Recipes with vanilla bean

The traditional cookie for Purim, hamantashen is Yiddish for "Haman's pockets". They are meant to recall the story of Haman, a wicked Persian prince who wished to destroy the Jews but was foiled by Mordecai and Esther."

This is a good cookie recipe to use up those over ripe bananas.

Five-second banana breakfast smoothie with skim milk, nonfat yogurt, and optional protein powder or chocolate syrup. Blend it, grab it, and get out the door. Morning fuel that actually tastes good.

Death by chocolate: a layered chocolate masterpiece of brownie, cocoa meringue, chocolate and mocha mousse, all under glossy ganache. A multi-day project built for serious chocolate lovers.

Two-layer devil's food cake baked on a brown sugar pecan praline base, filled and topped with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate curls. Serves 12 and steals the show.

Three-layer mint chocolate candy with dark chocolate on the top and bottom and a green peppermint white chocolate center. No-bake fudge-style squares made with sweetened condensed milk and just six ingredients.

Lighter chocolate caramel cheesecake made with fat-free cream cheese and low-fat graham crackers. Gooey caramel layer meets chocolate chip-studded filling for guilt-free indulgence.

Preschoolers will love these delicious cub-shaped cookies, made with nutty butter and crispy graham crackers. You and the kids can even create these cookies together!

Crunchy toffee-studded drop cookies loaded with crushed candy bars and chopped pecans. A buttery brown sugar dough bakes up golden with irresistible brickle crunch in every bite.

Buttermilk chocolate hazelnut cake bakes whole wheat pastry flour with cocoa, brown sugar, and a layer of toasted hazelnuts. Lighter, healthier chocolate cake with no butter and no whole eggs.

Mocha marble cake made with tofu, tahini, honey, and coffee substitute swirled with chocolate glaze on a graham cracker crust. Creamy, dairy-free, and egg-free.

New Year's Eve clock cake: three airy white cake layers stacked with silky chocolate cream filling, wrapped in rich Hungarian chocolate frosting and decorated to look like a clock striking midnight.

Golden coconut bars studded with walnuts and raisins, lightly sweetened with maple flavoring. Made with egg substitute for a lighter treat that bakes in 20 minutes.

Raspberry paradise pie with a chewy oat-walnut meringue shell holding thickened raspberries, topped with whipped cream and coconut. A gluten-free pie with a built-in granola crust that's crisp on top, chewy at the edges.

Cocoa and coconut truffles spiked with amaretto and honey, baked then rolled into bite-sized balls dusted with powdered sugar. Dangerously easy to make, impossible to stop eating.

Crisp, cloud-light meringue cookies loaded with chocolate chips and walnuts. Pop them in a hot oven, turn it off, and walk away. They bake themselves overnight.

Lemon meringue angel food cake with homemade lemon curd filling and glossy Italian meringue frosting. A three-component showpiece cake for serious bakers who want a stunning result.

Fresh pineapple rings nestled in a chilled vanilla-honey sauce set with agar flakes. A light, elegant fruit dessert that's naturally dairy-free and comes together in 35 minutes.

A stunning dessert fried rice with caramelized sugar, vanilla-soaked dried fruit, toasted almonds, and warm cinnamon-clove spice. Wok-tossed in butter for a side dish that steals the show.

A cocoa cheesecake on a toasted coconut-pecan crust, crowned with a marshmallow meringue topping baked until golden. Three layers of texture and flavor in every slice.

Banana Cake Aloha Oe is a vintage Hawaiian-style layer cake with a soft, banana-rich crumb finished with real banana frosting. Tender cake flour layers, mashed banana in every bite.

Hefty chocolate pound cake with sweetened condensed milk for extra richness, baked in a tube pan and topped with a cooked cocoa frosting that sets with a glossy snap.

Southern blackberry jam cake spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Buttermilk tang, raisins, and nuts in a moist layer cake straight out of an Appalachian heirloom box.

A no-bake vanilla wafer crumb crust made with just three ingredients. Press into a pie pan, chill, and fill with your favorite pudding, cream, or fruit filling.

Light, airy angel food cake drizzled with a buttery cinnamon-apple glaze. Made from scratch with egg whites, cake flour, and a hint of almond extract.

