Not a big gingerbread fan? You should try this one! This tender, aromatic old-fashioned gingerbread cake is mild enough for children and people who don't love spicy. You'll love the lovely molasses flavor base and warm hints of ginger, cinnamon and a touch of clove. Feel free to play with the flavors and add your favorites if you like.

Designed as a 9x9 cake, we made this in a special gingerperson tin this year. You can make as a standard cake, as muffins, or in fun shapes as we did. This recipe, very slightly adapted from one by Once Upon a Chef, serves 16. The cake keeps for 4 or 5 days on the counter. Serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, whipped cream or ice cream for a fancier dessert. 

We made this cake in the stand mixer with SideSwipe (naturally!), but it can made with a hand mixer or even by hand. We liked the mixer because it allowed us to get a smoother mix.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-in square pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour. (Alternatively, grease the pan with butter and lightly coat with flour.)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Set aside.
3. In your stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe or a large bowl:  beat or whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, and boiling water. When the mixture is lukewarm, whisk in the egg. (Do not put egg in the hot mixture, as it will cook)
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined and there are no more lumps.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the edges look dark and the middle feels firm to the touch. Set the pan on a rack to cool slightly, then cut into 16 squares and serve. This cake is best served warm out of the oven or reheated. 

ALTERNATE SHAPES: You can also make this recipe as muffins. Lower baking time to around 18 minutes. We made our gingerbread people cakes in a shallow shaped tin (about 1 inch deep). We filled the cavities about 2/3 full then baked for 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from a shaped tin. And take your time - it can be a little tricky getting them out!

This classic holiday cookie is buttery and just about melts in your mouth. We piped our cookies (it takes a little muscle!), but you can use a cookie press like your mom or grandma used to use every holiday season.

Spritz cookies are super versatile. Color the dough. Flavor the dough. Decorate with sprinkles. Dip in chocolate. Do whatever makes you happy. We made these with dough in its most naked form with just a little vanilla to resemble those Danish cookies you can buy everywhere this time of year. But you do you!!

This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies, depending on how hard you press. We didn't count as we ate a bunch of the "ugly" ones. You'll probably end up with more!

These are a great choice if you want to ship a gift to someone, as they are still tasty after a week if you keep them tightly sealed. To extend their life, you can also store in the fridge for an extra few days or the freezer for up to a month.
 

Pears are often overlooked in the fall, in favor of their more flashy cousins, the apples. But they are a delicious fruit for eating and a lovely addition to baked goods, as well.

This Italian Ricotta Pear Cake, adapted from a recipe by Rosemary Malloy of An Italian in My Kitchen, is a tender, not-too-sweet cake that's perfect with tea or coffee for a snack, dessert or even with breakfast or brunch. It's the perfect fall cake to celebrate the subtle flavor of pears at the peak.

We made this cake several times with ricotta, which we often have on hand. The original recipe calls for mascarpone, which is sometimes more difficult to find, but would be just as delicious. 

​The cake will keep for several days on the counter, if it lasts that long! We haven't tried freezing it, but it should be able to be frozen for up to a month if well wrapped and sealed.

These copycat cookie bars are a dead ringer for some popular treats at a large coffee chain. Best of all, they have less than half the calories and fat of the originals - with an even better flavor! These chewy delights have cranberries and white chocolate chips inside, and are topped with a low-sugar cream cheese frosting, chopped dried low-sugar cranberries and a drizzle of melted white chocolate. They're sweet, but not ridiculously so, like the original.

These bars are perfect for afternoon coffee or tea, or to bring to the office for a party. Make a double batch. They'll go fast!

 The recipe is adapted from one by the Cookie Rookie. We made significant changes to the baking time and adapted the ingredients a little. The 9x13 pan makes about 15 triangular servings. We didn't do a new calculation, but this size bar is around 115 calories (the original is a whopping 340). These are best kept refrigerated.
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​BARS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup salted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar unpacked
• 1/4 cup egg whites or 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup dried reduced-sugar cranberries, roughly chopped if you like smaller pieces
• 1 cup good quality white chocolate chips (we like Ghirardelli)

FROSTING

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 8 oz low fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 4 ounces white baking chocolate melted and divided
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup dried reduced-sugar cranberries roughly chopped

NUTRITIONServing: 1bar | Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 89IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg