Sweet Spot: The Essential Baking Toolbox

Hello friends!  I've been super into my baking lately, and I've really gotten the chance to figure out the essentials I need to make amazingly impressive desserts and treats. I keep everything I have separated into four categories and stored in four clear bins for easy access and storage, so I'll go box by box and tell you what's in my essential baking toolbox.

The Tools Toolbox - This is the box where I keep the mechanical stuff that I really only use for baking. My top picks are:

• Silicone baking mats: These are great for baking cookies and scones; usually I like cookie sheets with parchment, but I hate cutting it down or risking it burning over the multiple uses it takes to make a full batch of anything. These are the perfect solution to that.
• Disposable piping bags: I absolutely love the look of piped icing, but I hate cleaning piping bags with a passion. These let me get everything done, then just cut the tip out and toss the mess.
• Piping tips: For me, only two piping tips are absolutely essential: a round and a star, preferable larger and open. They give the looks of classic cupcakes and elegant, swirly cupcakes.
• Palette knife: The essential tool for cake frosting. I like to have two; a large straight one for the sides and a bent one for the top.
• Ice cream scoop: These are essential for equal portions in baking. I like the ones with the squeezable handle that shuffles the dough or batter out, and I use them for everything from cookies to cupcakes to scones.
• Cake leveler: This tool looks like a saw and is used similarly to even out risen cake tops. As long as its feet stay on the table or countertop, your cakes will be perfectly level every time.
• Electric hand mixer: This is the most essential tool of the bunch - most everything starts with a creamed butter base of some sort, and this makes it so much easier than trying to do that by hand.

The Edibles Toolbox - This box has all the edible things I don't keep in the pantry: sprinkles, food coloring, extra vanilla, etc. My top picks are:

• Food color paste: Food color paste is much more concentrated than the liquid stuff, so it ensures your baked goods turn out the color you intend (goodbye, pink watermelon cake!).
• Sprinkles: I like to keep a variety of sprinkles on hand. Good for cakes, yes, but even better for cookies - Dip any raw cookie dough (sugar is always my pick for this) into sprinkles, bake as per normal, and end up with schnazzy cookies that were no extra work at all.
• Candy melts: I always have a bag of candy melts on hand (usually just the basic white because I have a box of candy-specific coloring). You never know when you'll need to make a white chocolate ganache or whip up some Oreo truffles for a party.

The Cupcakes Toolbox - I'm going to be very honest, this box is 99% guilty pleasure buys. The entire box is full of any cupcake liner I will ever need, which I will probably never use up in my lifetime. But I'll give you my top picks to be ready for any occasion:

• Basic colors: If nothing else, you need white liners, but I also really love the basic colors for their versatility.
• Patterns: Also very versatile, I love patterns for more plain-looking cupcakes.
• Holiday/theme-specific: These are the smallest group I have, but it's nice to have liner with balloons for birthdays, ornaments for Christmas, etc.

The Presentation Toolbox - This is the box where I keep all the little bags, boxes, and toppers to make my treats extra cute, especially if I'm gifting them. Here are my top picks:

• Individual cupcake boxes: I love making giant cupcakes for people's birthdays, and these are perfect for giving them away.
• Twist tie bags: These have the same basic principal as the cupcake liners - one basic is necessary, multiple decorative are nice to have. I like to have different sizes and I try to keep the seasons neutral because I don't use these as often.
• Large treat boxes: I have a few Christmas-themed larger boxes perfect for giving cookies to people. This is only necessary of you're a bake-aholic like me during the holidays.

I wish you all the best,
Erin