1,863 vegetable shortening recipes

Vintage white cake layered with toasted pecans and grated semi-sweet chocolate, finished with a glossy chocolate fudge frosting. A 1960s-era bake-off showstopper.

Whoopie pies sandwich two soft chocolate cake-cookies around a fluffy vanilla cream filling. Maine and Pennsylvania Dutch dessert with a cult following.

Chocolate chip pecan cookie dough shaped into festive wreath rings, baked golden, iced in white, and decorated with red and green gumdrop flowers. Makes 4 wreaths for holiday gifting, cookie swaps, or edible centerpieces.

Soft peanut butter cookies studded with toffee bits, topped with vanilla icing and a crunchy toffee chip crown. Three layers of flavor in every bite. Makes 2 dozen.

Melt-away butter cookies with vanilla and almond extract, pressed with a cookie gun and optionally dipped in chocolate with chopped pecans. Yields 7 dozen.

Classic vanilla cupcakes made with the two-bowl method for tender, fluffy crumb and sky-high rise every single time.

Italian meatball cookies with warm spices, cocoa, raisins, nuts, and chocolate chips rolled into small round drops. A traditional Italian-American holiday cookie that looks like its dinner-table namesake.

Lemon drop cookies with fresh lemon juice, cream of tartar, and no eggs. Crispy, tangy, and eggless. A simple drop cookie that bakes fast at high heat for crackly edges.

Mama Bear roll is a dense, hearty milk bread made in the bread machine, with a tight, sturdy crumb that toasts up beautifully. A simple, no-fuss loaf for thick, golden slices of toast.

Tamale dough made with pureed chili colorado, corn kernels, and hominy for deeper flavor than plain masa. Pliable, spoonable, ready to wrap in corn husks.

Old-fashioned oatmeal muffins with sour milk-soaked oats for a tender, moist crumb. An overnight soak and simple pantry ingredients make these a rustic breakfast staple.

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.

Crispy cast-iron cornsticks with cracked fennel seeds and black pepper, baked in a sizzling hot mold for crunchy golden edges. Ready in 20 minutes, served piping hot with butter.

Monkey tails are frozen chocolate-dipped bananas on a stick, brushed with orange juice to prevent browning. A fun, easy no-bake treat kids can help make.

Ham fritters with creamy sauce: golden, crispy-edged spoonfuls of ham-studded batter deep-fried until puffy, served with a rich, velvety sauce. A Southern diner classic that turns leftover holiday ham into crowd-pleasing finger food.

Old-fashioned griddle cakes from scratch with six basic pantry ingredients. Fluffy homemade pancakes with a hint of sweetness, ready in 30 minutes.