365 vanilla wafer recipes

Apricot almond quickbread with toasted almonds, dried apricots, and a hint of almond extract. A tender, no-yeast loaf that mixes up fast and fills the kitchen with a warm, nutty fragrance.

Wacky cake, a Depression-era chocolate cake made with no eggs, no butter, and no milk. Vinegar and baking soda provide the rise, and cocoa powder delivers deep chocolate flavor from pantry staples.

Wacky cake (Depression-era chocolate cake) made with no eggs, no milk, no butter. Vinegar and baking soda lift it to fluffy chocolate perfection in one pan.

Quick kolachky made with a tender sour cream and yeast dough, rolled thin on powdered sugar, filled and folded into delicate pinched squares. A classic Eastern European cookie finished in a snow of powdered sugar.

Rich chocolate cake made with a full cup of cocoa bloomed in boiling water, plus a strawberry shortcake variation with whipped cream and drizzled melted chocolate.

Great Chocolate Cake (and Strawberry Shortcake) recipe

Grandma's chocolate layer cake: a classic two-layer butter cake with melted chocolate and a tender crumb. An old-fashioned scratch cake for birthdays and celebrations.

Amaranth flour, whole wheat flour, dates and honey make a delicious and nutritious loaf of bread. Great for breakfast or a healthy snack during the day.

Family tree cookies are giant chocolate cookies shaped like trees with branches for piping family names. A fun baking project with kids using cocoa dough, chocolate chips, and royal icing.

Saucy chocolate cake that creates its own hot fudge sauce as it bakes. Cocoa batter topped with brown sugar and boiling water transforms into cake over a pool of warm chocolate pudding.

The classic Joy of Cooking devil's food cake with a cooked chocolate custard folded into the batter and whipped egg whites for lift. Finished with caramel icing. A vintage recipe worth mastering.

Individual almond cream tarts: buttery pastry shells filled with almond-scented vanilla cream and topped with fresh kiwi, strawberries, grapes, and a glossy apple jelly glaze. A classic French patisserie dessert made home-doable.

Chocolate zucchini tube cake using a cake mix hack with shredded zucchini folded in for extra moisture. Topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts.

Bakery-style cinnamon rolls from scratch with a soft yeast dough, cinnamon-sugar-nut filling, and maple icing. A big-batch recipe that makes 6 to 7 dozen rolls.

Sunny cocoa drop cookies are light chocolate-orange cookies made with corn oil spread and sour cream, then finished with a glossy cocoa drizzle. Lower-fat drop cookie, four dozen per batch.

Star-shaped chocolate sandwich cookies cut from a chewy cocoa-and-chip sheet bake, then filled with sweet cream cheese frosting. A festive holiday cookie that looks fancy but skips the rolled-dough fuss.