Recipes with vegetable shortening

Old-fashioned spice cake with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg, sweetened with brown sugar and studded with raisins. A tender crumb built on evaporated milk and topped with caramel frosting.

Ginger Puffs are soft drop cookies made with cooked oatmeal, molasses, brown sugar, ginger, allspice, and cinnamon. One bowl, 30 minutes, yields 4 dozen warm-spiced cookies.

Homemade Italian cream rolls with cinnamon-spiced fried shells, sweet ricotta filling with candied citron and chocolate, finished with blanched pistachios and powdered sugar. Makes 16 to 18 cannoli.

A succulent old-fashioned pot roast that is served with savory dumplings everyone in your family will love!

This two-layer banana cake with buttermilk and chopped pecans bakes up incredibly moist and tender. Made with cake flour for a fine, soft crumb, it's the kind of from-scratch banana cake that wins blue ribbons.

Fudge cake with sea foam frosting layers tender chocolate cake under a glossy brown-sugar Italian meringue. A vintage two-layer beauty with optional chocolate-marbled topping.

Crunchy no-bake cookies with melted chocolate and peanut butter chips coating crushed corn flakes and raisins. 5 ingredients, microwave method, kid-approved.

Kraut burgers, also called bierocks or runzas, tuck a savory ground beef, cabbage, and onion filling inside soft baked bread dough. A hearty Great Plains hand pie, brushed with butter and great for packing in lunches.

Buttermilk chocolate cake split and filled with coconut-pecan cream, then blanketed in sour cream chocolate frosting. A Southern showpiece worth every step.

Traditional New Mexican biscohos cookies spiced with cinnamon, star anise, and cloves, then dusted with cinnamon sugar while still warm from the oven. A cherished holiday cookie that fills the kitchen with the most intoxicating aroma.

Vietnamese sesame cookies (bánh mè) with toasted sesame both ground into the dough and pressed onto the tops. Crisp, nutty, and sealed with an egg-wash gloss.

Soft, yeasted rolls swirled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and black walnuts, baked in a buttery butterscotch coating that pools over each warm roll. Old-fashioned sticky bun goodness from scratch.

Rocks cookies with oats, brown sugar, figs, nuts, and warm spices in a bumpy, hearty drop cookie. An old-fashioned spiced oatmeal cookie loaded with dried fruit and chopped nuts.

Moist chocolate cake with hot coffee, cocoa, and vegetable oil for an extra-tender crumb. Topped with the old-fashioned cooked-flour buttercream that tastes like whipped cream.

Pirates pies are deep-fried meat hand pies stuffed with seasoned ground beef, rice, bell pepper, and ketchup in a homemade dough. A Cajun festival favorite with crispy golden crust.

Mocha buttercrunch pie with a pecan-chocolate shortbread crust, a frozen mocha mousse filling, and a coffee whipped cream top studded with chocolate chips. Three layers of coffee-and-chocolate richness in every slice.

Elegant apple pie with port wine filling and sharp cheddar pastry crust. Apples simmer in port, apple juice, and lemon zest until just tender. Lattice top shows off the ruby-tinted filling.

Homemade flour tortillas with just four ingredients: flour, shortening, salt, and warm water. Soft, pliable, and ready to wrap around tacos, burritos, or quesadillas straight off the griddle.

Danish almond cookies (Mandel Kager) with cardamom and cinnamon, brushed with egg wash and topped with a blanched almond half. A traditional Scandinavian Christmas cookie.

Crisp, crumbly Swedish coconut cookies leavened with baker's ammonia for an ultra-light snap. Rolled into walnut-sized balls and baked until golden. Makes 4 dozen buttery, coconut-flecked treats in under an hour.

Betty Crocker mint swirl chocolate cake, that's easy to make using box cake mix and turns out very pretty.

Vanilla sheet cake split and filled with a whipped butter-shortening cream made with evaporated milk. Cut into squares for individual cream-filled cakes that taste like homemade Twinkies.

Chewy oatmeal cookies loaded with milk chocolate chips, chopped toffee bars, and maple syrup. Rolled into balls and baked until just set for a soft, chewy center.

