25 lardy cake recipes

Traditional New Mexican biscochitos made with lard, egg yolks, anise, and vanilla. Rolled, cut into shapes, and baked until tender. New Mexico's official state cookie and a holiday staple.

Special lard-based pastry dough for tourtieres (French-Canadian meat pies). A flaky, tender crust that rolls out easily and handles beautifully. Makes enough for multiple pies.

Heritage sourdough dried apple cake rolled with spiced fruit and baked in a bubbling brown sugar-cinnamon syrup. This pioneer-style recipe turns pantry staples into a sticky, fragrant dessert that feeds a crowd.

Old-school lard pie crust with egg, vinegar, and a touch of brown sugar. One batch yields four disks for double-crust pies. The flakiest crust comes from cold lard worked into the size of tiny peas.

Old-fashioned molasses cookies made with lard and sour cream for a tender, flaky texture butter can't match. Spiced with cinnamon and ginger, chilled overnight, then rolled thick and soft.

Bizcochos are traditional New Mexican holiday cookies creamed with lard, scented with orange zest, baked golden, then rolled in cinnamon sugar. The state cookie of New Mexico for Christmas and weddings.

Heritage-style sour milk cookies filled with a cooked raisin and ground walnut filling brightened by lemon juice. An old-fashioned farmhouse treat rolled, cut, and sealed by hand.

Soft gingerbread cake with lard and butter for tender crumb, spiced with ginger and cinnamon, baked until edges pull away from the pan.

Cucidati, the traditional Sicilian Christmas fig cookies, with a rich filling of figs, raisins, nuts, chocolate and rum wrapped in tender pastry, shaped into slashed horseshoes and dusted with sugar.