Recipes with vegetable shortening

Soft, chewy drop cookies packed with chopped figs, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger with hints of lemon and vanilla. An old-fashioned spiced fig cookie recipe that makes 2 dozen.

Classic Midwestern longjohns: rectangular yeast-raised doughnuts fried golden and topped with a cooked brown-sugar maple frosting. Old-school bakery comfort.

Green-and-white peppermint pinwheel cookies, sliced from a swirled frozen log. A classic Christmas icebox cookie with spiraled layers of vanilla and mint dough.

Rocky Road bars stack a fudgy chocolate brownie base with gooey marshmallows and a swirled chocolate-peanut-butter fudge topping. A rich, decadent three-layer treat with chewy, gooey, and fudgy in every bite.

Rocky Road bars stack a fudgy chocolate brownie base with gooey marshmallows and a swirled chocolate-peanut-butter fudge topping. A rich, decadent three-layer treat with chewy, gooey, and fudgy in every bite.

Two-layer chocolate upside down cake with a fudgy condensed milk and melted chocolate base beneath a tender vanilla cake. Flips out with built-in frosting.

Once he perfected his Extra Crispy he had customers who wanted it to be spicy and bold so he created his Hot and Spicy Chicken. Here is his original recipe which has changed a bit in this day and age. It comes frozen and is cooked frozen and not prepared fresh in many stores.

Old-fashioned applesauce doughnuts with whole wheat flour, buttermilk, and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace. Fried golden and dusted with sugar.

Honey cut-out cookies with lemon extract, rolled thin and baked until lightly golden. A sturdy dough that holds its shape for holiday decorating with powdered sugar glaze.

Praline pumpkin pie with a candied brown sugar pecan layer baked into the bottom of a flaky homemade crust, plus a bourbon-spiked spiced pumpkin custard. Holiday pie at its richest.

Brown sugar chocolate chip cookies topped with red candy-coated chocolate pieces before baking. Shortening-based for chewy centers with a 5-7 minute bake time that keeps them soft.

Radish salad with iceberg lettuce tossed in a tangy Dijon and white wine vinegar dressing. A crisp, peppery side dish that comes together in 10 minutes.

Deep-fried buttermilk hush puppies with a crispy golden shell and soft, fluffy interior. A Southern classic side dish ready in 30 minutes with simple pantry staples.

Classic cut-out Christmas cookies with almond and vanilla extract, rolled thin and topped with colored powdered sugar frosting. A holiday cookie-decorating tradition.

Honey bran muffins made in the microwave with All-Bran cereal, buttermilk, and honey. Keep the batter in the fridge and microwave fresh muffins in under 3 minutes anytime.

Black and white chunk cookies loaded with semi-sweet and white chocolate chunks plus walnuts or pecans in a brown sugar butter dough. Makes 3 dozen.