My Fall Baking Essentials

Fall is upon us, so I have to tell you what my fall baking essentials are! There is something about Fall that makes me feel warm and cozy outside. In Arkansas, we are blessed to have 4 seasons and Fall is my favorite. I honestly wish it could last longer. Besides the changing leaves, getting to wear boots, and football, baking is my favorite thing around this time of year. It’s something about apples, pumpkin, cinnamon, and warm pies and breads that make it feel cozy. Surprisingly enough, I probably do more baking during the fall than any other time of the year.

Mixing Bowls

Every baker needs a variety of mixing bowls. Even if you are not a baker, I feel like every person that cooks need a variety. The colored bowls pictured are perfect for mixing your colors into your frosting. They are stainless steel, and the dye won’t stain the inside of your bowl. Also, true fact that when you get carried away mixing the frosting the bowl will not break onto your kitchen in a million pieces. Take from me, it happened! Glass bowls are best used when making bread or any type of dough that needs to proof or double in size. It’s less likely to stick to the side of your bowl and will help your yeast activate. We don’t want to leave out plastic bowls because they are great too. The best use for those is storing something that you are going to use later. Be careful not to put something in them that might stain like tomatoes or spaghetti sauce. Thrift stores and yard sales are a great place to find mixing bowls to add to your collection.

Whisk

Have you ever been in a situation where you were mixing something up with a whisk and it broke on you? Yea, me too! When I first started baking I didn\’t think having a good whisk was very important. Well I was proved wrong. So far my favorite whisk ever is from Pampered Chef. This one is great because its over 10 years old and still looks brand new. The stainless steel design holds up against your tough ingredients. It\’s also dishwasher safe and rust resistant! You want a whisk that will stand up against thick batters, frostings, and mixing eggs.

French Rolling Pin

I have several different rolling pins and this one is my favorite. Not only did my lovely husband buy it for me for Christmas but its great because it doesn\’t have any handles and is easy to clean. This is my own personal opinion but I think wooden rolling pins are best used for rolling out pie dough for your favorite pie and your dough for cinnamon rolls. It\’s also great because when you are rolling your dough out your hands naturally want to push in the center creating a more even dough. I use a more traditional rolling pin with handles when I am making cookies or using a dough that needs to be chilled then rolled out.

Cookie Scoops

Cookie scoops are a life saver! I could not bake cupcakes without one. I have several different sizes of cookie scoops depending on how big I want my cupcakes. And of course they are great for cookies. This is the only way I can keep my cupcakes coming out the same every time. If you don\’t use a cookie scoop than sometimes you are left with a cupcake or cookie that is bigger or smaller than the rest. This is the solution to that problem! I also suggest getting good ones as well. Sometimes you can buy cheaper ones but if you are using a thicker batter or cookie dough it might tend to want to break. So these are also from Pampered Chef but you can also buy them on Amazon or any kitchen store near you.

Bench Scrapper

There are so many different uses for this scrapper. The most common use is to use it to pick up vegetables you just cut up to put in a stock pot or to scoop up your nuts you just chopped for your favorite pie. I have found though that this is my go to cinnamon roll cutter. When you make cinnamon rolls you need something study and durable to you are slicing the dough. This is great because its stainless steel, doesn\’t stick to the batter, and makes great straight lines every time. If you haven\’t tried it yet you can get this one on Amazon.

Wilton Piping Bags

Wilton, I cant say enough about you! You are by far my most used brand that I use while I am baking. The piping bags are the best around and do not bust out when you are trying to pipe frosting on a cupcake or cake.  Several years ago when I went to the store to buy some piping bags and they were out of the Wilton brand.  I decided to go with a different brand and never again. I have found that on Amazon you can find your best deal if you are wanting to buy in bulk. In our house you can never have to many piping bags. My favorite size are these. They are great for decorating cakes or cupcakes, filling deviled eggs, or using to write on a cake with icing.

Cookie Cutters

Cookie cutters are just so much fun! There are so many different things you can do with them besides using them to cut out cookies. One of my favorite things to do during the Fall is to cut pie dough out in Fall shapes likes leaves and put them on top of my pumpkin pies. It steps up your pie a little bit and everyone will be so impressed that you put so much time into it. You can find cookie cutters anywhere you turn. May favorite place to buy them is at antique stores. They have some of the neatest shapes and designs and are always worn. So they have to be good if you can see the wear and tear on them.

Good Vanilla

When baking, you cannot skimp on the vanilla. This is key to having great flavor in your items. If you use imitation vanilla you don\’t get the same great taste as using real vanilla. I know this is not the cheapest ingredient but trust me you will never go back once you start using it. I always tend to add more vanilla than called for but I just love the flavor especially in the Fall. Most of the vanilla I use comes from Mexico. Anytime someone goes to Mexico they automatically know that they have to buy some for me. 🙂 I have the best friends ever! There are so many different kinds but Mexican vanilla is my favorite. You can also make your own buy adding vanilla beans to vodka or bourbon and letting it sit for at least 6 months shaking every couple of weeks. It\’s fantastic!

Offset Spatula

Another one of my favorites! They come in all different sizes but if you are a cake decorator its hard to not have these in your lives. The bigger one picture is perfect for putting your crumb coat on your cakes or adding frosting to the outside of the cake. The medium size pictured is perfect for doing the top of the cake and making sure your frosting is nice and even. The little one is good for final touches on the cake or frosting cupcakes. You can get offset spatulas at any kitchen store, most big box stores, or online.

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

I saved the best for last. This is one of my most priced processions on the kitchen. I have NO IDEA what I would do without my stand mixer. I am sure other brands are good, but this beauty is at least 10 years old and still works like I had never used it before. It just makes you baking life easier with the different attachments you can buy for it. There are many different models and sizes, but I have the KitchenAid 5 quart Artisan Stand Mixer. They are an investment but if you plan on baking this is a great product. When I am not in the kitchen baking my husband likes using it to shred cooked chicken breasts. Comes out perfect every time!

If you have any other great Fall Baking products, I would love to know what they are! I am always looking at expanding my products I use.