Coffee Cake Muffins

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Coffee Cake Muffins!

It’s here! It’s finally Christmas! And that means the final day of the 12 Days of Christmas! I can’t believe I baked and posted 12 different things, for 12 straight days. It’s a true Christmas miracle that I pulled it off. But I did! And now it’s time to sit back and relax and not even think about baking for a few days! Or at least until Monday. So while I’m tearing open presents this Christmas morning, I’ll also be tearing into this final treat—Coffee Cake Muffins!

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Cinnamon Sugar Cookies!

Dear Santa,

You’re finally here! Yay! Sorry the house is such a mess. It’s been so busy around here with all the baking and the crazy hours at work that I haven’t really had a chance to clean anything. But I’m sure you get that a lot. And sorry the cookies aren’t quite what you expected. I know I said I was going to make you some Peppermint Bars, but things just got really hectic, and honestly, I didn’t have time. But I think you’ll like these Cinnamon Sugar Cookies just as much.

Gingerbread Men

On the Tenth Day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Gingerbread Men!

As I sit here at the kitchen counter eating my plate of pancakes, watching the light snow fall, it’s finally hitting me that Christmas is almost here. I’ve known its coming. I’ve seen all the lights and decorations around. I’ve heard nothing but Christmas carols for more than a month now. I’ve seen all the craziness of Christmas shopping, especially the past few days. But it’s in the quiet calm that I really get to think about it without the cynical voice in my head shouting, “is it over yet?” It’s while sitting here, only a few days before Christmas, that I realize how much of the season and its traditions that I’ve missed out on. For the first time in the 27 years of my life, I don’t have a Christmas tree up. No twinkling lights. No beautiful ornaments. Nothing. Not one speck of Christmas decoration is up anywhere in my house, other than the 2 cards I received from my Grandma and my aunt. I never had the time to go to my parents to pick any of it up. Without a tree to put them under, I haven’t even bothered to wrap presents yet, not that there’s many of them to begin with. They’re all just sitting in a bag in the closet, waiting patiently for me to find the time. The only thing that’s even remotely felt like Christmas this year is the baking. All the delicious holiday flavors that have come out of my oven in recent days. They’re the only things that make it feel like Christmas around here. And it just wouldn’t be Christmas without some Gingerbread Men.

Anise Drops

On the Ninth Day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Anise Drops!

I love black licorice. Everyone thinks I’m weird, but I don’t care. I absolutely love any kind of black licorice flavor. At Easter, I’m the one picking the black jelly beans out to eat first before any other color. I carry black licorice flavored Altoids with me at all times (and I’m sad I can only find them at 1 store now). I have probably 3 bottles of anise extract in my cabinet. One of my favorite winter seasonal flavors at Jeni’s Ice Cream was Anise and Candied Fennel (although I don’t think they had it last year, and I haven’t been by this year to see if it’s back). Almost everyone I know (except Boyfriend) gags at the thought of black licorice, but I’m okay with that. It just means more for me!

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

On the Eighth Day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies!

Although these are good any time, Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies seem to pop up more often during the holidays than any other time of year. They’re a classic staple to the holiday cookie tray, probably because they are so easy to make. Plus, they’re just so darn tasty! But then again, I’m a sucker for anything with the peanut butter/chocolate combo.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

On the Seventh Day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Gingerbread Cupcakes!

I love the taste of Gingerbread. I’m sure that’s kind of obvious by now. I just can’t get enough! So when I saw these cupcakes in Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes, I knew I had to make them for the holidays. Gingerbread flavored cupcakes topped with little gingerbread men? Not only are they chockfull of gingerbread goodness, but they’re absolutely adorable too!

Spicy Ginger Cookies

On the Sixth day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Spicy Ginger Cookies!

Last night it finally snowed for the first true time of the season. Winter has taunted us a few times with some white stuff, but it never stuck around for more than an hour or so. Last night? Definite stickage. While I normally love snow, especially the first real snowfall, it started really coming down just as I was leaving a friend's house after enjoying a fun holiday themed game night. Faced with the task of driving home from the other side of the city in not so favorable conditions, I cursed the snow, instead of enjoying it. The whole way home, all I wanted was to sit on my couch, wrapped up in a blanket, watching the snow fall outside my window while I munched on some delicious Spicy Ginger Cookies.

