Top Ten Gift Ideas for the Cookie Baker

Do you have someone on your gift list who loves to bake cookies? There are lots of wonderful gifts a cookie baker would absolutely love. These gifts go way beyond a sack of flour or a bag of chocolate chips. Pamper your favorite cookie chef with some of these generous splurges he or she might not go out and purchase on his or her own. Maybe you'll be thanked with a delicious plate of gourmet cookies!

1. Silpat Baking Mat: The Silpat baking mat is a silicon baking sheet liner that can withstand temperatures up to 482 degrees and has a life of up to 3,000 uses. No need to grease your cookie sheets ever again and cookies will bake evenly and slide right off the pan. The Silpat baking mat starts around $14.99.

2. Professional Grade Baking Sheets: Stay away from your grocery store when selecting a high quality baking sheet. Inexpensive sheets can warp at just over 200 degrees Fahrenheit! Instead, choose heavy, rimmed aluminum baking sheets, also known as a "half sheet pan". They can be used for a wide variety of baking tasks and will withstand years of abuse. Restaurant supply stores or web sites like eTundra.com carry these sheets for as low as $6.29 each.

3. Cookie Scoops: Make your drop cookies look like they came from a bakery with cookie scoops in a variety of sizes. Cookie scoops make quick work of scooping out cookie dough onto your baking sheet. Pampered Chef makes 3 sizes: a large 3 tablespoon model, a medium 2 tablespoon model, and a small 1 tablespoon model. Prices range from a very reasonable $7.95 to $10.40.

4. Cookie Cookbook: The Cookie Bible is a fabulous cookbook, packed with 150 recipes, each with it's own picture. This valuable cookie resource is only $12.98 at Amazon.com and will certainly add a few creative recipes to any cookie baker's repertoire!

5. Copper Cookie Cutters: Copper cookie cutters are not only beautiful to look at, but will be durable and long lasting baking tools that can be passed down to future generations of cookie bakers. Coppercutters.com has a huge selection of large and small copper cutters. Starting at $7.40, these cookie cutters would make nice additions to a cookie themed gift basket.

6. Decorating Bag and Tips: A decorating bag and tips will allow the cookie chef on your list to get that "professional" cut out cookie look and design. Wilton has a very nice and meticulously complete set of decorating tools housed in a nice sized toolbox. It costs around $55 and can be found at Amazon.com.

7. High Quality Food Colorings: Run away from the grocery store food coloring in little dropper bottles. The colors never really come out quite right, and to get vibrant, dark colors, you end up watering down your icing. Instead, look for a paste or powdered food coloring, like Ateco's 12 color food coloring kit for $18.99. Available at Amazon.com, these food colorings are pastes and require just a tiny bit to get bright and beautiful frosting colors.

8. Fancy Embellishments: Your cookie baker will love high-quality embellishments to dress up her new professional looking cut out cookies. Fancyflours.com carries a wide selection of colored sanding sugars, edible glitter, sparkling sugars, edible pearls and silver dragees. Starting at $2.50 a bottle, these embellishments will be sure to add a beautiful finishing touch to anyone's cookies.

9. Cookie Press: Squeeze out cookies with the speed and skill of a pastry chef with a high quality cookie press. Williams Sonoma carries a very nice cookie press for only $29. It comes with 12 interchangeable press plates and 3 decorating squeeze bottles. A cookie press is such a versatile tool, the cookie baker on your list will be able to use it for topping hors d'oeuvres, making bread sticks or decorating cakes.

10. Kitchenaid Stand Mixer: The cornerstone of any baker's kitchen is a high quality mixer. A Kitchenaid stand mixer is a kitchen workhorse that can change the way a person bakes. Weighing in at close to 20 pounds this isn't an appliance you will want to lug out every time you want to bake. No worries, the Kitchenaid comes in a wide variety of colors to complement your kitchen décor looks great sitting out on your counter top.

With gifts like these, the cookie baker on your list will be making so many cookies, some cookies are bound to come your way.