Toronto is blessed with bakeries, and even though we lost a good one (Queen of Tarts) last month, overall 2009 was a banner year. We now have more options to buy the stuff we were always looking for (pies, cupcakes, bread) as well as the goodies we never realized we were missing (custom cookies, vanilla conchas, gluten-free scones).

It's no wonder so many of us pack on the pounds during the winter months. Sure, there's the cold weather, baggy clothes and cravings for sweets and comfort food; but with so many buttercream and hot-out-of-the-oven wonders available in neighbourhoods across the city, Toronto's bakers make it much easier to stick to the 100 mile diet rather than the latest low calorie one.

So why not indulge! And to find inspiration, there's nothing like starting with the following list of the 9 best new bakeries to open in Toronto in 2009.