Low Cost Tips for Christmas Baking

Alright, you got most of your Christmas shopping done, and you have some spare time on your hands to make some baked goods. Maybe your thinking of making a fruit cake, Christmas cookies, or even some old time Christmas candy that you remember from your youth. I can remember all the Christmas cookies and candy my mother use to make for her kids, and the neighbors. Below I put together some low cost tips for your Christmas Baking.

1. Coupons:

The first thing you want to do is, go through your coupons, set aside the ones for frostings, cake mixes, nuts, and cereals. Look at your local grocer ads, if you can wait, do so until the 10 for 10 sales come out. I noticed that the cake mixes and frostings are often included in the sales. Take these coupons, use them, and since grocers double the coupons including the .50 cents, it is possible to get cake mixes and frostings, at half the price, or almost free, if not totally free. .

2. Discount Stores:

The grocery store is not always the best place to shop for many baking items. I found, that the local discount store Dollar General, has many items for holiday cooking, at a much lower price. The 5 pound bag of flour is $2.00 for all purpose, brown sugar is $1.25, powder sugar $1.25, and a $1.75 for 4 pound bag of sugar. They also carry the condensed milk, sweetened milk, nuts, jarred cherries, and chocolate chips at a lower price then the big grocery store. The pre made graham cracker crust is only a $1. They do take manufacturer coupons, but they do not double. This is where I purchase most of my baking needs from, it does save me a lot of money.

One store in particular where you can save money on baking needs is Aldis. If you have one near you, you already know you can buy milk for $2.49 a gallon, eggs $1.19, butter $1.99, and creme cheese is only .99 cents. If you plan on making rice crispy treats, the Aldi brand sells for half the price for a large box, and tastes the same in my opinion. Many of the canned goods are .45 cents, with the exception of the canned fruit which runs $1.19. The frozen fruit is cheaper then the grocery store. A lot of the baking goods are relatively low in price, but sometimes, you can find a deal cheaper else where. A large box of corn flakes is considerably cheaper at Aldis then the grocer as well.

3. Food Wholesalers:

If you are going to be baking several dozens of items, such as cookies, brownies, and bread items, and figure that you will use more then 2 bags of flour, it may make sense to head on over to a wholesale food store, such as Gordon Food Service, where you can buy a 25 pound bag of flour for $8.79, and the yeast if $4.29 for a 2 lb package, where as the 3 packs are $2.19 for 3/4 oz. The savings at least for the yeast is overwhelming. The yeast can be stored in the refrigerator in a zip lock, and the flour can be stored in large zip locks as well, with a single bay leaf to ward off bugs. It makes sense to buy the flour and yeast this way, as it will last a long time and save you money in the long run. If you have no Gordon Food Service, you can find similar prices at Sam's or Costco.

4. Recipes for Savings:

If you looked at the prices of buttermilk, canned sweetened condensed milk, and ready made pie crusts, or even boxes of graham crackers, you know they are a little high. I found a website a while back, that I use to make replacement items, using items I already have in my kitchen cupboard, that work, and taste just as good. These are substitution recipes from www.tipnut.com.

Sweetened Condensed Milk:

3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 cup margarine. Bring to a boil until margarine melts and sugar is dissolved. Add 1 cup dry powdered milk and beat until smooth.

Half And Half Cream Substitute:

In a one cup measure, place 3 Tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons of melted butter. Top up the cup with whole milk. You can also use an equal measure of evaporated milk as a half and half cream substitute.

Buttermilk Substitute:

You can substitute 1 cup of buttermilk with the following quick recipe-In a one cup measuring cup, add 1 T of vinegar or lemon juice, then top up the rest of the measuring cup with milk. Set aside for 5 minutes, stir, then use as buttermilk in the recipe.

Graham Cracker Crumb Crust Substitute:

In a pinch you can use crushed corn flakes in place of graham cracker crumbs. Recipe for crust: 2 cups crushed corn flakes*, 1/3 cup melted butter, 2 T of sugar. Gradually add the melted butter to the crushed corn flakes and sugar. Mix well and press into pie plate (8″ or 9″). Bake at 350� for 10 minutes. *Use the non-frosted corn flakes.

5. Nuts:

Most recipes for Christmas baking call for the use of nuts. There are two places you can buy these relatively cheap, the first is at Walgreen's. Walgreen's carries a brand called Deerfield Farm, they have mixed, walnuts, almonds, and cashews, you can buy an 18 oz bag for $4.00. You can find these in the WOW section. The second is any bulk food store. The cost may be a little more, but then you can purchase only what you need. As for the macadamia nuts, at Walgreen's you can buy them for .99 cents a bag, which I found, that one bag will work for a batch of cookies or brownies once crushed, compare to a jar for $6.00.

I have listed the 5 things that help save me money, when I bake during the holidays. I hope you may find some of these helpful in saving you money as well. It pays to look at ads, buy in bulk when you can, and to clip those coupons. Buying the store brand can save you extra money as well, and when it comes to baking, there is no difference in taste. Get shopping, buy your baking needs, and have fun cooking.