During the depths of winter, I revel in the hours I spend baking in the kitchen, appreciating the great indoors. (Can you tell I’m not a skier?) Plus, there are plenty of holidays and events to bake for this month. From symbolic foods for Lunar New Year to romantic bakes on Valentine’s Day to trophy-winning snacks for your Super Bowl parties, we’ve got you covered for the next 29 days.
What to bake for Valentine's Day
1) Besos o Yoyos (Jam-Filled Sandwich Cookies)
These sandwich cookies get their name from beso, the Spanish word for kiss, as they’re kissed together with fruity strawberry jam. They’ll make a cheeky but subtle way to send your loved one a sweet message this year.
Get the recipe: Besos o Yoyos (Jam-Filled Sandwich Cookies)
Shop the recipe: White Whole Wheat Flour
2) Tiramisu for Two
What happens when you want tiramisu, but not a lot of leftovers? Enter Tiramisu for Two. Assembled in mason jars, this small-batch bake is a match made in heaven for mini-dessert enthusiasts.
Get the recipe: Tiramisu for Two
Shop the recipe: Triple Cocoa Blend
3) Cute and Small Chocolate Cake
Less is more! This adorable mini cake calls for just one cup of flour — ideal for when your bag is nearly empty. Mixed by hand in just 15 minutes, it’s the perfect date night bake that’s not much work, but still delivers stellar results. (A lush and moist cake, that is.)
Get the recipe: Cute and Small Chocolate Cake
Shop the recipe: 6" Round Cake Layer Pan
4) Sweetheart Pull-Apart Chocolate Buns
Like you and your partner, tahini and chocolate were made for each other, which is why they star together in these filled heart-shaped buns. Make these for a memorable Valentine’s Day breakfast, complete with a sweet glaze on top.
Get the recipe: Sweetheart Pull-Apart Chocolate Buns
Shop the recipe: Guittard Bittersweet Onyx Chocolate Wafers
5) Rich Chocolate Mousse
Nothing says love and romance like an entire bowl of chocolate mousse. It’s the type of dessert you and a loved one can just dive right into with a spoon — we won’t judge!
Get the recipe: Rich Chocolate Mousse
Shop the recipe: Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Wafers
What to bake for the Super Bowl
6) Scallion Sesame Hot Dog Buns
If you like pigs in a blanket, you’ll love these hot dogs swaddled in pillowy milk bread dough. They’re the sweet-savory addition your Super Bowl party is missing. (And if you need more ideas, here are 16 of our best Super Bowl recipes.)
Get the recipe: Scallion Sesame Hot Dog Buns
Shop the recipe: Baker’s Special Dry Milk
7) Oven Quesadillas
When cooking for a crowd, the last thing you want to do is stand over the stove tending to individual quesadillas. Instead, take the nacho approach to quesadillas: Build your quesadillas on a sheet pan and bake them all at once in the oven. Bonus points if you make your own tortillas; our 50/50 Corn and Flour Tortillas are perfect for this.
Get the recipe: Oven Quesadillas for a Crowd
Shop the recipe: Masa Harina
8) Garlic Bread Pizza
Why stop at plain French bread pizza when you can use garlic bread as your base instead? Whether you use store-bought or homemade ciabatta, you can be assured each nook and cranny will be slathered with garlicky oil and covered in a rich cherry tomato sauce with cheese.
Get the recipe: Garlic Bread Pizza
Shop the recipe: Boyajian Garlic Oil
What to bake for Lunar New Year
9) Chinese Almond Cookies
These almond cookies are an iconic Lunar New Year snack, and this version from Hetty Lui McKinnon strays from the classic in two subtle yet transformative ways. Butter is used instead of lard (making this vegetarian-friendly) and toasting the almond flour brings out an even deeper, nuttier flavor in these cookies.
Get the recipe: Chinese Almond Cookies
Shop the recipe: Almond Flour
10) Taiwanese Fruit Cakes
These bite-size cakes feature a buttery dough that’s similar to shortbread, with a quick and easy jammy filling made from a blend of dried fruit. Similar to Taiwanese pineapple cakes, these are a perfect giftable snack to ring in the Year of the Dragon.
Get the recipe: Taiwanese Fruit Cakes
Shop the recipe: Baker’s Fruit Blend
11) Biang Biang Noodles
Named after the sound the dough makes as it slaps the counter, these noodles are a fun cooking project; enlist eager noodle pullers! Top the noodles as you please: You can’t go wrong with a simple garnish of julienned cucumbers and chili crisp — there’s no better way to nod to longevity in the new year.
Get the recipe: Biang Biang Noodles
Shop the recipe: Bread Flour
More February recipes to bake
12) Palmiers
Leave it to the French to create a cookie that’s entirely made of pastry. All you need is a batch of our Fast and Easy Puff Pastry and granulated sugar to create these golden, flaky swirls (so named because they resemble butterflies). For crunchier cookies, use sparkling sugar instead.
Get the recipe: Palmiers
Shop the recipe: Bench Knife
13) Mochi-Stuffed Ube Crinkle Cookies
Ube is the star of the show in these unique cookies. Ube extract and ube halaya ensure there’s plenty of fruity, coconutty flavor infused into the cookie, while also giving it its signature purple tint. And a surprise is stuffed into each of these eye-catching cookies: a chewy mochi center.
Get the recipe: Mochi-Stuffed Ube Crinkle Cookies
Shop the recipe: Rolling Mat
14) Steamed Pork Buns (Xian Rou Bao)
Prep your steamer and get ready to pack it with these fluffy bao, which are filled with succulent ground pork seasoned with ginger and scallions. Shaping these bao is half the fun, so feel free to double the batch to perfect your pleating — these freeze quite well for future meals.
Get the recipe: Steamed Pork Buns (Xian Rou Bao)
Shop the recipe: All-Purpose Flour
15) Homemade Cheese Ravioli
If you have a food processor and a bag of flour, you’re already halfway to making your own cheese-filled pasta. All these pillowy, herbed ravioli need is a simple red sauce and a garnish of basil.
Get the recipe: Homemade Cheese Ravioli
Shop the recipe: 14 Cup Food Processor and Pasta Machine
16) Twice-Baked Caramelized Cashew Baklava
With its layers of phyllo and a nutty, syrupy filling, this spiced, spiraled baklava is the perfect two-bite treat. In this version, cookbook author Sohla El-Waylly calls for twice-baking the baklava, which caramelizes the syrup and creates a candied coating around the phyllo. Plus, that sugar coating will keep them fresh for a month.
Get the recipe: Twice-Baked Caramelized Cashew Baklava
Shop the recipe: Cloud Forest Cardamom
Need another crowd-friendly bake? Cupcakes to the rescue! Learn how to decorate them at any skill level.
Cover photo (Tiramisu for Two) by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
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