Gearing Up for Holiday Baking

Right before I start my holiday baking, I pull all the recipes together. If they are in a cookbook, I scan the page in and print it off so that I can clip them all together and get through each recipe without having to search for them. I keep them from year to year so that I am not reprinting anything but new recipes I am trying that year.

After pulling all the recipes together, I go through and write down the ingredients. Making note of how many sticks of butter, how much milk/cream or how many eggs so I can keep a general count of it when making my shopping list.  

Here is a general list of baking supplies (ingredients and gear) that I keep handy around the holidays. There are of course some other things that I end up needing for a few recipes such as: wheat flour, peppermint extract, cream cheese and so on.  This is just a list of the basic list of ingredients and gear to help you get started in gathering your supplies.

INGREDIENTS

* all purpose flour

* baking  powder

* baking soda

* butter

* brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar, and granulated sugar.

* pure vanilla extract

* eggs

* milk or half-n-half

* sweetened condensed milk

* chocolate – bittersweet as well as semi sweet and milk chips, baking squares, cocoa powder

* nuts – pecans and walnuts

* spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger

BAKING GEAR

* mixer – hand or stand mixer

* mixing bowls

* measuring cups and spoons – more than one set during the holidays is always nice when baking

* rubber spatulas  - to scrap bowls

*plastic or metal turners – to lift cookies off baking sheets and on to cooling racks

* pastry bush

* rolling pin

* cutting board – to roll out cookies

* cookie cutters

* pans – muffin pans for cupcakes, baking sheets – both rimmed and rimless sheets, cake and loaf pans – regular size and mini

* cooling racks

* parchment and wax paper

* cupcake liners and candy wrappers

* tins and containers to store baked goods

Printable PDF of Baking Supply List

Remember during the holiday some gift-recipients or guests might have food allergies or are just trying not indulge in all the sweet treats being offered.  Substituting healthier ingredients and trying to do some recipes that fit a special diet are always a nice idea. When I am sending a goodie tray to someone for the holidays, I like to list each sweet treat and their ingredients so that people know exactly what they are eating.