Recipes with vanilla bean

Helen's Holiday Float is a baked custard dessert spiked with whiskey and brandy, topped with golden meringue and nutmeg. A festive old-fashioned crowd-pleaser.

Three-layer Southern banana cake with mashed ripe bananas folded into a buttermilk batter. Topped with confectioner's sugar frosting and chopped pecans for a true heirloom finish.

Chewy oatmeal cookie dough shaped into snowmen and decorated for the holidays. A fun winter baking project for kids that makes four big cookie snowmen.

One bowl chocolate fudge made in the microwave with just semi-sweet chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and walnuts. Five ingredients, no candy thermometer, no stovetop.

Potato fudge uses mashed potatoes as the secret binder in a chocolate candy rolled in coconut or walnuts. A Depression-era confection that works better than it has any right to.

Eggnog lovers will love this drink that makes the perfect light drink during the holiday season.

Fluffy white buttercream icing made with shortening, powdered sugar, and a hint of almond extract. Stays bright white and pipes like a dream for decorated cakes.

Low-fat pineapple cheesecake pie made with cottage cheese instead of cream cheese, set with gelatin, and lightened with whipped egg whites. A no-bake, fluffy, tangy-sweet dessert with crushed pineapple.

Vanilla is the secret ingredient in this cross-cultural sauce, which is also delicious served with grilled or roasted meats, poultry or seafood.

I have adapted this recipe from one called "Mom's Chocolate Pudding" in my new FAVE cookbook, "La Dolce Vegan!" by Sarah Kramer. Check her out at GoVegan.net! :D I swapped out tapioca starch for cornstarch as corn is a very high allergy food, to make this recipe not only Vegan, but also more Allergen FREE. Chocolate is still an allergen, but I can do on occasion, so I hope you can too...

This carrot cake well satisfied my sweet tooth without making me feel guilty. Whole wheat flour and wheat germ provided the cake with some good fibre, by replacing half amount of oil with yogurt reduced the calorie and fat, and eliminating the frosting all-together made the cake much less rich and calorie-dense. But overall it was a very moist and delicious cake indeed.

Mai Mai sweet potato pie with coconut milk, maple syrup, orange juice, crystallized ginger, and walnuts in a coconut-maple crust. Topped with orange-scented whipped cream.

Microwave brownies made with real unsweetened chocolate, butter, and chopped pecans in just 20 minutes total. Fudgy, rich, and no oven required.

No-bake frozen coconut cream pie with cream cheese, shredded coconut, and whipped topping in a graham cracker crust. A creamy, tropical freezer dessert with just 10 minutes of prep.

Orange and coffee bean cordial: a whole orange studded with coffee beans, sugar cubes, and vanilla, steeped in cognac for two months. Classic French-style homemade digestif, no special equipment needed.

A moist, no-fuss banana pineapple tube cake with cinnamon and vanilla. No mixer required. Just blend the batter by hand, pour into a tube pan, and bake until golden.

Intensely moist chocolate layer cake with boiling water in the batter, topped with a rich cocoa buttercream frosting flavored with brandy and vanilla.

Warmly spiced chocolate cake with mayonnaise, sour cream, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, topped with a cocoa cream cheese frosting. A cozy, old-fashioned charmer.

Chocolate, cinnamon and doughnuts together, it sounds delicious doesn't it? These golden, brown and crispy doughnuts won't last long.

A feather-light cheesecake lightened with whipped egg whites for an airy texture, on a cinnamon zwieback crust, finished with a sour cream, crumb, and almond topping. Far lighter than dense New York style.

Two-layer chocolate cheesecake with a dark chocolate base and creamy vanilla top in a chocolate cookie crust. The Kraft Philly classic with no springform required.

Easy no-bake raspberry chiffon pie with cream cheese, whipped cream, and raspberry fruit spread in a golden pie shell. Light, fluffy, and no gelatin needed.

Spiced applesauce chocolate cake topped with fluffy meringue-style chocolate frosting. Cinnamon, cocoa and applesauce make a moist, vintage 13x9 sheet cake.

