Dear Friends and Fellow Bakers,

Welcome to the December 2024 Issue of Betterbaking.com!

From the gathering time of October, to feelings of gratitude in November, we tumble into the final month of the year, December. And just what is December's theme? I would say sugar and spice of course but it’s also stillness, along with gratitude which to me is the spice of every month. Despite the frenetic impulse of holiday bargain shopping, there comes this quiet oasis of time wherein you finally have to lie low or burn out. It’s the flip side of the tumult and how I even myself out. I wish I maintained a consistent and sedate pace as I go about life but these surges of high energy (the doing-ness) and drawing back (the resting and repair) is how I find my balance. To be fair, I've always been high energy and life to me often seems like a party I don't want to miss a second of. I keep promising myself I’ll do better and there are slight improvements.

For example, even though I celebrated American Thanksgiving for no reason whatsoever (I’m Canadian) aside from FOMO and could have prepared in excess, I only made three desserts and four sides. To me, that’s progress. I tend to offer a lot to my guests to impress but instead I overwhelm everyone and stress us all out. So this year (which was my inaugural U.S. Thanksgiving dinner) I cut back a little bit. I made Parker House Rolls and left the cornbread to a taco night and the buttermilk biscuits will appear at a holiday brunch. The desserts were simply pecan squares, pumpkin cheesecake with burnt sugar ganache and apple pie. I wanted to add a few more harvest-y things but I practised restraint. It was a great meal despite there being fewer than twenty dishes and I wasn't exhausted at the end.

What I like about this time of year and the physical world of food that no matter how you’d like to rush or cram things in, there’s simply no quicker way to peel apples, simmer cranberries or melt chocolate than the slow speed they require. Dough doesn’t roll faster if you install a smart phone app on your rolling pin and you can’t digitalize a batter or access virtual print-out your holiday cookies (although you can with virtual printers and AI eventually click, bake and serve anything). Nor can you create that extraordinary, riveting fragrance of real home baking with anything else but real home baking – there’s no Bath and Body candle for that.

Times have changed and while they’re cool shortcuts to baking (and life) body-and-soul nurturing food takes real hands and real time. Homemade baking wafts a certain energy that can’t be replicated; it’s aromatherapy of the first order. Happily, this is also the fun of it all because nothing is more soothing than hand-work – it’s as grounding as it gets and on top of that it results in beautiful edibles that are pure joy.  No one refuses homemade anything especially around this time of year; indeed few people refuse sugar and butter until January first rolls around – when crowded gyms, Ozempic, Weight Watchers and online yoga sign-ups will abound 😊.

For this month, I’ve gone rugulah-centric in honour of Hanukkah but in case you need other suggestion,  here's some perfect holiday recipes from the BB Recipe Archives. This is just a sampling – there are far more inspirations to be had from the best cut-out cookies, Hanukkah cheesecakes, holiday fruitcakes and even simple things like homemade tomato soup to go with a homemade grilled cheese when you get tired of too-good, too rich holiday fare!

Blue Ribbon Parker House Rolls
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/blue-ribbon-parker-house-rolls/

You could make these daily for the whole month of December and never have one leftover. They are that good and easy!

New Way Hanukkah Latkes
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/new-way-famous-potato-latkes/

Secret Italian Butter Ball Cookies
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/cranberry-cherry-italian-butter-balls/

Panforte from Siena
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/chocolate-almond-paneforte-from-siena/

Double Rolled Rugulah
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/double-rolled-hanukka-rugulah/

Classic Shortbread
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/classic-shortbread/

Egg Nog Bundt (c) Cake
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/eggnog-bundt-poundcake/

Terry's Chocolate Orange Pound Cake

https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/terrys-chocolate-orange-sour-cream-pound-cake/

Happy Holidays, whatever you're celebrating. Be kind and mindful, take many deep breaths and stay safe. And when you're least expecting it, joy can land on your shoulder, as certain as a sighting of a winter cardinal.

Love and happy baking from my kitchen to yours,

Marcy Goldman
Master Baker, Author, Publisher
www.Betterbaking.com
est. 1997
Montreal, Canada

December 2024 Recipes of the Month

Layered Rugulah Squares
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/layered-rugulah-squares/

Greek Yogurt Rugulah
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/greek-yogurt-rugulah/
These are crisp and buttery pastry made extra light with the addition of Greek yogurt.

Free!!! Apricot White Chocolate Shortbread
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/apricot-white-chocolate-shortbread/
Tender, sweet and tangy little cookies for gifts or hosting.

Israeli Chocolate Rugulah
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/israeli-chocolate-rugulah/
A beautiful, supple yeasted dough (no kneading!) yields mini-babka-like rugulah.
Cinnamon is a perfect alternate filling.

Hanukkah Doughnuts or Soufganiot
https://betterbaking.com/recipe-items/hanukkah-jelly-doughnuts/