Recipes with vanilla bean

Slice and bake chocolate chip cookies with a make-ahead freezer dough. Shape four logs, freeze for up to 6 months, and bake fresh cookies anytime in 10 minutes.

Lime shortbread cookies with white chocolate drizzle and toasted almonds. Buttery shortbread triangles with a zingy citrus kick and a snowy chocolate finish. Gift-worthy and crowd-pleasing.

Chocolate raspberry cream torte: a light chocolate wacky cake layered four high with raspberry jam and pink raspberry cream filling. An impressive-looking dessert made with pantry staples and no eggs.

Good cookie to have with coffee after everyone has gone home, the dishes are done and you finally get to sit down

Chocolate cream pie with a cocoa custard filling topped with golden meringue. A from-scratch chocolate pudding pie with egg yolk custard and billowy egg white topping.

Microwave brownies made from scratch with cocoa powder, ready in about 25 minutes total. Fudgy, chocolatey, and no oven required. Top with nuts or chocolate chips before cooking.

Rich chocolate cake made with a full cup of cocoa bloomed in boiling water, plus a strawberry shortcake variation with whipped cream and drizzled melted chocolate.

Frozen no-bake chocolate dessert with a buttery oat-and-nut crumb base, rich unsweetened chocolate filling, and a crunchy crumb topping. Slice straight from the freezer for an irresistible treat.

Pumpkin cake made with spice cake mix and canned pumpkin, topped with a cooked flour buttercream frosting. A moist, warmly spiced fall cake with a light, fluffy homemade frosting.

Surprise packages are butter cookies with a chocolate mint wafer hidden inside each one, iced and decorated to look like tiny Christmas presents. A fun holiday baking project.

No-bake chocolate minirolls made with melted chocolate, corn syrup, milk powder, and powdered sugar. Kneaded like dough, rolled, and sliced into bite-sized candy pieces.

Chocolate peppermint pinwheel cookies swirl cocoa-rich chocolate dough with crushed peppermint candy dough into a spiral slice-and-bake Christmas cookie. A holiday tin classic with bracing mint and deep chocolate.

Easy lemon meringue pie cooks all curd ingredients together in one pot for fast, fail-proof results. Vanilla powdered-sugar meringue browns in just 8 minutes for a quick weeknight dessert.

Lighter chocolate cheesecake made with low-fat ricotta, yogurt cheese, egg whites, and cocoa powder instead of cream cheese. Topped with fresh strawberries and kiwi.

Make your own delicious sweet potato pie that your children will remember for years to come!

Old-fashioned rolled coconut cookies bake up tender and slightly crisp at the edges. A vintage drop-and-cut recipe that yields 60 cookies, perfect for tins, cookie swaps, or holiday boxes.

Chocolate PB jeebies, intensely fudgy chocolate cookies loaded with chocolate and peanut butter chips, served with a warm chocolate ganache for dunking. A double-chocolate-peanut-butter treat made for dipping.

Classic shortbread wedges with almond extract, cornstarch for extra tenderness, and a whole almond pressed into each piece. A buttery, crumbly Scottish-style cookie baked in a round pan.

Bewitching cookies with orange zest, orange juice, buttermilk, and chocolate chips in a soft brown sugar drop cookie. A citrus-chocolate combination that's hard to resist.

Homemade hazelnut liqueur infused with vodka, vanilla bean, and allspice. A DIY Frangelico-style spirit that steeps for five weeks and makes a great homemade gift.

Homemade chocolate covered peanut butter eggs with a sweet brown sugar filling dipped in melted chocolate. A no-bake Easter candy made from scratch.

Pumpkin swirl pie with a cream cheese layer, pumpkin pie spice, and a marbled top. Two fillings baked in one crust for a showstopping holiday dessert.

Cinnamon raisin French toast soaked in a buttermilk-egg custard with vanilla and nutmeg, pan-fried in butter until crisp and golden. Served with date-nut butter and powdered sugar.

Frozen French Toast made with thick Texas toast soaked in an egg-milk-nutmeg custard, frozen flat, then baked from frozen for crispy weekday breakfasts in minutes.

