From beginner baker to pastry pro, our 2023 Gift Guide for Bakers has ideas for everyone on your holiday shopping list. Baking requires both passion and precision, and our recommended tools reflect those qualities.
Our guide includes high quality bakeware and tools at a range of price points to accommodate gifts for every baker, at any skill, and any budget. Bake on!
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While this blog doesn’t dedicate a lot of recipes to baked goods, or baking in general, that doesn’t mean we don’t bake. Oh, do we bake! But for the most part, the recipes we cook at home are sourced from established home bakers and professionals.
I’ve learned two important lessons since I was just a tiny tot making cookies with Grandma or carrot cake with Mom.
- One, baking is a science, and unlike the science of cooking, swapping this here and that there can have disastrous results.
- And two, quality tools and ingredients can make a huge impact on the final baked good.
In our 2023 Gift Guide for Bakers, we’ve rounded up our favorite kitchen-tested tools and accessories to elevate the baking process at home. Some simply make the finished recipe look more beautiful, while others are home baking game changers. With a range of prices, from stocking stuffers to splurges, you’re guaranteed to find just the right gift for the baker in your life!
Shopping for other foodies? We’ve got you covered! Check out our other holiday shopping guides:
✔️ Gift Guide for Coffee and Tea Lovers
✔️ Gifts for the Host or Hostess
✔️ Gift Guide for Wine, Beer, and Cocktail Enthusiasts
✔️ Gift Guide for Grillers
✔️ Gift Guide for the Colorful Home Cook
Price Disclaimer: prices noted are as of the publish date for this post; current prices may vary.
Affiliate Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission (at no cost to you!) if you make a purchase using these links. Rest assured, we only endorse products we truly love!
Gift Ideas for Bakers Under $25
French Rolling Pin ($11): French style rolling pins consist of a single wood dowel, without handles, but often with tapered ends. When using a rolling pin with this style, it’s so much easier to get a sense of the dough or crust as you’re working it. It’s also a more precise tool for rolling, giving you better control of both the pressure and direction.
ThermoPro Instant Read Probe Thermometer ($20): even in baking, a digital thermometer is very useful. It’s terrific for testing the internal temperature of bread (both boules like sourdough and sweet breads like banana bread). We like this probe version, as the timer will alert you as soon as the internal temperature reaches the programmed setting.
Weck Tulip Jar Sourdough Crock ($21): for sourdough bread makers, having a healthy starter on hand is a must. Sourdough starters should be stored in fairly specific jars, namely a tall jar with a loose fitting lid. Glass jars are useful as they allow the tender to easily monitor the health of their starter.
Ceramic Pie Weights ($22): when “blind baking” a pie (aka, baking a crust without filling), a home cook will need to first weigh down the pie crust so it doesn’t puff up or shrink from the sides. The weights are used for both form and function, preserving the shape of the pie crust and ensuring an even bake. These reusable ceramic pie weights are beautiful and come in a lovely storage container.
Madagascar Grade A Whole Vanilla Beans ($15): for the truly serious baker, go straight to the source. They can use vanilla beans to make exceptionally good homemade vanilla extract, or simply scrape the inside of the pods to intensely flavor a recipe.
Maldon Sea Salt ($6): this makes a great stocking stuffer or little add-on to a larger gift. Maldon sea salt is flaky and delicate, and considered a finishing salt. Sprinkle it on chocolate chip cookies and homemade caramels. It’s particularly good paired with chocolate.
Mid-Range Gift Ideas for Bakers (Under $100)
Nordic Ware Bundt Pan ($38): Nordic Ware is an American company, and they literally invented the bundt pan. Over the years, their products have stood the test of time. They’re durable, beautiful, and incredibly well made. Any baker will find endless uses for a high quality bundt pan!
OXO Digital Food Scale ($56): remember that bit above about precision and passion? This is the precision part. At a certain point, many bakers will switch from measuring cups and spoons to digital measurements in grams or ounces. An easy-to-use and accurate food scale is worth its weight in gold and endlessly useful.
Silpat Baking Mats ($42): anything parchment or foil can do, Silpat can do better – and it’s reusable! Silpat is a great gift for home bakers, and I’d even call it a “must have”. A Silpat is essentially a baking sheet liner, but it works like magic – even the stickiest cookie doughs won’t stick, so it eliminates the need for greasing. A quality Silpat will last a lifetime and become a home baker’s kitchen BFF.
Nordic Ware Stackable Cooling Racks ($33): if you’re a cookie maker, you know the struggle of finding cooling space for multiple batches. If you have a baker on your list with similar struggles, these stackable baking racks are a thoughtful, practice gift – and with their shiny copper hue, they’re beautiful too!
A Beautiful Cake Stand: is your baker still displaying their delicious creation on a dinner plate? Gift them a beautiful cake stand for the ultimate presentation, as well as easy storage. We love this acacia wood cake stand with a glass dome($42), and this Libbey glass cake stand ($45) is a classic.
Nielsen-Masse Gourmet Extracts Gift Set ($45): high quality ingredients really do make a difference when baking at home. We love this gift set, featuring three high-quality extracts (Almond Extract, Peppermint Extract, and Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract).
Hedley and Bennet Apron ($72): unless you absolutely love laundry, investing in an apron is a bit of a must-have in the kitchen, especially for bakers (I’ve been found with flour prints on my backside more than once!). Hedley and Bennet aprons are beloved by chefs and bakers alike for their quality, but we also love the variety of colors and prints too.
Splurge Gift Ideas for Bakers ($100+)
KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer ($450): if you know, you know. A great stand mixer (and KitchenAid makes the best of the best) is essential for any baker.
Breville Hand Mixer ($150): for the baker who’s short on counter space but still craves high-quality tools, a hand-mixer is a must. There are few things a stand mixer can do that a hand-mixer cannot, and for those jobs (like kneading) ones own hands are a perfect substitute. We never bother with a stand mixer when baking simple cakes or even more complex bakes like cheesecake bars. This Breville mixer is lightweight but powerful, plus it has special features like a built-in timer (omg!) and nine speeds.
Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor ($200): while often used in savory cooking, a food processor is incredibly useful in baking. I use it for kneading dough for pizza and flatbreads (like pita). It’s also great for processing nuts and making fruit purees. A good food processor is a great investment, and a great food processor will last for decades.
Cookbooks for Bakers at Every Skill Level
Cookbooks: give the gift of knowledge! Even in this highly digital age, we regularly flip through a variety of cookbooks to stay both informed and inspired. Instructional cookbooks are especially useful in baking, which is much more a science that savory cooking.
For the beginner but enthusiastic baker, How to Bake Everything ($22) and The King Arthur Baking School ($26) can (and will) keep them busy for years.
For more advanced bakers looking to flex their skills, consider Flour Power: The Practice and Pursuit of Baking Sourdough Bread ($20); Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book ($25); or Sweet: Desserts from London’s Ottolenghi ($19).
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