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Elevate your cookie game this season — my personal-fave baking tools, from $10
December is, of course, synonymous with the holidays, and that's no different in my household. What makes it especially enjoyable is that it gives me the excuse to bake, bake, bake (and then eat, eat, eat). Our favorite self-indulgence this time of year is, without a doubt, cookies! I keep a collection of beloved recipes at hand for just these times: gingerbread, chocolate chip, snickerdoodles and more! I like to make a batch every year to gift to family and friends. Though you don't need a whole lot of equipment to bake cookies, the right tools will give you the best results. Whether you're baking for a potluck party or yourself, these will elevate your creations to the next level.
Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet, 2-Pack
Silpat Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat
Maple Wood Rolling Dowel
Rolling Pin Guide Ring Spacer Bands (8 Piece Set)
Oxo Good Grips 14-Piece Cookie Press Set
When it comes to sheet pans, I'm a purist. I prefer to get the standard aluminum commercial baker's pans like these from Nordic Ware. The reason: They're reliable, inexpensive and they work for pretty much any baking task. Whether I'm using them for cookies, sheet-pan dinners or reheating leftovers, I think these are fantastic. 40,000 five-star Amazon reviewers agree!
"I've had these half sheet pans for about four years," said one of them. "I consistently use them more than any other cookware I own. They are the perfect size for my oven racks. They've never buckled or warped. The heat distribution is always even. I have always handwashed them and they are in almost pristine condition even though I use at least one almost daily. I have used them for cookies, biscuits, bacon, roasting vegetables, chicken wings, basically anything."
Perfect for cookies or any other baked good, the Silpat mat will ensure your foods don't stick to your pan. It's easy to clean and currently has over 11,000 five-star reviews on Amazon! Now you're cooking!
"It’s superior in every way," said this enthusiastic shopper. "Stays totally flat during baking. Cleans easily; I scrub it gently in a rimmed baking sheet on both sides and roll it loosely in a dishtowel to dry. I’ve used it both baking cookies or roasting veggies, and it works beautifully in either case."
This rolling pin from JK Adams is the definition of durable. Made out of solid maple, it will easily last you years!
"It rolls out dough perfectly," said one five-star review. "It's weighty enough to do the work for you. I love that it is smoothly balanced with no uneven spots. I have used this with puff pastry, pie crust and sugar cookies. It works flawlessly and allows me to roll...without risking the dough becoming too warm."
If you've ever had problems rolling out cookies to consistent thickness, then you might want to invest in a set of spacers. This on includes four different pairs of rings. They fit perfectly over a rolling pin (like the wooden dowel one I mentioned above) so you can roll out your dough to the ideal thickness!
One baker on Amazon said they're ideal for rolled cookies: "Oh, wow! How indeed these rings made rolling my Christmas cookies a breeze! I wish I’d known about them long ago.... Well worth the price to alleviate my obsession with rolling the perfect cookie!"
One of our favorite cookies is the spritz cookie. Not just for how it tastes, but because it's so easy to make — as long as you have a cookie press! This is one of my favorites because of Oxo's calling card, the ergonomic handle! All you have to do is load the dough into the chamber and squeeze! I also like that it comes with a storage case for all the different stencil patterns.
"This is a dream!" exclaims a five-star review. "Holds a lot of dough. Each click presses a nicely formed cookie on your tray. No more “bad” presses that have to be scraped off the tray and redone.... Worth every penny. I don’t dread making my annual Christmas spritz anymore. I love the case for the cookie discs too, so handy."
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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