Susan's apple cake is a one-bowl dump-and-bake with three whole apples, toasted walnuts, and a full tablespoon of cinnamon. The kind of homey loaf that improves the second day.

No-bake chocolate peanut butter mud pies with oats. One-minute boil, stir in the good stuff, drop on wax paper, and let them set. Fudgy, chewy, and no oven needed.

Three-layer peanut butter brownies with a fudgy chocolate base, creamy peanut butter filling, and glossy semi-sweet chocolate glaze. Loaded with chopped peanuts for extra crunch.

Mississippi mud cake with cocoa, marshmallow cream, and a rich chocolate-butter frosting loaded with pecans. A dense, fudgy Southern sheet cake classic.

Lemony strawberry cheesecake builds a cinnamon-zwieback crust under a citrus-bright cream cheese filling, crowned with cooked strawberry topping. A retro three-layer dessert.

Pears De Cacao features pear halves filled with chocolate mint whipped cream, sandwiched back together, and drizzled with Creme de Cacao liqueur.

Dark chocolate pecan torte with a fudgy, barely-set center, chopped pecans running through every bite and a glossy chocolate glaze poured over top. Flourless-style richness with just enough flour to hold it together.

Buttery blondies studded with toasted pecans and coconut flakes for a tropical twist on classic brown sugar bars

White chocolate brownies (blondies) with chunks of semisweet chocolate folded into a tender, butter-rich batter. Sweet, dense and dotted with dark chocolate pockets. Better than the box mix.

Entertain your family after dinner with this decadent cake everyone will enjoy!

Rich chocolate tube cake made with unsweetened chocolate, sour cream, and folded egg whites, topped with a warm semi-sweet chocolate frosting. Dense, moist, and intensely chocolatey.

Classic oatmeal cookies with brown sugar, shortening, and three cups of rolled oats. Crispy edges, chewy centers, and endlessly customizable with mix-ins.

Spiced buttermilk pound cake with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and chopped pecans baked in a Bundt or tube pan. A dense, warmly spiced Southern-style cake that needs no frosting.

Frozen layered dessert with chocolate wafer crust, vanilla frozen yogurt, raspberry sorbet, and homemade fudge sauce. An impressive make-ahead springform pan dessert.

Bakery-style cinnamon rolls from scratch with a soft yeast dough, cinnamon-sugar-nut filling, and maple icing. A big-batch recipe that makes 6 to 7 dozen rolls.

Liebes-Knoten are German love knots, thin strips of egg-and-cream dough twisted into bows, fried golden, then dusted with powdered sugar. Crisp like a beignet, tender like an Italian fritter. A traditional wedding-and-festival treat.

Old-fashioned spiked eggnog with bourbon, dark rum, whipped cream, and 60 eggs for a crowd of 50. A rich, boozy holiday punch with real whipped cream and fresh nutmeg.

Rich sour cream cheesecake with four packages of cream cheese, six eggs, cinnamon, and a vanilla wafer crust. Baked in a springform pan for 70 minutes. Dense, creamy, and tall.

Candy shop cookie pizza bakes soft chocolate chip cookie dough into one giant round, ready to slice into wedges and pile high with your favorite candy. A fun party dessert that's basically a build-your-own cookie cake.

Spicy applesauce cookies with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, rolled thin, cut out, and topped with a glossy homemade gelatin icing and colored sugar.

Old-fashioned buttermilk doughnuts spiced with ginger and nutmeg, fried golden in just minutes. Tender, cake-style doughnuts with a slight tang from real buttermilk.

Chocolate cheesecake built on melted chocolate chips and 2 pounds of cream cheese, topped with sour cream layer and chocolate drizzle. A serious, dense chocolate dessert for special occasions.

Oatmeal cookies packed with chopped dates, sweetened coconut, and nuts in an orange juice-brown sugar dough. Three cups of oats for serious chew, plus cinnamon warmth in every bite.

Banana velvet doughnuts are old-fashioned cake doughnuts sweetened with honey, enriched with mashed banana and sour cream, then deep-fried golden. Soft, tender crumb with a hint of nutmeg.