i'd rather be baking

February is my favorite month of the year, mostly because it’s home to both Valentine’s Day and my birthday in short succession, but partly because it seems to be one big excuse to eat chocolate. I mean really; chocolate is everywhere you look!

As the first of these holidays (and probably the only one you’re celebrating) draws near, you just might need a little something for your valentine. Or maybe your best friend, sister, bitter girlfriend, or office grouch. It doesn’t really matter.

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Everyone should have a handful of cookie recipes in their back pocket (or that awkward cabinet above the stove) that can be whipped up on a moment’s notice, using nothing more than pantry staples. And if one of those recipes is delightfully spiced and perfect for holiday gift-giving, everybody wins.

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Thanksgiving is now behind us, and truth be told, you probably could have used this recipe about a week ago. I know; I apologize.

The good news is that Christmas is a scant three and a half weeks away. Maybe that isn’t good news. I suppose it depends upon your perspective.

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Last week I got an email from Williams-Sonoma. This email may as well have been addressed to me personally, because it detailed a package of four little pastry cutters, in the shapes of three leaves and one little acorn. I swooned, and drove straight to the mall after work.

It helps that we still have a couple of gift cards left over from our wedding, but who am I kidding? I would have bought them anyway. And it’s a darn good thing, too, because I just don’t make a whole lot of pastry. I don’t know why; probably because I just don’t have the patience for it. But that needs to change, and these little babies are just the motivation I need.

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This time of year I can’t seem to leave the grocery store without at least a handful of apples and often a three-pound sack. And when the Granny Smiths (my personal favorite) drop down to the neighborhood of $1/pound, I’m a goner.

I eat the vast majority of these apples sliced or simply out of hand, but I do love baking with them. I stumbled across this recipe while researching road bikes (of all things), and it’s a remarkably healthy one. There’s just enough butter present to make it hearty and satisfying, but the apples, oats, and pecans contribute the real flavor and, beautifully, lots of yummy vitamins.

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