BAKING IS QUITE THE INVESTMENT!

Baking Materials and Equipment I Can't Live Without 

Know What You NEED and What You LIKE!

If you want to dive into the world of cookie decorating, there are numerous amounts of materials and equipment you will need to be successful. I know I was surprised at just how much went into making cookies when I began my journey!! 

If I have learned anything over these past few years, it is that you need to find the materials that work best for YOU. Everyone is different and everyone's cookie process will look different. It is super easy to develop a mentality that there is only one "correct" way to do things. Rather, it is quite the opposite! While there are a few materials and pieces of equipment that I view as being essential to have when owning a cookie business, there are so many other materials that you can pick and choose to utilize. Try and gauge what materials will make your life easier. Don't get so caught up in what materials other cookiers have adopted. Individualism is a good thing!

A Checklist List? I LOVE Those!

 

For the duration of this blog post, I will flesh out a detailed list of baking materials and equipment that have both worked and not worked for me. Hopefully, you will gain a better sense of the things that contribute to the cookie process and take away some ideas of materials you might want to try out yourself. Let the list begin!

 -- Cookie Materials and Equipment --

• Mixers: Starting off strong, it is essential to own a mixer of some sort to make both the flooding and the dough itself. There are SO many options when it comes to selecting a mixer! I have utilized a hand mixer a handful of times and I personally wasn't a fan. Especially if you have large orders, your arm gets fatigued fast. At the moment, I LOVE my hot pink Kitchen Aid, Lindsey. (Naming your mixers isn't weird right? I spend so much time with her that I'd consider her my best friend!) Here are a few reasons why I am drawn to Kitchen Aid...

• They last FOREVER: Kitchen Aid mixers are no small investment, but so worth it if you truly use them on a daily. My mixer is one of the strongest people I know! I don't know how it is still kicking.

• The Glass Bowl: I love the glass bowl feature on my mixer because it is so easy to clean. Glass is also always a great option because there is an increasingly lower chance of having any sort of flavor tainting which can be common in aluminum metal bowls. 

• Beauty: Kitchen Aid has a wide variety of fun colors for their mixers! While this seems insignificant to some, I personally love a cute kitchen addition.

Here is a throwback photo of me learning to use our old Kitchen Aid for the FIRST time!! 

*Reminder: Click on photos for a better quality!

-- Lindsey in all of her glory! --

• Baking Sheets and Silicone Mats: When making huge orders, it is crucial to have a backstock of baking sheets. In my first few orders, I only owned about four, but now I own up to fifteen! The more trays you have, the quicker the baking process can move along. Although, the cleaning process spikes as a result. I always make a point to make my baking sheet pans separate from my cooking sheet pans. Silicone mats are also a must and are life-changing when placing cookies in the oven. The mats help prevent sticking! If you check your baking sheet size, there should be a silicone mat that fits it perfectly!

-- Look at all of those baking sheets! --

• Rolling Pin and Paint Sticks: I think it is fairly obvious why a rolling pin is necessary for cookie decorating. I actually just moved to a new one made of olivewood from Williams Sonoma and it was an absolutely great decision! It is important to invest in a quality rolling pin because cheap wood rolling pins can crack very quickly. Been there, done that, and have been disappointed. Paint sticks are my saving grace when it comes to cookie depth. I glue two paint sticks, you can get them for free from Lowes or Home Depot, together and then place them on either side of my dough. When the rolling pin smoothly glides over the top of the sticks and dough, you know that you have reached the desired cookie depth. 

• I have also heard great reviews on adjustable rolling pins which have built-in depth rings on either end of the pin! You wouldn't even have to bother with the paint stick trick!

-- Paint sticks in action! --

• Piping Bags versus Icing Bottles: When I am flooding or doing detailed piping, I always use icing bottles. I feel as if I have more control over them and they tend to make less of a mess when prepping. The funny thing is almost all cookiers use piping bags for everything! I have tried piping bags in the past and it was truly a hot mess. I either cut the tip of the bag too wide, my grip strength wasn't strong enough, or I would pop the bag open and flooding coated my entire hand. (Is it really a cookie project without a sweet explosion of some sort?) This is not to say piping bags will be a disaster for you! I encourage you to try both and see which one you fancy!

• While I don't care to use piping bags for flooding and royal icing, I love using them for buttercreams or other frostings that top cupcakes and such. There are so many fun piping tips to choose from that can really produce a polished look on any sweet treat! Note: the Flour Box piping bags are my personal favorite!

