Hi Bold Bakers! Are you ready for a delightful holiday season with our essential guide on pantry staples for holiday baking? And just like that, the holidays are upon us again! If you are tired of ending every holiday season feeling completely depleted and wiped out, and if just anticipating the chaos is overwhelming, then please, let us help you! We think the key to sailing smoothly through the celebrations, at least from a baking perspective, is just getting organized, and doing this early – as in right now!
Table of Contents
What Pantry Staples Are Used in Your Holiday Baking Recipes? Do You Have Enough Dry Pantry Staples? Are You Stocked Up On Dairy Staples? Are You Stocked Up on Fruit? Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips More Informative Guides and Articles
What Pantry Staples Are Used in Your Holiday Baking Recipes?
One of the best ways to get started is to pick a quiet evening to pour over your recipe books and favorite blogs and gather your recipes – old favorites, new challenges and of course, a few quick and easy recipes (like my Chewy Caramel Apples or Pear and Dark Chocolate Crisp, or No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake) for the last minute and unexpected gatherings. Always make sure you have a few recipes that are easy to make ahead like my Best-Ever New York Cheesecake, Holiday Gingerbread Trifle or Sinful Chocolate Tart. Also, get even further ahead and freeze some things you know you will need like any of my holiday cookie doughs or some of my many pie crust recipes.
Do You Have Enough Dry Pantry Staples?
Go through your pantry and make sure you have enough of the dry basics that you will need for most baking recipes. Here is a general checklist that will cover a lot, but be sure to double-check your recipes for any specialty ingredients, flavorings, etc. For many of these pantry staples, you can make them at home using my recipes!
Flour/grains All-purpose flour (aka “plain flour”) Whole wheat flour Cake flour Pastry flour Bread flour Specialty flour (rye, almond, gluten-free, etc) Rolled oats Cornstarch Starchy Rice (for rice pudding!) Sugar and liquid sweeteners Granulated sugar Brown sugar (dark and light) Powdered sugar Corn syrup (or golden syrup) Molasses Honey Agave Maple syrup Leavening agents Baking soda Baking powder Yeast (instant yeast or active dry yeast) Spices and extracts pantry staples Cinnamon Nutmeg Allspice Cardamom Cloves Star anise Ginger Mixed spice Pumpkin pie spice Vanilla extract (or vanilla paste or vanilla beans) Almond Extract Peppermint extract Salt Instant espresso powder Chocolate Chocolate chips Bar chocolate (bittersweet, semi-sweet and milk) Unsweetened Cocoa powder (regular and Dutched) White chocolate Hot Chocolate Powder Milk and alternative milk products Condensed milk Evaporated milk Coconut milk Dairy-free milk (almond, oat, etc) Add-ins pantry staples Dried fruit (such as raisins, apricots, cranberries) Candied peel or candied cherries Nuts (such as walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, cashews, almonds) Shredded coconut Marshmallows Peanut butter, almond butter, pecan butter, other nut butter or seed butter Decorations Sprinkles Colored sanding sugar Food coloring Miscellaneous pantry staples Graham crackers or digestive biscuits Oreos Unflavored gelatin Pumpkin puree Apple sauce Jam (strawberry jam, raspberry jam, blueberry jam and more) Marmalade
Are You Stocked Up On Dairy Staples?
This can be harder to store in bulk unless you happen to have an extra fridge or freezer. If you do, keep in mind that some items can stay fresh for weeks in the fridge and several months or longer in the freezer, so it’s good to stock up and stay prepared (or make your own using my recipes below!). Here are some general guidelines for how long some dairy products will last:
Eggs (refrigerated for 3-5 weeks) Egg whites (refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 1 year) Butter (refrigerated for up to 3 months or frozen for 1 year) Heavy Cream (refrigerated for up to 1 month or frozen for up to 3 months) Milk (refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for 6 months) Buttermilk (refrigerated for up to 14 days or frozen for 3 months) Sour cream (refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or frozen for 6 months) Cream cheese (refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or frozen for 3 months) Mascarpone cheese (refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for 3 months)
Are You Stocked Up on Fruit?
Most fruit is something that you will need to buy as needed for your recipes, with the exception of apples which can last six to eight weeks in the refrigerator. It is also always useful to have a few lemons on hand for zest and juice, and these can last up to one month or longer in the refrigerator. Fresh cranberries can be frozen for up to 1 year and spotty old bananas can be peeled, frozen, and later defrosted for banana bread. All frozen berries are perfectly fine to use (without defrosting) for crisps, pies, and compotes.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
Check your supplies of baking papers, foil, and other products so you don’t get stuck without them. Here is a checklist:
Parchment paper Wax Paper Butcher paper Cling wrap Aluminum Foil Cupcake liners (full-size and mini)
Have a look at your pans and tools. Make sure that they are still in good shape and that you have everything you need. Here is a basic list but be sure to check your recipes for specialty pan sizes or equipment.
Pans 13×18 inch (33×46 cm) half-sheet pans 8-in (2ocm) cake pans or 9-inch (23 cm) cake pans (round and square) 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) cake pan Loaf pans Bundt pan Springform pan Muffin tins (regular and mini) Pie pans Tart pans
Tools Rolling pin Digital scale (plus extra batteries) Candy thermometer Whisk Heat-proof spatulas Bench scraper Pastry brush Measuring jugs, measuring cups and measuring spoons Mixing bowls Piping bags and assorted tips Timer Fine mesh sieve Electric hand mixer Stand mixer
Make sure you have enough tins, airtight containers, and ziplock bags to keep your treats fresh! Be sure to stock up on pretty packaging for your treats to make them look extra festive! Here are some things that are good to have on hand:
Holiday tins Treat bags Pastry boxes Decorative ribbon
We know that your list of pantry staples and tools may vary from these suggestions but we also hope this will serve as a useful jumping-off point to help you get set up for holiday baking success! The more prepared and organized you can be, the more time you will have to share all of your lovely baking with all of your favorite people!
Check out Other Informative Guides and Articles for More Pro Chef Tips:
Your Guide To Fearless Holiday Baking Ask Gemma…Your Holiday Baking Questions Answered! Chef’s Guide To Holiday BakingPrep Christmas Recipes Thanksgiving Recipes
Δ Δ
Meet Gemma
Meet Gemma
Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.
