Scones should be golden brown and firm on the outside, with a soft crumbly texture hidden inside—a little treasure, of sorts, for your mouth. They can be savory or sweet and served for breakfast or dinner. I know, this sounds like the most perfect little quick bread in the world.

Scones appeal not only to my palate but also to my fantasy-prone mind. Even though they are extremely easy to make, they somehow feel like a fancy treat that I—a character in a Jane Austen novel, maybe a long-lost Dashwood sister—am enjoying on a dreary day in the British countryside. When eating them, I am likely to bust out my best British accent, just as Jack does while on the phone with family. Both are quite amusing.

The recipe I used for my chocolate chip scones was adapted ever so slightly from one posted on About.com, and the result was delicious. Crispy outside, soft inside, sweet, and accent-inspiring—perfect.

I'm willing to bet that most people have heard of—and many have tried—the traditional pineapple upside-down cake. I remember thinking as a child that it was just about the coolest thing that my mom ever made—and I loved stealing the extra pineapple rings from the can. But most people, myself included, don't look beyond pineapple for the ingredient that will go on top (or is it the bottom?) of the cake.

After a friend made this Apple-Cinnamon Upside-Down Cake for me, I decided to research more interesting recipes for the flip-flopping cake. Very slowly, I came across recipes for cakes (and muffins) that cried out to be veganized. Here are a few of the highlights: Banana-Maple Upside-Down Cake, Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake, and even a Broccoli-and-Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake.

And here are a few that are already vegan: Peach Upside-Down Cake and Cranberry Upside-Down Cake.

Let me know if you have a recipe or an idea for a creative—or just plain weird—upside-down cake.

The holiday season will be in full swing with the start of Hanukkah, and I have already started celebrating by participating in my favorite holiday activity—baking.

After researching traditional Jewish recipes and deciding that doughnuts seemed way too challenging for me to start with, I found a challah recipe that seemed slightly more appropriate for my skill level. I'll admit that even though I have mad skillz when preparing certain types of food, Jewish cuisine is unfortunately not one of them, because of a lack of experience.

I found that the challenge of making challah, an often cake-like bread, is not in the mixing or in the rising—which are fairly straightforward and only require time and patience. It's all in the braiding. I couldn't quite master the technique—and can only hope that truth, peace, and justice haven't been compromised.

From certain angles, the loaf still looked lovely, and more importantly, it still tasted delicious. To me, warm, homemade bread is the perfect way to start any holiday celebration, regardless of how it looks.

By playing it cool over the last couple of weeks, I've been able to hide my obsession with all things Christmas. Christmas music? Love it. Christmas tree? Already decorated. Singing Rudolph doll with a light-up nose? Already in my living room.

Like many adults, the holiday items I love most are those I remember from my childhood, especially the songs and desserts. So, to kick off my holiday baking this year, I blasted the Chipmunks' Christmas song and got out the cookie cutters to make classic sugar cookies.

Of course, I loved making Christmas sugar cookies as a child—it's a canvas you can then eat—but I still love making them as an adult, too, because they're nostalgic and easy. Decorating can be made practically stress-free by buying icing, gels, sprinkles, and candies from your local grocery store instead of trying to make them on your own.

With these reliable recipes that I found for perfect sugar cookies and icing as your base, and with your store-bought decorations, you'll have time just to have fun decorating cookies, not worrying about how they'll taste.

P.S. If you have time, enter one of these (American Apparel or Almost Vegetarian) great contests. And if you are like me and haven't even begun to think about shopping for Christmas presents yet, you can just give the prize as a gift!

Can you smell the cookies and cakes baking in your oven? If not, then get baking! For me, the holidays are synonymous with baking, but if you don't have the time or don't know where to start, don't worry. There are vegan baking mixes to help you, and they're available at most grocery stores nationwide—you just have to know what you're looking for. Here's a quick rundown of some of my favorites:

• Cherrybrook Kitchen: This company offers a variety of all-natural baking mixes that are peanut-, egg-, dairy-, and nut-free, including mixes for making chocolate or vanilla frosting, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownies, cakes, and pancakes. Yum! In addition to the tasty results from the mixes, Cherrybrook Kitchen provides adorable packaging and sells its products in major grocery stores. Or you can just enter to win a Cherrybrook Kitchen variety pack here!

•Duncan Hines Wild Maine Blueberry Muffin Mix: Start Christmas morning off right with fresh blueberry muffins. I've been told that these muffins couldn't be easier—just add egg replacer and soy milk and you're left with surprisingly delicious muffins. Tracy, known to only make "hamburger" pizza bagels, said, "If I can make them, anyone can!"

•Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Gingerbread Mix: This mix is an easy way to sneak a little whole wheat goodness into your holiday baking, especially when it's in the form of an adorable gingerbread man. Or you could make them into any shape you'd like with the "Make Your Own Cookie Cutters Kit."

This is just a very short list of products I like. For more ideas, check out "I Can't Believe It's Vegan," or maybe some kind, holiday-spirit-filled readers will share their favorites here!

I will admit that I've never tried a Milano cookie. I am definitely more of a homemade-cookie kind of girl, but when my friend Mylie sent me this recipe for a vegan version of the Milano, I realized I could have the best of both worlds. A homemade vegan version of Pepperidge Farms' number one selling cookie could be mine.

The Milano recipe Mylie sent to me is from the creators of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and is featured on their blog by the same name. I would say that just about every recipe they create is amazing, and this was no exception. Sure, I have no clue what real Milanos taste like, but these were definitely a hit with my Sunday afternoon, basketball-watching visitors. I did make one slight adjustment to the recipe by reducing my cooking time to 10 to 12 minutes, not the 12 to 14 they suggest. I tried the longer time with my first batch of cookies, but after cooling for only 20 minutes, they were already rock solid.

Let me know if these Milanos taste like the original or if you have veganized any other classic cookies. Enjoy!

Chow.com recently posted a recipe for St. Patty's Day Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes, and immediately I knew that they needed to be veganized because it would allow me to indulge in both my love for dark beer and my love for baking.

The first step in veganizing the cupcakes is to replace the Guinness, which is not vegan-friendly, with another Irish stout or coffee. Next, replace the milk with soy milk and the eggs with Ener-G brand egg replacer. Finally, replace the sour cream with the vegan equivalent, or if you are like me and don't have any on hand, use Vegenaise. I swear this was good and led to super-moist cupcakes that even my brother, who seems to be deathly afraid of all things vegan, approved of.

To get a nice light dusting of cocoa powder, try placing a small amount on a spoon and then blowing it onto the cupcakes. Of course, you don't want to do this if you're baking something you're going to sell or, say, giving the cupcakes to a complete germaphobe, but it is a neat at-home trick.

Enjoy the cupcakes with a strong Irish coffee, and you'll have a buzz, not just from sugar, to last throughout the day.

Peanut butter has made addicts out of many—myself included. For me, it's hard to resist eating the creamy and salty spread by the spoonful, by the jarful, on apples, with pretzels, or even mixed with pancake syrup. I think you get the idea.

It's no surprise that a P.B. junkie like me loves indulging in peanut butter cookies. They are often made not with just a hint of peanut butter but with entire cups of the creamy goodness. Some recipes are even flourless and consist of little more than just peanut butter, margarine, and sugar—a P.B. addict's dream come true.

My recipe below does contain flour, but it still has a whole cupful of peanut butter, so the flavor definitely shines through. Also, I always reach for the crunchy kind to add a little extra texture to the cookies.

Enjoy!