Caramel Pretzel Bites

On the Fifth Day of Christmas The Busty Baker made for me... Caramel Pretzel Bites!

‘Tis the season for lots of holiday parties. Whether it’s a party at work, or a party with friends and family, chances are you’ll hit up, or host at least one social gathering this season. And chances are, you’ll be met with the same old tired cheeseball , veggie tray, or bowl of nuts as snacks. Why not serve up something different? Why not set out a bowl of Caramel Pretzel Bites?

Peppermint Meringue Kisses

On the Fourth Day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Peppermint Meringue Kisses!

If winter were a flavor, what would it taste like? Its brilliant white snow crunching under foot. Its chilly wind biting at your fingers and nose, giving your cheeks a rosy glow. Its cold permeating through you, long after you’ve come inside. To me, it would taste a lot like peppermint—cool, crisp, and clean. Maybe that’s why peppermint is such a popular flavor this time of year. Because it is winter. Peppermint’s traditional red and white stripes are the color of your rosy cheeks against winter’s clean white snow, and its cool bite stays with you long after you’ve finished. It’s the perfect embodiment of winter itself.

Sour Cream Cookies

On the Third Day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Sour Cream Cookies!

When you think holiday cookies, you usually think of flavors like gingerbread or peppermint, right? When I think of holiday cookies? Sour cream. Not very traditional, unless you grew up in my house. Every year my mom makes these cookies for Christmas, and no matter how many other holiday cookies I eat, these always end up being my favorite. My favorite cookies coming from the “baker” who for 22 years of my life melted butter in the microwave, threw all the ingredients in the same bowl at the same time, and beat them to a pulp with a hand mixer before dropping the dough on an overly greased griddle pan to bake? You bet.

Holiday Gifts Part 6 - Vegan Baking

It's obvious, with 18 pounds of butter in my refrigerator and my penchant for buttercream frosting, I'm nowhere near a vegan. With my hatred of most things green, I'm not even close to being vegetarian. But vegan baking intrigues me. I find myself looking at more and more recipes and books about vegan baking. I don't think it's the lack of my beloved butter and eggs that makes me curious. I think its the recipes themselves. Vegans are much more experimental with flavors than traditional bakers. I've never seen a traditional baking book with a recipe for Wasabi and Chocolate Cupcakes. While I may never be a vegan myself, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for some great vegan recipes. So whether you're a vegan or not, check out some of these books. You might be surprised by what you find inside.

Holiday Gifts Part 5 - Bread Baking

There's nothing like a good piece of bread. I'm a total breadaholic. Forget those low-carb, no carb diets. I need my bread. I rate restaurants on whether they give bread or rolls before your meal. The better the bread, the more likely I'll be back. I know it can't be all that healthy, but I can't help myself. Because I can't get enough, I've tried lately to incorporate more whole grains into my obsession, to maybe balance out the carb overload. But healthy, whole grain bread, and other artisan styles are expensive, so why not take matters into your own hands and bake up a loaf at home? With some of the new bread baking books that have come out this year, it's easier than ever. With techniques that require no kneading to methods that only take a few minutes a day, we can all enjoy our carbs at home for less!

Buttered Rum Meltaways

On the Second day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Buttered Rum Meltaways!

Can I just say I’m not so great at the slice and bake kind of cookies? I never have been. Whether they’re the cookie dough logs you buy at the grocery store, or ones you make from scratch and roll up yourself, I’m absolutely terrible at them. Especially those ones you get at the store with designs in the center, like little Christmas trees or Halloween ghosts. They always end up totally uneven and the designs in the center completely mutilated. These meltaways? No exception. Luckily I had Boyfriend there to save the day.

Chewy Spiced Molasses Cookies

On the First Day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Chewy Spiced Molasses Cookies!

My first holiday cookies of the season! And it’s about time! I’ve waited 11 months to be able to bake holiday cookies, and then the holiday season finally arrived, and I hit a baking dry spell. It’s been close to 3 weeks since I’ve had anything baking related go up here! Shame! Shame on me! Here I am with more than enough recipes to bake my way through the entire month of December and into the New Year, and a whole lot of ingredients just waiting to be used, but I just couldn’t get myself into the kitchen to make anything! But hopefully now that I’ve gotten myself over that hurdle, I’m back on track and ready to start baking regularly! Just in time for the 12 days of Christmas!

