EDITOR'S NOTE: This month, instead of the usual Cooking Club Challenge , we wanted to give you the opportunity to choose from a lot of different holiday recipes. Because, let's face it, baking season is in full swing and you need all the inspiration you can get. For the first 12 days of December we're featuring a new holiday treat every day. And for our twelfth and final day of Holiday Treats... How can you go wrong with milk, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs and honey? Anna Olson's Cinnamon Custard will warm your belly on the coldest of holiday nights! Here's how the Foodtv.ca Cooking Club Challenge works: • Make the chosen monthly recipe. In this case, there are 12 recipes, so you'll have to keep checking back for the entire 12 days • Feel free to follow it to a "T" or add your own creative flair • Email a picture to blogATfoodtvDOTca (in .jpg format) and a short descriptive paragraph (100-150 words) before December 31, 2008 for your chance to win prizes. If you have a flickr account, you can post to the Foodtv.ca flickr group . • Do check out past Cooking Club Challenge results Cinnamon Custard Yield: 6 INGREDIENTS: 2 1/2 cups milk 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 egg 1/4 cup honey dash of salt DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 F. Place four 6-oz ramekins in a baking dish. Heat milk with cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk together eggs, honey and salt. While whisking, add the milk mixture to the eggs, a little at a time, until the entire mixture is blended. Strain. Pour the custard into the ramekins. Place baking dish on the open door of the oven and pour boiling water into the baking dish, so that it comes halfway up the side of the ramekin. Bake custards for 30-40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the centre of the custard comes out clean. To Assemble Serve warm or chilled. See the rest of the 12 Days of Holiday Treats: Day 1: Chocolaty Christmas Log Day 2: Anna Olson's Caramel Toffee Squares Day 3: Grand Marnier Candied Orange Peel Truffles Day 4: Wheat-Free Chocolate Cherry Pecan Cookies Day 5: Anna Olson's Country Apple Pie Day 6: Trish Magwood's Peppermint Crunch Bark Day 7: Anna Olson's Chocolate Mint Cookies Day 8: Dreena Burton's Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange Cornmeal Cookies Day 9: Ricardo's Chocolate Pudding Day 10: Anna Olson's Gingerbread Cookies Day 11: Michael Smith's Coconut Tarts with Chocolate and Coconut Cream

EDITOR'S NOTE: This month, instead of the usual Cooking Club Challenge , we wanted to give you the opportunity to choose from a lot of different holiday recipes. Because, let's face it, baking season is in full swing and you need all the inspiration you can get. For the first 12 days of December we're featuring a new holiday treat every day. What's holiday baking without gingerbread? On the 10th day of Holiday Treats, we've got a great recipe for Gingerbread Cookies from Anna Olson . Here's how the Foodtv.ca Cooking Club Challenge works: • Make the chosen monthly recipe. In this case, there are 12 recipes, so you'll have to keep checking back for the entire 12 days • Feel free to follow it to a "T" or add your own creative flair • Email a picture to blogATfoodtvDOTca (in .jpg format) and a short descriptive paragraph (100-150 words) before December 31, 2008 for your chance to win prizes. If you have a flickr account, you can post to the Foodtv.ca flickr group . • Do check out past Cooking Club Challenge results Gingerbread Cookies Yield: 24 INGREDIENTS: Gingerbread Cookies 1/2 cup vegetable shortening or unsalted butter at room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 1 x large egg 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup grated fresh ginger 3 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp ground cloves Royal Icing for Iced Gingerbread Cookies 3 tbsp meringue powder (available at cake stores and bulk stores) 1/2 cup warm water 4 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp cream of tartar food colouring, as needed DIRECTIONS: Gingerbread Cookies Cream shortening (or butter) and sugar until fluffy and beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in molasses and grated ginger until evenly blended. In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients and add to molasses mixture, stirring just until dough comes together. Shape dough into 2 discs and chill for at least 2 hours before rolling. Preheat oven to 375 °F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disc to just over 1/8-inch thick. Cut out desired shapes and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If using cookies as decoration, put a small hole where a string will go to tie it). Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until edges are firm to touch. Allow to cool completely. Royal Icing for Iced Gingerbread Cookies Stir together all ingredients to blend, then beat with electric beaters on high speed until mixture is stiff, about 7 minutes...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This month, instead of the usual Cooking Club Challenge , we wanted to give you the opportunity to choose from a lot of different holiday recipes. Because, let's face it, baking season is in full swing and you need all the inspiration you can get. For the first 12 days of December we're featuring a new holiday treat every day. On the eighth day of Holiday Treats, we've got something for those of you with a gluten allergy: Chocolate Orange Cornmeal Cookies . Here's how the Foodtv.ca Cooking Club Challenge works: • Make the chosen monthly recipe. In this case, there are 12 recipes, so you'll have to keep checking back for the entire 12 days • Feel free to follow it to a "T" or add your own creative flair • Email a picture to blogATfoodtvDOTca (in .jpg format) and a short descriptive paragraph (100-150 words) before December 31, 2008 for your chance to win prizes. If you have a flickr account, you can post to the Foodtv.ca flickr group . • Do check out past Cooking Club Challenge results Chocolate Orange Cornmeal Cookies (gluten-free) Yield: 12 INGREDIENTS: 2/3 cup cornmeal (fine cornmeal, not corn grits) 2 tbsp amaranth flour 3 tbsp cocoa powder 2 tbsp potato starch flour (not potato flour) 1 tbsp tapioca starch flour 1 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp xanthan gum 1/4 cup unrefined sugar 3 tbsp non-dairy chocolate chips (see note) 1/4 tsp sea salt 1 tsp orange zest (optional, see note) 1/3 cup brown rice syrup 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup organic canola oil DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients, sifting in the cocoa powder, potato starch flour, tapioca starch flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the brown rice syrup with the vanilla and stir until well combined. (If the brown rice syrup is difficult to mix, try warming in a heat-proof dish in the toaster oven for a couple of minutes.) Then, stir in the canola oil, and add this wet mixture to the dry. Stir through until just well combined. Place spoonfuls of the batter (about 1- 1½ tbsp in size) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 11-12 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool on the pan for no longer than a minute, then remove with a spatula and transfer to a cooling rack. Note: If using the orange zest, you can also add more orange flavor to these cookies using an orange-flavored dark chocolate bar. Instead...