Recipes with vegetable shortening

Flaky buttermilk biscuits made with frozen shortening rubbed into quadruple-sifted flour. The freezer trick and gentle handling are what make these tall and tender.

Loaded with 4 cups of blueberries and kissed with almond extract, this sheet pan cake bakes up golden with a juicy berry filling and sweet lemon glaze drizzle.

Sourdough pumpernickel bread with rye flour, molasses, black coffee, and caraway seeds. Uses an active sourdough starter for deep, complex flavor in every dense, dark slice.

Chewy butterscotch bar cookies made with brown sugar, bran, and nuts, rolled in powdered sugar after baking. A simple vintage treat with a nutty, toffee-like flavor.

Old-fashioned oatmeal chocolate chip cookies made with shortening for extra-chewy texture. A from-scratch drop cookie recipe that makes three dozen.

Christmas surprise cookies: brown sugar drop cookies with a hidden jam center and a dusting of sweet coconut on top. A vintage holiday thumbprint for the cookie tin.

New Orleans beignets are pillowy square yeast doughnuts, deep-fried until golden and puffed, then buried in confectioners' sugar. The iconic French Quarter treat, best eaten piping hot.

Molasses whoopie pies: cake-like ginger molasses cookies sandwiched with a sweet ginger-molasses buttercream filling. The Pennsylvania Dutch lunchbox classic with a warm-spice twist on the chocolate original.

Farm pot roast simmered low and slow with onions, carrots, and stewed tomatoes until the beef pulls apart with a fork. A Sunday-dinner classic with a rich pan-drippings gravy.

Toffee crunch chocolate chip cookies with oats, chopped toffee candy bars, pecans, and semi-sweet chocolate. Made in a food processor for fast, even mixing and chewy-crisp texture.

Rich chocolate truffles with crunchy pecan centers, dipped in smooth melted chocolate and topped with chopped nuts. Easy microwave method makes 3 dozen elegant candies.

Wild blueberry cookies with fresh or frozen berries, lemon zest, and a soft drop-cookie dough. Tender, cakey, and bursting with real fruit in every bite.

Soft molasses sugar cookies with cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, rolled in sugar with a thumbprint filled with extra crunch. Crisp edges, chewy centers, warm holiday spice.

Crunchy chocolate chip cookies made with crisp rice cereal for extra crackle in every bite. A quick drop cookie with mini chocolate chips that bakes in just 9 minutes.

Fudge pudding cake that bakes into two layers: chocolate cake on top and a rich fudge sauce on the bottom. A self-saucing dessert with walnuts and real chocolate.

Chocolate drop cookies are soft, cake-like buttermilk cookies made with melted unsweetened chocolate and chopped walnuts. An old-fashioned drop cookie recipe that yields 3 dozen.

Dill cornmeal dumplings stir together flour, cornmeal, fresh dill, and shortening into drop dumplings that simmer on top of stews for tender, herb-flecked toppings. 16 minutes from spoon to plate.

Cranberry fruit nut bread for the bread machine, brightened with fresh orange juice and zest, studded with chopped tart cranberries and crunchy nuts for a holiday-ready loaf.

Old-school chocolate chip cookies built on shortening and brown sugar for crisp edges and chewy middles, studded with semi-sweet chips and toasted pecans. A throwback recipe from the original Crisco era.

Italian gocci di cioccolata, chocolate drop cookies spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, baked soft and finished with a glaze. Old-world Italian drop cookie with warm holiday flavor.

Rocky road dessert pizza with a brown sugar cookie crust, melted chocolate, puffed marshmallows, and chopped peanuts drizzled with more chocolate. A fun holiday treat.

Lemon saffron bread steamed in a slow cooker for a moist, golden crumb. Bloomed saffron and bright lemon zest deliver a fragrant, jewel-toned quick bread.

Old-fashioned buttermilk chocolate cake baked low and slow with cocoa powder and boiling water for an incredibly moist, dense crumb. A single-layer 9x13 sheet cake.

Venison shortcake with ground venison or elk in a savory mustard-ketchup gravy, piled between homemade biscuit halves. A rustic hunter's meal with from-scratch biscuits.

