Have you ever been intimidated with the thought of baking for the holidays? Yea. We've been there, too. We've put together this handy guide to pick out the best holiday baking essentials every elf needs to bake it the best season.
1. A pie shield prevents your pie crust from becoming too browned around the edges. The Harold Adjustable Pie Shield can be used on pie plates sized 8" to 11" inches and is heat resistant.
2. A pastry blender is essential for cutting in butter or shortening to make the perfect flaky pie crust or buttermilk biscuits.
3. Our fave way to chop nuts for holiday baked goods: the OXO Chopper. IChop in the enclosed cup or directly on a cutting board. Blade cartridge is removable for easy cleanup.
4. Gathering all the ingredients in place before mixing (called mis en place) makes the process faster. These adorable holiday pinch bowls add whimsy to your baking time.
5. We have a great selection of baking sheets for all kinds of baked goods. A fave is the OXO Non-Stick Pro Cookie Sheet. Its textured surface allows for even air flow and its unique design allows baked cookies to transfer more easily.
6. A good set of liquid measuring cups with an angle allow you to eyeball measurement from above. And, believe us when we say that having multiple measuring cups is essential, especially during the holiday season.
7. A classic rolling pin for cookies, pies, and biscuits. For extra special holiday sugar cookies, use a laser-etched snowflake rolling pin that embosses cookie dough, shortbread cookies, or fondant. By the way-Xandra's sugar cookie recipe is amazing.
8. A pastry wheel can be used for creating decorative pie crusts and also pasta, like ravioli.
9. The Hand Crank Stainless Steel Sifter quickly and easily sifts flour for the lightest, fluffiest baked goods.
10. Unbleached Parchment transforms any baking sheet into a non-stick surface for baking. We love using this for quick bake-offs when we don't want to have to wash a reusable baking mat (we LOVE them, but if you want less things to wash-go with parchment).
11. Xandra has totally convinced us to use a pastry cloth, especially useful when making pie crust. Use the pastry cloth to easily incorporate flour and butter without the heat of your hands warming the ingredients.
There are so many other tools to make baking during the holidays faster and more efficient but this is a good start, especially for a novice baker. Baking tools make perfect stocking stuffers for someone moving into their first apartment or home.
Save this Holiday Baking Essentials Gift Guide to your Christmas Pinterest board and share with friends.
We'd love to know if you try any of these or gift them to someone this year. Be sure to tag us on the socials if you share.
