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When it comes to buying gifts for your favorite baker, the less-than-kitchen-savvy may be scratching their head in Williams-Sonoma for hours. That’s why we turned to baker extraordinaire Jess Jones for ideas on what to get the sweet and skilled in our lives. Jess lives in Atlanta, where she works at Dough Bakery and frequently freelance bakes on the side. Her scrumptious vegan treats have been featured in ReadyMade and The Wall Street Journal. Check out Jess’ selection of gift essentials below:
As a baker, this perfectly crafted machine has been my saving grace. Whether making a small batch of muffins or crafting a wedding cake for dozens, the KitchenAid Stand Mixer ($300 at Amazon) is by far my favorite kitchen appliance. Unless we're talking about me on a cranky morning, in which case pretty much any coffee maker wins. But I digress. While admittedly costly, the mixer is made of metal parts — which is far superior to the normal plastic that cannot handle stiffer batter and dough.
There’s a lot of waiting — and patience — required for baking. I can't imagine passing the time any better than with a nice cup of tea made with this little tea strainer ($25 on Amazon). The yellow submarine even seems to turn the tea yellow! Making it, dare I say, John Lemon flavored? Just a little kitchen humor for ya!
Egads! Why don't I have five of these sitting around yet? That’s what I think to myself every time I see one and squeal with delight. This giant cupcake pan ($31 at Wilton) can be found just about anywhere these days, from Wal-Mart to Michael’s to Macy's, and makes the perfect gift for your favorite cupcake maker.
I am a cupcake girl at heart, and so as much as it pains me to say it, I feel like donuts are the new cute food trend. Well. It doesn't really pain me so much as it makes my mouth drool. Tomato/tom-ahto. I'd pick one of these convenient mini donut makers ($20 at ThinkGeek) for the baker who likes to stay on top in terms of wowing friends in the cutest form. Sure to be a crowd pleaser.
And just like that, I'm back to cupcakes. I have searched high and low for the cutest cupcake holders, and these, my friend, are the absolute cutest. Based on price and size ($3 on Etsy), I'm thinking stocking stuffers for every single baker I know.
Picture your favorite holiday dessert setting, complete with bundt cakes, bread puddings, pecan pies and duh, gingerbread men. Now picture it ninja themed. Need I say more? These kick-ass cookies ($8 at Perpetual Kid) will definitely be making a sneak attack to my table this year. Hii-YA!
This machine ($50 at Zoku Home) makes popsicles in as little at 7 minutes! I mean, it's gonna be hot again sometime, and boy is your gift recipient going to be happy about this cool gadget then. And if you live in a warm weather climate year-around, I can think of more than a few holiday flavors to whip up ... eggnog popsicle anyone?
I know you might be thinking "A peeler? As a gift — really?" In any other circumstance I would agree, but this is no ordinary peeler. This rotary peeler ($12 at Joseph Joseph) is super fun to work with and has a really cool design. It’s that one thing in the kitchen that everyone forgets about until they really need it. So give your loved one the gift of not having a panic attack when they realize they can indeed julienne those carrots for the toppings. All thanks to your affordable and realistic purchase!
Mixing bowls are a no brainer for bakers ... but colored mixing bowls with slip resistant rubber bottoms (starting at $15 at Daily Olive)? A dream come true. Sometimes it really is the little things in life.
Again with the ordinary kitchen appliance, I know. But a flour sifter ($20 at Crate and Barrel) is another one of those things that no one has sitting around in their kitchen until they need it and panic sets in. I'd recommend picking one of these up, filling it with cute, smaller knick-knacks (cookies cutters, or even cookies and candies) and wrapping it up really pretty. Viola! A baker's dream.
These mugs are so dag-gum (that’s Southern for "very") cute. But buyers beware! While looking at baking mugs ($18.50 AUS) on Cafe Press, I got sucked into an endless sea of T-shirts, aprons, boxers and so on. This site is dangerous! You’ve been warned.
Perfect find for you favorite mini bakers! I remember when I was little, my Easy Bake Oven ($25 at Toys 'R Us) was by far one of my favorite toys. My mom was really clever though and taught me that you didn't absolutely need the provided mix, and I learned how to make my own in their place.
I'm someone who goes though cookbooks like novels and "BakeWise" ($25.34 at Amazon) is by far one of my more interesting reads. Shirley Corriher guides readers through why things happen when baking — the art, the science, the chemistry. She also describes how to fix it when the unfortunate baking disaster takes place! A must read for the novice and expert alike.
Every baker needs an apron, but only the most stylish of bakers wear Jessie Steele. From the moment I saw these aprons ($32.95 and up) I tossed them into my Christmas "need" pile. I'm hoping none of my family members discuss what to get me and I end up with a few!
Buying a gift for someone who wants to be a baker? "Baking for Dummies" ($13.41 at Amazon), like many of the books in this series, is the quick fix to learning the trade. Get all your knowledge in one good (and, yes, slightly dumbed-down) read. We won’t tell.
Top Image: Thinkstock
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