There is a house around the corner from ours here in Urbana that completely decks out for the holidays. Any holiday. They had an intense spooky display for Halloween, enough to draw my 2 1/2 year old son’s attention and qualify it as the “holiday house” every time we get in the car. The day after Halloween we got in the car and he yet again exclaimed, “drive by the holiday house!” So we headed that direction, rounded the corner, and immediately saw that every single decoration had been packed away already. Similar experience happened a few days later as I was last minute shopping for some two year old halloween magic and couldn’t find what I needed amidst the already Thanksgiving decked out Meijer aisles. We. Move. So. Fast.

The holidays are here, ready or not. With a two year old in the household, I find myself going along with the rhythms more than usual this year. We got a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. The joy of decorating it with Malcolm? The best. So then I am like, “eh, whatever, gonna do what brings joy right now.”

Truly I love this season and all that it holds (SNOW!!!), I just really hate to see us all caught up in moving so fast, want to savor it more but often feel there is no time for that. My soul feels childlike and inspired as the dark, wintry landscape takes hold. I love the pursuit of cozy. The many reasons to gather with those you love. MANY reasons to BAKE!

I will admit I am feeling far from childlike lately. Facing adulthood and all the responsibility it brings. Our little family is packed to the brim with life right now, it’s exciting and full of love and overwhelming all the same. Chase and I’s wedding in August marked as a pretty big milestone…we found out the week following that we have a new family member on the way! Bless that first trimester, when new life is growing and mothers have to try to keep their shit together despite feeling like you’re suffering a non-stop hangover. This round hit particularly rough and shared the same space and time with my first few months working out of a commercial bakery space. To those who knew, thank you endlessly for all of the grace.

I turned a corner in October, just in time to go down the rapid tunnel of holidays. And I feel as if I am flying by the seat of my pants a little bit throwing this all together. Love the thrill.

So here is the holiday round-up for Tooth Butter Bakery…

Given the timeline of this new life that I am growing, I feel good to go for the holiday season, hope to rock out a handful of bakes in the new year. Here’s where I’ll be and what I am aiming to bake for the remainder of 2025 (which is literally only a month, damn.)

Sunday, December 7th, 10-2pm, Cultures of Peoria Holiday Market

I will be at the Premier Event Center in Peoria, IL for this wonderful holiday market hosted by my buddy Joe of 309 Cultures. Joe ferments incredible local veggies into krauts, kimchi, and hot sauces. He curated a wonderful lineup of regional artists and a variety of makers. There’s live music and good coffee. I will roll up with fluffy sourdough cinny rolls, seasonal treats like apple butter oat bars and other fruit forward pastries, Every Little Thing cookies, and I am scheming a handful of savory pastries and sourdough breads. This is a warm, enjoyable market to attend and find some sweet gifts for those you love (including yourself!)

Pantry Bread Bake, Thursday, December 11th Pick-Ups at Cloud Mountain

My last Pantry Bread of the year. I have SO loved getting to be back in a weekly rhythm of baking bread for my Urbana community. Since moving into my new kitchen space in downtown Urbana, each week’s orders held the same group of “regulars” I am used to seeing plus a few new faces. That was so cool, loved getting to meet most of you at pick-ups. Last thing I’ll say about this bake, there will be a great return of a certain item y’all LOVE from the cottage bakery days…sourdough english muffins! I finally received the bread pans I needed for the new oven to make these happen. Can’t have a griddle in my kitchen without a proper vent hood so I have to go a different route with these puppers. The only thing that will be different is they will be uniform shape and size, damn, I love rustic shit. Lol.

Saturday, December 20th, Noon-5pm, Hibernation Solstice Market

Me and some good friends are putting together this cozy lil market and I am just so jazzed it is in Cloud Mountain Kombucha’s new taproom on Griggs St. The first pop-up in the new space, their old taproom was home to SO many Tooth Butter pop-ups, I am truly so grateful for Kyle, Andrew, and Aimee. We have a really stacked lineup for this market, several different local artists of different mediums, my momma will have her amazing candles, treats and coffee beans from Everyday Feast and Fithian Folk, and I am planning my big Winter Cookie Box bake for this day. I am going to be offering a pre-sale for the large cookie boxes (30 cookies, 8 different kinds in them bad boys this year!) that goes live early next week on my HotPlate but I am planning a “build you own cookie box” for this market that will allow you to pick 10 cookies from a big smorgasbord of cookies if you simply aren’t trying to eat 30 cookies in a week’s time. I will also have cinny rolls, gingerbread cakes, sweet & savory nut mix (holler if you remember this from last year!) and a handful of other seasonal savory and sweet pastries. Hoping to toss coffee anise rye bread in the mix because it is the season for brown bread! Plus I’ll have a special guest at my table, he looks like a wizard and makes some mighty fine pepper powder. The timing of this market is the best part, hopefully hitting just about the time everyone turns off their intense “holiday planning brain” and switches on their “woohoo it’s the holidays brain.” Come and support a really awesome local holiday market.

Holiday Bread & Sweets Bake, Tuesday, December 23rd Pick-Ups at Elm City Coffee

Last bake of the year! Ready to send you off with so many baked goodies to share with loved ones. On the bread side there will be dinner rolls, cinny raisin bread, and bmilk sandwich loaves. On the sweets end, cinny rolls (sold in 4-packs), choco brioche braids, coriander carrot snack cakes, and a couple different types of cookies sold in 4-packs! I am also planning a special seasonal local produce quiche. Maybe some other goodies as my brain goes wild in the coming weeks. Orders will go live on Friday, Dec 12th at my HotPlate.

I can’t really say what 2026 will bring for Tooth Butter Bakery quite yet other than I know there will be some dormancy as I learn the ways of being a mother to two young people. I love baking and I love nourishing my community in this way, so I will find my way back to it in good time. I personally view the postpartum portal as a launchpad for inspiration and growth. It’s the very thing that created Tooth Butter Cottage Bakery, after all.

Thank you so much for the continuous support.

Link to my HotPlate, here. Still baking Tuesday and Friday mornings for Elm City Coffee, slew of rotating pastries available through the coffee shop each week.