Chocolate thumbprint cookies with a double-chocolate base and a creamy peanut butter filling in the center. A bakery-style cookie that looks fancier than it cooks.

Individual baked chocolate fig puddings with cocoa, stewed California figs, and vanilla, topped warm with marshmallows and walnut halves. A vintage dessert with old-fashioned charm.

Orange meringue pie, a sunny twist on lemon meringue with a silky fresh-orange custard, a flaky blind-baked crust, and a cloud of glossy toasted meringue. A splash of grenadine gives the filling its rosy glow.

Simple cinnamon coffee cake with a tender, quick-bread crumb topped with cinnamon sugar. A no-fuss breakfast cake made from basic pantry staples in under 45 minutes.

Sour cream chocolate layer cake with a tangy, moist crumb and a rich sour cream chocolate frosting. Old-school bakery flavor from a one-bowl batter.

Hillary Clinton's chocolate chip oatmeal cookies made with shortening for extra chewiness. Rolled oats and semi-sweet chips in a crispy-edged, soft-centered classic from the 1992 cookie contest.

From-scratch chocolate cake with melted unsweetened chocolate and buttermilk, topped with a boiled fudge frosting beaten over ice. Deep, dark, and intensely chocolatey.

Strawberry oat crumble pie with fresh strawberries layered between a brown sugar oat crust and crumble topping. Serve warm or chilled for a syrupy filling.

Spicy applesauce brownies with unsweetened chocolate, cinnamon, and walnuts, topped with a cinnamon-powdered sugar drizzle. Fudgy, fruity, and warmly spiced.

Tofu pumpkin pie: vegan pumpkin pie made with silky firm tofu instead of eggs and dairy. Warming spices and crystallized ginger top for a dairy-free holiday dessert.

Old-fashioned brown sugar roll-and-cut cookies with shortening, cream of tartar, and vanilla. A simple heritage recipe that makes four dozen crispy-edged cookies.

Cheese buns baked in a muffin tin with sharp cheddar spread kneaded right into the yeast dough. Golden, tangy, and quicker than most dinner rolls with only one rise.

Mocha cake is a spiced coffee loaf studded with raisins, currants, and citron. Brewed coffee, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice create a warmly spiced fruitcake for any occasion.

Dietetic melt-away mints: sugar-free chocolate mint squares made from milkcote coating, shortening, and peppermint extract. Dipped in more chocolate for a crisp shell.

Three-layer chocolate almond cake with cocoa buttermilk layers, almond cream filling, and rich chocolate frosting. A showstopper from-scratch layer cake.

Fuss-free chocolate pound cake is a dense, buttery cocoa cake with a fine, velvety crumb baked in a tube pan. No frosting needed, just a tender slice of deep chocolate. Easy from-scratch comfort baking.

Classic Waldorf red velvet cake with signature cooked flour frosting. Vibrant crimson layers with subtle cocoa flavor topped with fluffy, not-too-sweet buttercream.

Fattigmann, a traditional Norwegian fried cookie flavored with cardamom, lemon zest, and brandy. Diamond-shaped, paper-thin, and dusted with sugar.

Upside-down rhubarb cobbler with the biscuit batter on the bottom, sugared rhubarb piled on top, and a buttery streusel crown. The cake rises up through the fruit during baking.

Spiced pumpkin bread baked and sealed in mason jars for long-term storage. Cinnamon, cloves, and nuts in a moist, dense loaf that keeps up to a year.

Old-world Czech kolachky yeast dough rolled in powdered sugar, filled with jam or cheese, and baked into delicate folded pastries. The classic Slavic holiday cookie.

Old-fashioned sour cream cookies with raisins, nuts, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Soft, cake-like drop cookies made with brown sugar and cake flour for an extra tender crumb.

Basic tart pastry with butter and shortening for a flaky, tender crust. Rolls thin, fits one large or six small tart pans, and blind-bakes golden in 15 minutes.

Peanut butter rolls with peanut butter and nutmeg worked into a soft yeast dough, risen until tripled, and baked in a hot oven. Fluffy dinner rolls with a subtle nutty, warm flavor.