Nostalgic Cookie Cutters
"My grandma was a fantastic baker, and I have so many fond memories of mixing up dough and decorating gingerbread houses in her kitchen. She had a cookie cutter for every (and I mean every) occasion and many of them were passed down to me. This will be our first Christmas without her, so I’ll be using her holiday cookie cutters for all of my shortbreads, sugar cookies, and gingerbread men this year."
— Emily VanSchmus, Home Editor
Magnetic Measuring Spoons
COURTESY OF AMAZON
"With 7 different sizes plus a leveler, this set of measuring spoons is so handy for meting out spices, vanilla, oil - whatever a recipe needs. I especially love that each spoon has two ends, one rounded and one more narrow, to fit just about any size container. Plus, if you got one end dirty but need that size again, you can just use the other end. The fact that they're magnetic makes it easy to keep them all together so you'll never have to hunt around for the lost 1/8th spoon again."
— Viveka Neveln, Senior Garden Editor
Vanilla Bean Paste
COURTESY OF AMAZON
"When I really want the vanilla flavor to shine in a recipe—especially sugar cookie cutouts at the holiday—I like to use vanilla bean paste over extract. It contains vanilla bean seeds so you get the beautiful flecks in the dough without the hassle of scraping the seeds from a fresh vanilla bean pod. So convenient!"
— Jan Miller, Food Editor
The 1989 Red Plaid Coconut Macaroons
"The coconut macaroon recipe on page 111 of the 1989 Red Plaid Cookbook is one of my favorites. I fold in chocolate chips and double the recipe."
— Jessica Thomas, Style and Design Director
Silpat Perfect Cookie Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat
COURTESY OF AMAZON
"I love Silpat's non-stick mats, and the Perfect Cookie mat is one of my favorites. It features printed circles so you know exactly how big to make your dough balls so that your cookies don't stick together—genius! Plus, the non-stick silicone material makes it so easy to slide cookies right off the mat once they're cool."
— Emily VanSchmus, Home Editor
KitchenAid Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer
COURTESY OF WILLIAMS-SONOMA
"I take holiday baking very seriously, and this stand mixer—which I've had for years—makes baking in bulk a breeze. The oversized mixing bowl holds more batter (and limits flour clouds), and the many different mixing speeds mean that I can find the perfect one for whatever I'm working on. I can't imagine holiday baking without it!"
— Lauren Phillips, Associate Director, Special Projects
OXO POP Container Baking Set
COURTESY OF OXO
"Keeping essential ingredients organized is key for my holiday baking station. The large OXO containers can fit entire 5-pound bags of flour or sugar and are complete with an attached scoop. The middle size holds 1-pound of brown sugar and even has a sugar saver that keeps it soft and clump free. The smaller ones hold holiday sprinkles and baking chips. The wide openings allow for accurate measurement without making a mess. I love that the pop lids keep an airtight seal, too!"
— Katlyn Moncada, Food Editor