A no-bake coconut cream pie made with instant vanilla pudding, whipped topping, and flaked coconut in a pre-baked shell. Five ingredients, zero cooking, and pure creamy coconut bliss after a 4-hour chill.

Molten chocolate cake with a frozen Grand Marnier ganache center, served with orange whipped cream and warm chocolate sauce. A showstopping restaurant-style dessert.

Coconut custard pie baked in a water bath and slipped into a pre-baked shell, topped with a drizzled chocolate lattice. A silky, nutmeg-scented classic.

Whole wheat sesame seed cookies bake up nutty and chewy with toasted sesame, coconut, honey, and a splash of soy milk. A dairy-free, refined-sugar-free drop cookie loaded with seeds and fiber. Makes 48 small treats.

Tender buttermilk muffins bursting with tart rhubarb and topped with cinnamon-brown sugar crumble. A spring breakfast treat that makes the most of garden-fresh stalks.

Mom's black bottom pie with a chocolate custard base and vanilla chiffon top in a baked pastry shell. Old-school two-layer dessert from the heyday of American diner pies. Walnut garnish optional.

A scrumptious and decadent cake made with jello, marshmallows and strawberries can be served warm or cold.

Raspberry ribbon cheesecake on a chocolate wafer crust with a layer of homemade raspberry sauce baked inside and fresh berries on top. A showstopper dessert.

Fudgy from-scratch brownies layered with creme de menthe walnut frosting and drizzled with melted chocolate. Three layers of minty, chocolatey bliss in every bite.

Piped kiss-shaped meringues dried overnight in the oven, then dipped in melted semisweet chocolate. Light as a snowflake and stunning on a holiday cookie tray.

Rocky road fudge bars with three layers: chocolate brownie base, cream cheese filling with chocolate chips, marshmallow topping, and a swirled chocolate-cream cheese frosting.

This egg-free, dairy-free chocolate wacky cake uses applesauce and vinegar for a moist, tender crumb. A Depression-era classic that mixes right in the pan and bakes in under 30 minutes.

Buttery slice-and-bake cookies studded with chopped almonds or hazelnuts, then dipped in melted chocolate. Crisp, nutty, and elegant enough for a holiday cookie box.

Fluffy pink grapefruit frosting is a seven-minute frosting made with egg whites, sugar, and grapefruit juice beaten over a double boiler into billowy, citrus-scented peaks.

Two desserts in one: a baked pecan pie base topped with a silky blended chocolate filling and whipped cream. Three luxurious layers in a single pie crust.

Pear bread pudding with rum-soaked raisins, butter-sauteed pears, and a rich egg custard baked until golden. An autumn dessert that turns stale bread and ripe pears into something extraordinary.

Enjoy these strong coffee and chocolate flavored brownies.

A multi-layered chocolate showstopper: fudgy brownie, chocolate ganache, cocoa meringue, mocha mousse, and rum sauce all in one jaw-dropping dessert.

A fast, easy chocolate frosting made from cocoa powder, sugar, and a splash of boiling water beaten with margarine until creamy. A quick, dairy-free way to frost any cake with real chocolate flavor.

A four-layer cheesecake masterpiece: walnut-graham crust, dense cream cheese filling, silky sour cream topping, and whole strawberries drenched in a Cointreau-spiked raspberry glaze. Plan ahead; it needs 2 to 3 days to reach peak flavor.

Espresso hazelnut cheesecake with a butter cookie cinnamon crust, water bath baked filling with roasted hazelnuts, and piped whipped cream with espresso beans.

Pistachio chip cookies with white vanilla milk chips, brown sugar, and a touch of oats for chew. Buttery, salty-sweet drop cookies studded with crunchy green pistachios in every bite.

Raisin sour cream pie tops a tangy spiced custard filling with caramelly brown sugar meringue. An old-school diner-style dessert with creamy depth and toasted golden swirls.

Banana bread made with Grape-Nuts cereal for crunch, egg substitute, buttermilk, and corn syrup. A lower-fat banana loaf with nutty texture and no butter or oil needed.

No-bake peanut butter Rice Chex cookies with pecans, sugar, and corn syrup. A crunchy, chewy candy cookie that sets on wax paper in minutes with no oven needed.