Holiday Gifts Part 4 - Cupcakes

Cupcakes are all the rage right now. With entire bakeries devoted to them, aptly called Cupcakeries, who wants an entire cake when they can have deliciously adorable personal sized treats? With their pretty paper liners and their perfect swirl of frosting, who can resist? Cupcakes are one of my favorite things to bake, and I'm thrilled at the amount of books written solely on these miniature delights. It seems the ideas are endless. With flavors ranging from classic to crazy, cupcakes have taken on a life of their own, and seem to be here to stay. Who knows, they might even take over the world some day! So check out some of these great cupcake books, and many more I couldn't list and bake up a batch of these petite sweets.

Holiday Gifts Part 3 - Baking Made Easy

We all have busy lives. Whether we spend it at work, with our family, our friends, or just catching up on the latest posts on our favorite blogs, our time is precious. Most of us don't have an abundance of extra time to slave away in the kitchen. Sometimes we need a shortcut. A time saver. Sometimes we just need that boxed cake mix, because we've got more important things to do. What if there was a way, with just a little effort, to take that store boxed cake mix and make it taste homemade? With The Cake Mix Doctor, there is.

And what those who find themselves with a little extra time to bake something special, but don't know where to begin? Allow the kitchens of Better Homes and Gardens and Betty Crocker to teach you everything you need to know to become a better baker. Whether you lack the time, or the skill, these are just a few of the many books to get you in and out of the kitchen with time and sanity to spare.

Holiday Gifts Part 2 - Kids Books

Kids can be hard to shop for. After 8 holidays working at a toy store, I saw my fair share of the frustration on faces of the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Especially as the season wore on. The “hot” must-have toys were gone in a flash, and everyone was left wondering, “What do I get now?” Faced with aisles upon aisles of bright, flashing, noisy toys, all requiring batteries, it was almost overwhelming for those shoppers of an older generation who hadn’t bought presents for a child in quite a number of years. Not having a child to buy for in my family or my friends, I even count myself in this group. What happened to the good old days of using your imagination to create something? And where has the family time gone? It seems more common these days for everyone to live separate lives in separate rooms. Being occupied with TV, video games, and computers, the time spent interacting with each other is growing slim. It’s time to get the kids away from the TV and into the kitchen, and spend some quality time creating meals and treats to be shared by all. Give one of these great books designed for young chefs, and help pass along the love of good food.

Holiday Gifts Part 1 - Holiday Books

Whether you’re an avid baker, or only crank up the oven once a year, the holidays are prime season for baked treats. With the cold weather moving in, we’re all searching for something to keep us warm, and there’s nothing better than a handful of cookies straight from the oven. Well, maybe enjoying those warm gooey cookies with a hot mug of cocoa in front of a crackling fire and snuggled in a warm fuzzy blanket, but really—the cookies are the best part. Baking is part of the tradition of the holidays, whether we’re baking a batch to leave for Santa, or several dozen to take to a cookie exchange, or mailing off a box halfway across the globe. And we can’t forget the gingerbread houses, the Yule logs, and the breads, cakes, and pies to accompany or finish up for our festive meals. No time during the year are we more apt to bake than the holidays, and there’s no part of the year that more cookbooks are dedicated.

Holiday Gift Guide

The carols are playing, the lights are twinkling, and the Santas are making their lists and checking them twice. With the holiday shopping season upon us, it can be a challenge to find the perfect gift for those hard to shop for family members and friends. What do you get for the person that has everything? The cousin from across the country you only see once a year? The niece or nephew whose likes and dislikes change almost daily? It can be frustrating, but I’m here to help! From kids to cupcake lovers to those with special diets, I’ve put together a list of the best baking and cookbooks of the season, so you can pass on the gift of delicious goodness! Who wouldn't want a book full of tasty treats to make all year long? I know I would! Over the holiday season, I’ll be featuring a bunch of titles to help you decide on the perfect gift for that hard to shop for (or not so hard to shop for) person in your life, so keep checking back! And Happy Holidays to all!

• Part 1 - Holiday Books
• Part 2 - Kids Books
• Part 3 - Baking Made Easy
• Part 4 - Cupcakes
• Part 5 - Bread Baking
• Part 6 - Vegan Baking