• In the picture below, you can see the different bottles I use. They all vary in size, volume, and brand. For example, I will only use Sweet Sugarbelle brand piping bottles because they are just so reliable. As for flooding, I tend to favor the Wilton bottles because they are softer on the hands allowing for a sufficient amount of line control. 

• Food Dye: As you probably already noticed in the photo above, I use a combination of different food dye brands. In my early cookie years, I was a Wilton girl through and through. Although, the squeeze bottle feature of Americolor food dye is something you can't pass up! Less mess and such a wide variety of color options. The box of food dye I currently own has 70 distinct colors and then from there, you can create more depending on what ones you mix, how much you add, etcetera. I am still working on my color-matching skills, but Americolor makes it so easy for me!

• Heat Sealer: Some cookiers use these and some don't! It all depends on how your package your product! I always seal package my cookies no matter the client's request because the transport is easier and more reliable for me! There is nothing worse than spending hours on a project for the cookies to be destroyed in transportation. I have only ever invested in one heat sealer from Amazon and let me just say it has been amazing! It has sealed thousands of cookies, so I'd consider that a big win!

-- This is a low-quality picture of the sealer in action, but I think you can understand the concept --

• Cookie Cutters: If you own a cookie business, you obviously need an abundance of cookie cutters. I have purchased a majority of my cookie cutters from Etsy because they almost always have exactly what I need! Caution: pay attention to washing instructions! Some cutters are 3D printed and others are metal. Every shop tends to have different washing instructions that help prevent rusting or breaking entirely. I also met this guy a few years back while working as a laborer on a construction site who owns a 3D print company here in Anchorage, Alaska. If I ever can't find a cutter I love, he is my guy! If any of you live in Anchorage, go check him out at Alaska 3D Printing for all of your 3D printing needs. He has made some really creative and impressive stuff!

Also, note that it is important to label all of your cutters when you store them! These cutters below are prime examples of why labeling is crucial. You'll end up wasting a lot less time trying to decipher what certain cutters are supposed to be.

• Lots of Small Things:

• Scribes: These tools definitely become your best friend! They are little metal picks that can pop air bubbles in frosting, help reposition an embellishment, create wet-on-wet designs, and so much more! I have loved using the cheap ones from Amazon, but my mom will occasionally buy me cute ones for large holiday orders! Don't let them sit in water or in the sink, they will rust and then need to be thrown away.

-- One of my cute Christmas scribes --

• Cookie Turntable: Not a must for all, but a must for me! The cookie turntable helps with convenient cookie maneuvering. It allows you to see your cookie from every angle while flooding and piping. Sometimes a quick spin can even help the flooding settle out creating a glossy surface! Take a look below...

• Projector: Projectors definitely take your cookies to the next level. They aid in straight lines, neat writing, character outlining, and so much more! This is not a necessary piece of equipment, but it sure is nice! I use the Akaso projector from Amazon which is also a slightly larger investment. Let me just say, I have never regretted using it! I sadly do not have a picture of this one. 

• Stencils and Airbrush: I touched on the benefits of airbrushing in one of my last posts. Airbrushing requires a whole different type of food dye, so that is something to also pay attention to when it comes to purchasing materials. I have accumulated quite a collection of stencils over time and actually have them all organized in this super adorable binder. A cookie stencil binder, if you will! 

-- A little binder tour --

• Fans, Sprinkles, Homemade Recipe Books: All three of these items are greatly essential to me in a different ways. I have a pink fan (I know, shocker) from Amazon that works like a gem. Don't even get me started on sprinkles! They are something I collect, so I love finding new containers I've never seen before. Metro Cooks in Anchorage, Alaska has the most beautiful assortment of sprinkles! Finally, my homemade recipe book is something I cherish. My cousin actually made the custom book a few Christmas' ago for me, but I have really enjoyed filling it up with my own flair. 

-- A recipe book spotlight--

-- Only SOME of the sprinkles at Metro Cooks --

Sorry! That was long-winded!

I bet you are starting to understand why I said baking materials and equipment are quite the investment! My list could have kept going, but I think you all get the point loud and clear. Sometimes I like sharing lists like this so people gain a better understanding of what I actually do. LJays Bakery is an accomplishment that means the world to me because I have put so much into it. Whether it be time or money, I have invested in my business in hopes that it will flourish and continue to make an impact on the people around me! 

I'm so glad I made my cookie investment a few years ago and I am so thankful for all of you that have invested in me💕