Blueberry clafoutis bakes a custardy pancake-style batter over fresh berries until puffy and golden. The classic French country dessert with simple ingredients and rustic charm.

A creamy dessert combining coconut, dragon fruit and cashew nuts. Dragon fruit is a rich source of antioxidants and fibre, cashews deliver heart-protective monosaturated fats, while the fat contained in coconut meat has been shown to exhibit anti-microbial, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Coconuts also contain lauric acid (found most abundantly in mothers’ milk) which is an important immune system booster. Despite its bad reputation, coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils available.

Orange-scented zucchini bread brightened with both orange zest and orange extract, studded with pecans. A lighter quick bread with no added oil for a tender, citrusy crumb.

Josephine's pineapple salad: retro molded gelatin salad with cream cheese, crushed pineapple, and whipped cream. A classic potluck centerpiece from grandma's recipe box.

Loaded carrot cake with flaked coconut, crushed pineapple, and chopped nuts, all tucked under a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. Moist, spiced, and feeds a crowd.

Old-fashioned chocolate cream pie with a silky stovetop cocoa custard thickened with cornstarch, finished with butter and vanilla and poured into a baked crust. Classic chocolate pie, no meringue mix required.

Chewy drop cookies loaded with chocolate-covered raisins and toasted almonds. Makes 5 dozen in just 25 minutes. A fun, crunchy cookie that kids love to help bake.

No-bake pineapple cheese pie with cream cheese, sour cream, crushed pineapple, and lemon juice set in a graham cracker crust. A retro tropical cheesecake-style pie made entirely in the blender.

No-bake peanut butter treats with oats, powdered sugar, and your choice of raisins, coconut, chocolate chips, or peanuts. Mix, drop, and set. No oven needed.

Chocolate cream pie made the easy way: a double batch of thick chocolate pudding folded with fresh whipped cream, piled into a baked pie shell and crowned with more whipped cream and bittersweet chocolate shavings. No oven needed for the filling.

Chewy butterscotch brownies (blondies) with dark brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla in a one-bowl, six-ingredient recipe. Rich, toffee-flavored squares that take 10 minutes to mix and bake golden.

Choco oatmeal peanut butter dreams bake chewy peanut butter oat cookies, then top each with melted chocolate and chopped peanuts. A 3-flavor cookie ready in 40 minutes.

A silky baked custard infused with orange zest, cinnamon, and cloves, set over golden homemade caramel with slivers of candied orange peel. Low-fat, elegant, and worth the overnight chill.

Hot fudge pudding cake that bakes into chocolate cake on top with a gooey fudge sauce on the bottom. Pour hot water over the batter before baking and the oven does the magic of separating cake from sauce.

Hawaiian macadamia bread folds crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, and chopped macadamia nuts into a tender quick bread. Tropical tea bread or breakfast loaf with island flavors in every slice.

Old-fashioned fudge made with semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate, marshmallow cream, evaporated milk, and loads of chopped pecans. Dense, fudgy, and melt-in-your-mouth smooth.

Fruity Jello cookies made with a cookie press, using flavored gelatin for bright color and fruity flavor. A buttery spritz-style cookie in any flavor you choose.

Lemon cats' paw cookies piped from almond dough with lemon zest and vanilla, sandwiched and dipped in dark chocolate. An elegant bakery-style cookie worth the effort.

Auntie Justine's 7 Up cake is a buttery, dense pound cake leavened with lemon-lime soda instead of baking powder, scented with lemon, vanilla, and coconut extracts. A tender Southern bundt finished with confectioner's sugar.

Old Dominion chocolate pie layers a buttery hand-cut crust with rich unsweetened chocolate custard, cooked low on the stovetop until thick and glossy. A Virginia classic with deep cocoa flavor.

Magic truffles are a four-ingredient chocolate fudge made with melted chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and a splash of vanilla or rum extract. Press into a block, chill, slice, and serve.

A warm-spiced apple loaf cake with mini chocolate chips baked in, a buttery streusel crumb topping, and a drizzle of melted chocolate. Fall baking at its coziest.

A rich, golden bread machine loaf made with butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Just load the ingredients, press start, and let the machine do the work. Soft, sweet, and effortless.