555 shortening recipes

Sourdough-style bread loaf using 2 cups of dough starter combined with active dry yeast for extra lift and complex flavor. A straightforward starter bread with a tender crumb and golden crust.

Sugarplum cookies with dried or candied fruit hidden inside each ball of vanilla sugar cookie dough. Topped with creamy frosting and colored sugar for Christmas cookie trays.

A slow cooker johnny cake loaded with shredded carrots and crushed pineapple. Made with cornmeal, buttermilk, and baking soda for a moist, tender crumb. No oven required.

Chicken pot pie topped with drop biscuits instead of pastry crust. Creamed chicken, peas, and mushrooms baked under fluffy homemade biscuit dumplings.

Cinnamon sugar cookies with a tender shortening-based dough, brushed with egg white and topped with a cinnamon sugar sparkle. Crisp edges, soft centers.

Old fashioned ginger muffins made with molasses, cinnamon, cloves, and ground ginger. A cup of hot water creates a tender, moist crumb that tastes like classic gingerbread in muffin form.

A Depression-era chocolate cake made with no eggs, no butter, and no milk. Mixed right in the pan with the famous three-holes method, topped with rich fudge frosting.

Soft drop cookies made with mashed cooked carrots and finished with a warm orange glaze. The vintage Depression-era cookie that still makes sense today.

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 white drop cookies with nutmeg and vanilla. A big-batch recipe using shortening for soft, cakey cookies that stay tender for days.

Pastelitos, little hand pies filled with mashed dried fruit, honey, and cinnamon in a flaky shortening crust. A traditional Latin American fruit turnover baked golden.

White cake creams shortening with sugar, then folds in stiffly beaten egg whites and almond extract for an airy, snow-white crumb. The classic American layer cake base for any frosting or filling.

Classic buttermilk fried chicken with paprika and black pepper, fried in a cast-iron skillet until deep golden and crispy. A Southern-style recipe with an overnight buttermilk brine.

Rich chocolate truffles with crunchy pecan centers, dipped in smooth melted chocolate and topped with chopped nuts. Easy microwave method makes 3 dozen elegant candies.

Hearty homemade German oatmeal bread with honey and whole wheat. Yields tender, chewy loaves with a golden crust that fill your kitchen with warm, yeasty aromas.

Warm fruit crisp loaded with sliced apples and plump raisins under a crunchy oat-pecan streusel. Soaking the raisins in boiling water keeps them tender. Serve with vanilla ice cream.