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Yum's December Must Haves

partysugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:00:36 -0800

With its festive parties and unlimited opportunities to bake and cook, December is one of my favorite months. Here, I've rounded up my must haves for the holidays. Enjoy!

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YumSugar Gift Guide: The Kid Sister Baker

partysugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:15:19 -0800

My cousin Caroline is 12 years old. I'll encourage her to continue experimenting in the kitchen with one of these delightful gifts.

You too, can motivate the kid-sister in your life to get interested in all things baking. Give a cookie cutter set or a collection of colorful sprinkles and sanding sugars. Show her how much fun baking can be with a Kids in the Holiday Kitchen cookbook. If she's got a little sister, like Caroline does, give them both adorable matching aprons.

You can find more baking ideas below and more gift guides on HolidaySugar.

Cut It Out

YumSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:15:49 -0700

Because I've been all about the cookies lately, I went on a search for the cutest cookie cutter shapes I could find. While cookie cutters aren't always a requirement, there's nothing like a unique shape to add some originality to your baked creation. From sugar cookies to ice cream sandwiches to madeleines, here are my favorite cookie cutters and molds.

Pies for Pi Day and Other Baking Tools

YumSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 03:00:00 -0700

It's March 14, better known as 3.14, or Pi Day. I wish it was pie day, but we'll take what we can get.

My gal geeksugar has rounded up a load of Pi Day paraphernalia, however I've found a few treats to inspire you in the kitchen. So for those of you geeky enough to get it, I present to you the Pi Pie. Created by Flickr member megpi, this awesome pie has the pi symbol cut into the middle and the numbers going around the outside. It's so clever, I'm bummed I didn't come up with myself!

The only thing that would make this pie better is if it was served in this Pi Dish ($24.95). This pi dish is trimmed with the first few dozen digits of pi, and would make any geeky baker's day.

One more fun Pi Day item, check it out when you read more.

While searching for fun Pi Day things, I also came across this Pi Cookie Cutter ($12.95). Although it's for cookies, and not pies, I still think that it's pretty fun. You could even use it on pastry crust to create embellishments for your pie, or cut out two and make a pocket pie! Either way, I'm sure you'll get more than 3.14159 uses out of it!

Doggone Cute Cookie Cutters

PetSugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:45:00 -0800

You've finished baking your super-simple, pet-safe peanut butter-oatmeal treats, and it's time to have a field day cutting them out into cute shapes for you and your fur-covered bestie! Little did I know that there are tons of adorable cookie cutters in bones, fire hydrants, and doggie houses, along with breed-specific shapes of all sizes, so you can match your cookie to your dog! I love the Boston Terrier one the most, natch, but one of my other faves is this dog house ($2) that even has tiled-roof accents - so cute!

These cutters come in handy if you're planning baked-goods-as-party-favors for your pet's next birthday bash, presents for the furry extended fam, or just as a thoughtful gift for your dog's BFF when you try a new recipe. Besides, who wants to keep the cuteness all to themselves!? Check out more cookie-cutter madness when you read more.

Yum's February Must Haves

YumSugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:51:31 -0800

Although February is a short month, there are a lot of things worth celebrating. You could warm up your kitchen with some torched sugar, or warm up your place settings with a little bit of red. To see what's on our February Must Have list, click "Start Slideshow" below!

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Pipparkaka Cookie Cutters: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 03:18:39 -0800

I think a picture says a thousand words. They'd make a great gag gift, but would you buy these Swedish Pipparkaka Cookie Cutters ($55 for 4 shapes)?

Yum's December Must Haves

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 05:01:39 -0800

The holiday season has arrived and if your house is like mine, there's bound to be loads of cooking, baking and fun. Of course, this also means there's room for stress and freneticism; so to help you make it through December in one piece, I've rounded up a few holiday must haves.

If you're planning on doing a lot of baking this season, invest in a three-tier cooling rack ($10.99). It will triple the amount of counter space and the grids securely hold even small items without letting them slip through the cracks.
Brighten up your holiday baking with this Holiday-Red cookie sheet ($24.95). It also comes with a must have set of holiday-themed cookie cutters.
If you're more of a candy maker than a cookie baker, then take a look at a reliable candy thermometer ($14.95). Make sure you get one that doesn't touch the bottom of the pan and has an accurate temperature reading.
Make your guests smile with these 12 Days of Christmas appetizer plates ($98).
Retire your traditional menorah and spruce up your festivities with Jonathan Adler's Skyline Menorah ($130).
And finally, what house is complete without a miniature gingerbread house? Choose from a modern design ($77) or a more classic one. Or, surprise your family by creating your own and entering our gingerbread house challenge!

Halloween Cookies Come to Life

partysugar — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 03:00:01 -0700

Has anybody gotten their hands on this new 3-D Halloween Cookie Cutter Set ($11.99) from Williams-Sonoma? Bringing a new dimension to holiday baking, the Halloween-shaped cookie cutters allow home cooks to make cookies that can be assembled into standing, 3-D sculptures. I'm not exactly sure how they work, but it seems like a fun project for kids. The set includes a pumpkin, a cat, a haunted house, and a witch.

The 3-D pumpkin cookies would be excellent homemade place cards for a Thanksgiving dinner. I hope the Christmas set contains a gingerbread house-shaped cutter. Imagine the cute centerpieces you could make!

Bake Your Own Pink Ribbon Cookies

YumSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 07:01:33 -0700

If you love the idea of Breast Cancer Awareness baked goods but would rather make them yourself, then you might want to pick up this handy tool. The Pink Ribbon Cookie Cutter ($4.89) is handcrafted and measures 6"x3". Twenty-five percent of the proceeds are donated to the Susan Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, and the best part is that you can actually use the cookie cutter to create any color ribbon.