know is I served this at Thanksgiving in lieu of another pie and it was a hit.

7. Blueberry Cookies – This was the first time I ever baked fresh fruit in a cookie and it immediately became one of my favorite things to do (besides putting fruit on pizza). I have made another version with browned butter and white chocolate but this one will always have a special place in my heart for its simple but delightful flavor.

Lighter Cajun Chicken Alfredo with Penne and Broccoli

6. Lighter Cajun Chicken Alfredo – I almost always make my lighter alfredo sauce when craving creamy pasta dishes and this Cajun version is next level. Maybe I will get banned from Italy but it might be worth it. It’s made with cream cheese instead of heavy cream and is quite easy to make. It also reheats better than standard Alfredo sauce which often separates.

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

5. Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter Sauce – Sure gnocchi take a little bit of effort but it’s one of my favorite weekend activities. Nothing is better than not having anything planned for dinner and realizing you have a big bag of homemade gnocchi in your freezer. Toss them in a pan with sage browned butter (or any other herb you have on hand) and you’ve got a fancy dinner ready in minutes.

4. Lemon-Lime Pistachio Bars – After the NYT Pistachio-Lemon Bars were trending recently I thought for sure these would pick up but sadly they did not. With an extra layer of flavor with being half lemon and half lime I would argue these are even better.

3. Funfetti Cookie Dough Bars – Two of my favorite things in one? This is what my dreams are made of. The only way to make them better would be to add peanut butter (adding to the idea list). Surely I cannot be the only one who drools all over for this combo?

2. Corn Fritter Shortcakes with Maple Whipped Cream – Ever since I made this shortcake out of a corn fritter I have not found one that can compare. Especially with the maple whipped cream on top? It’s just not fair to other shortcakes and maybe the world isn’t ready for it.

1. Chicken Pesto Lasagna Rolls – This is honestly the best thing I have ever made with my homemade basil pesto. Considering how much of the flavor relies on the pesto, I would strongly advise against ever making this with store-bought pesto unless you happen to have a better, fresher option available (usually not shelf stable and in the fancy cheese refrigerated area).