Bring out the Scottish in you with these delicious snacks that are perfect to eat after having a hearty dinner.

Note: The original recipe called for 5 1/2 cups of flour. Due to feedback we've reduced the amount to 3-1/4 cups. Add flour gradually until you reach what you think is the right consistency.

Vintage 1935 chocolate yeast bread with cocoa, pecans, and vanilla kneaded by hand and baked into a dark, fragrant loaf. A Depression-era recipe worth reviving.

Smothered burritos: warm homemade flour tortillas rolled around refried beans, drenched in pork-and-Anaheim chili verde, and blanketed with three melted cheeses. Southwest comfort food plate that eats like a diner favorite.

Traditional English fruitcake loaded with raisins, candied orange and lemon peel, citron, candied cherries, and walnuts. Baked low and slow in a tube pan for over 2 hours.

Classic American apple pie with a lattice crust, vanilla-scented filling, and half and half for extra richness. A from-scratch shortening crust that bakes up flaky and golden.

Festive cranberry loaf studded with tart cranberries and walnuts, brightened with fresh orange juice and zest. A classic holiday quick bread that slices best the next day.

Soft banana spice cookies with cinnamon, cloves, walnuts, and raisins. Made with mashed bananas and packed brown sugar for a chewy, cake-like drop cookie. A great way to use overripe bananas.

Butternut squash pie with a from-scratch shortening crust, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a touch of lemon extract. A sweeter, nuttier alternative to pumpkin pie.

Granny Smith apple pie packs tart sliced apples between flaky shortening crusts with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and lemon zest, finished with a honey-spiced whipped cream on the side.

Deep-dish rhubarb strawberry pie with a flaky shortening crust, fresh fruit filling spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and a sugared lattice top. The classic spring-into-summer pie baked in a square dish.

Half moon cookies with a soft, cake-like buttermilk crumb, frosted half white and half chocolate. The classic upstate New York holiday cookie, also known as a black-and-white.

Easy Bake Oven chocolate cake made from scratch with just six pantry ingredients. A simple homemade mix replacement so kids can bake without the store-bought packets.

Homemade banana layer cake with mashed ripe banana and buttermilk for a moist, tender crumb. A classic two-layer cake ready to frost with your favorite icing.

Ginger-almond florentines: thin, lacy caramel cookies with crystallized ginger, toasted almonds, and citrus zest, finished with a smooth chocolate coating on the flat side.

Chocolate chiffon pie in a homemade chocolate pastry shell. Chocolate chips melted with coffee, set with gelatin and whipped egg whites for a mousse-like filling.

Oatmeal cranberry nut cookies loaded with rolled oats, whole berry cranberry sauce, toasted almonds, molasses, and warm spice. A soft, chewy holiday cookie that uses up leftover cranberry sauce.

A simple and delicious Christmas pudding made with dried figs, tapioca and toasted walnuts.

Coconut almond balls coated in milk chocolate with a whole almond on top. A homemade candy made with shredded coconut, corn syrup, and microwave melted chocolate.

Fudgy chocolate cookie bonbons wrapped around Hershey's kisses (or caramel, Reese's, peanut butter, or mint centers) and drizzled with white chocolate. A classic Pillsbury bake-off cookie with surprise centers.

Hungarian goulash soup with tender beef cubes, paprika, green peppers, and caraway seeds simmered in beef stock. A hearty one-pot soup that tastes even better the next day.

Rice Krispie cookies with brown sugar, white sugar, cream of tartar, and 4 cups of crisp rice cereal folded into a buttery cookie dough. Crunchy, chewy, and old-school.

Slice-and-bake coconut refrigerator cookies with a coconut-crusted exterior and a pecan half on top. Crispy, buttery, and freezer-friendly for up to three months of fresh-baked cookies on demand.

Old-fashioned fruit-filled cookies with a soft sour cream dough and a homemade date-raisin filling. Sandwich-style cookies with a tender crumb and sweet, jammy center.

Easy one-bowl bundt pound cake: butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla beaten together for 10 minutes into a tender, golden, sliceable cake. Six eggs, no creaming step required. Truly fool-proof.