Baking Bliss: 9 Treats To Bake When It’s Cold Outside

A classic breakfast cake is a must for your baking repertoire, and this sour cream coffee cake from the famous Zingerman’s Bakehouse in Ann Arbor, MI is one of the very best.

Bursting with fresh blueberries with a tender crumb and sparkling sugar crust, these really are the best blueberry muffins. I’ve tried fussier and fancier recipes, but this simple one tops them all.

This free-form tart is like an apple pie without the pan. The dough is virtually foolproof and easy to roll to out — and it comes together in a food processor in under a minute.

Carrot cakes can be heavy and dense, but this one is light with a fine texture. The secret is finely chopping the carrots in a food processor rather than grating them.

If you’ve been searching for the perfect peanut butter cookie, look no further. This recipe, adapted from My Father’s Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow is the best I’ve tried. The cookies are thick and soft with a rich peanut butter flavor and almost sandy texture.

Adapted from the Sister Pie cookbook, these cookies are not just “good for gluten-free,” but rather they are delicious cookies that just happen to be gluten-free. I would proudly serve them to anyone — gluten-free diet or not.

When you dunk these biscotti into a warm beverage, they soften, becoming rich, chocolaty and decadent.

These butterscotch pecan scones are tender, sweet, and rich — almost like giant cookies — and perfect for gifting to neighbors and friends (especially if you’re like me and need to get them out of the house before you eat the entire batch!).

Tender and sweet-scented with a gorgeous ribbon of melted chocolate running through it, this banana bread is fun to make: you spoon the banana and chocolate batters into a loaf pan alternately, then artistically swirl the two together with a knife.