My infatuation with cinnamon rolls began in high school. I am a little ashamed to admit that instead of a wholesome, nourishing meal, at lunchtime I would instead shell out $1.50 to the high school cafeteria for one of their home-baked (or I guess it would be “school-baked”) cinnamon rolls. They were simple enough: warm and doughy, chewy and sweet, drizzled with a thick, white, sugary frosting, and — as one might expect — cinnamony.

When I think Christmas cookies, I think ginger crackles.

Oh, of course there are shortbread, sugar and gingerbread (wo)men cookies, too. Not to mention Swedish tea cakes… but ginger crackles are one of a few cookies that I only make during the holiday season. There’s something about their chewy, gingery bite, their crackled top and sugary sparkle, and the warmly fragrant aroma that fills the house when ginger crackles are in the oven — it just feels like the holidays.

Pull out your beret and get your black-and-white striped boat-neck t-shirt — we’re making a basic French baguette.

This is the bread that we all look forward to eating when we go out to a restaurant or that we expect to see slung under the arm of Parisians out doing their daily shopping: a simple baguette with fabulous flavor, smooth and chewy texture, and the best crust. This delicious traditional bread is anything but fancy, containing nothing more than flour water, yeast and salt. Make often and eat fresh, as without any fat, these breads have little staying power… but that won’t be a problem, as they will most certainly be devoured well before they’re past their prime.

There’s no reason to limit cupcakes to just vanilla or chocolate; put a festive spin on the traditional cupcake with gingerbread! With aromatic spices such as ginger, cinnamon and allspice, these gingerbread cupcakes are perfect for fall and holiday baking. And a generous swirl of the creamy, rich, citrus-cinnamon cream cheese frosting perfectly balances the deep and dense flavors of the gingerbread.

These date squares are sweet, chewy, crumbly, messy, and a little bit tangy thanks to the yummy, lemon-spiked medjool date purée sandwiched between a buttery crumble crust. Lemon juice takes the edge off the potentially sickening sweetness of the dates, and butter is… well, butter — enough said.  But honestly, you could eat a medjool date sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard and it would still kick an ordinary date square’s butt.