My Must-Have Baking Essentials

Now that you’ve seen how I stock my kitchen with all of my go-to kitchen essentials, I wanted to put together a big roundup of tools that are specific to baking! Ever since I was a little girl I have loved to bake, I find it extremely theraputic and it’s always nice to tackle a project with your hands, then share with someone you love.

Whether you’re a casual baker or love to make homemade treats every week, these baking essentials are perfect for stocking your kitchen and are my tried and true staples!. A reminder that the goal of stocking your kitchen with good quality items is to make baking easy and enjoyable, and these essentials will do just that.

I included a variety of brands and price points, plus what I actually use these tools for. These make wonderful holiday gifts for friends and family who love to bake, too!

What you’ll find

• Small appliances: the best high-quality stand mixer for the perfect doughs, my fav food processor, and an easy-to-use hand mixer.
• Baking pans: a pan for every baking project — muffins, breads, cakes, and more.
• Baking utensils: your measuring spoons and cups might need a little refresh. Head to this section for all baking necessities.
• Other must-haves: items that you might not think about when it comes to baking, like an oven thermometer, pie weights, and a food scale.

Small appliances

1. Stand mixer: the one and only! I swear by my KitchenAid stand mixer for everything from cookie dough to fluffy, whipped frostings.
2. Hand mixer: a must for whipped cream and frostings. Great for when you don’t want to take out your stand mixer for quick and simple recipes.
3. Food processor: this is key for getting the perfect “dough” for no bake bars and energy bites, plus pie crusts. A blender won’t give your ingredients the right consistency because it’s meant for softer ingredients.

Baking pans

1. Staub large, deep 10″ oven-safe skillet: Great for apple crisps, cookie skillets and more, plus it’s oven safe up to 500 degrees F.
2. Muffin pan: given that my nickname is the Muffin Queen, you know a muffin pan is essential in my kitchen. I also love keeping a mini muffin pan on hand for my kiddos!
3. Cake pans: I’m always getting questions about what cake pans I use for my gorgeous, tall cakes! I like to use these 6-inch round cake pans, but 8-inch pans are great to have as well.
4. 8×4 inch loaf pan: feel free to get an 8×4 or 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan to bake up your favorite bread recipes.
5. 9-inch square baking pan: gotta have a square baking pan for brownies, bars, and single-layer snacking cakes.
6. 9×13 inch baking pan: the only pan you’ll need for sheet cakes. This pan is a great, affordable option, and this set of various sizes is 3 for $50!
7. Springform pan: I love using a springform pan for things like coffee cakes and cheesecakes because you can easily serve them by removing the sides without any mess! Plus, it makes serving, cutting, and removing them so easy!
8. Baking sheet set: every kitchen needs a variety of baking sheets to make big or small batches of cookies. This set is truly the BEST and what I swear by.
9. Wire cooling racks: the perfect wire racks for cooling cookies and other baked goods.
10. Pie pan: another Thanksgiving (and celebrating) must-have — a go-to pie pan!

Baking utensils

1. Mixing bowls: I like to use glass mixing bowls because they’re super easy to clean, but I also love keeping a stainless steel mixing bowl set on hand as well for easy clean up!
2. Measuring spoons: gotta have tablespoons and teaspoons for all sweet and savory recipes. No eyeballing in baking!
3. Dry measuring cups: yes, there’s a difference between dry and wet measuring cups! So be sure to get a good set of both. These are great for flour, oats, sugar, mix-ins, etc.
4. Liquid measuring cups: use the liquid measuring cups for (you guessed it) any liquids you’re adding to recipes! Milk, water, oil, etc.
5. Wooden spoons: I always recommend mixing batters with a wooden spoon because it’s heat-resistant and doesn’t scratch pots and pans. This set of 5 has a variety of shapes and sizes to help your cooking.
6. Pastry brush: feel free to use a bristled or silicone brush for egg washes, glazes, and more.
7. Rolling pin: yes, you can use a wine bottle to roll out your favorite pie or cookie dough, but this high-quality rolling pin will make your life even easier.
8. Cookie scoops: I like to have small, medium, and large cookie scoops so that I can scoop the right amount of dough or a mixture before baking.
9. Cake stand: show off your beautiful baked treats with a chic cake stand! This one comes with a lid, so it doubles as easy storage.
10. Whisk set: I like to have a set of various-sized whisks for mixing everything from larger batters to smaller glazes.
11. Rubber spatula set: these are a must for easy mixing, scraping dough down from your bowl, and helping to press batters down.
12. Fine mesh sieves: sift flour (if the recipe calls for it) or easily sprinkle powdered sugar onto your treats!
13. Dough cutter: this is so nice for evenly scooping and cutting dough that you’re working with – whether it’s for pizza, bread rolls, or cinnamon rolls.
14. Pastry cutter: alternatively, a pastry cutter is great for mixing cold butter into flour (for pie doughs!)
15. Offset spatula: you can use a butter knife, but this spatula is truly a game-changer for frosting cakes beautifully.

Other must-haves

1. Oven thermometer: because baking is so precise, it’s important to know that your oven is at the right temperature! I recommend getting an oven thermometer to know if your oven is accurate.
2. Food scale: weighing your ingredients is another way to be extra precise when you’re making batters and doughs.
3. Oven mitts: everyone needs a pair of good-quality oven mitts to protect their hands! Ditch the ones with the holes in them (trust me) and grab a new pair.
4. Pie weights: if your pie recipe calls for a blind bake, make sure you have these on hand to prevent your crust from bubbling, puffing up, or shrinking.
5. Baking storage set: I love putting my baking ingredients in these containers so that I can see exactly what it is and avoid tons of half-used bags cluttering my cabinets.