"Gift Giving For Dummies" for Cupcakes Take The Cake

Recently I was asked by one of the fine women of "Cupcakes Take The Cake" to participate as a guest blogger for the month of December. I feel so honored that they thought of me! They were one of the sources that spawned my love for cupcakes about a year and a half ago. Thanks again, ladies, for the opportunity! For my post I compiled a gift guide full of fun cupcake/baking related gifts. It's my way of making it easier for you to find something special to give to your fellow cupcake connoisseurs (Or even weirdos who aren't so into cupcakes, but love baking and such).

"GIFT GIVING FOR DUMMIES"
(aka "I hope I don't get sued!!") brought to you by How To Eat A Cupcake

Looking for something special for a family member, friend, co-worker, or your favorite blogger??? Here's a list of great gifts that will be perfect for any cupcake lover or anyone who loves to swing open an oven door from time to time!

1) KitchenAid 3-speed hand mixer
My mom has had her KA hand mixer for over 15 years. It's the Classic model (the cheapest one), but that baby is still kicking! I use it more now than she ever did when I was younger, and it is in perfect condition. And who needs more speeds than high, medium, and low??? I use it for making cake batter, whipped cream, mashed potatoes, and really fluffy omelettes! You can find them at Target stores for around $38!

2) Ice cream scoop w/ trigger handle
A strange but useful stocking stuffer! This ice cream scoop with a lever handle (also called a dsher) is perfect for scooping out uniform cupcakes with no mess (unless you're just prone to messes, in which case Clorox wipes may be a better alternative)! I never make cupcakes without this handy, dandy tool. (PS: It's also great for pancakes!) A #16 ice cream scoop holds about 1/4 cup of batter. You can pick one up almost anywhere that sells kitchen gadgets for under $10.

3) EvenDough bands
I don't know what I'd do without these! Let's put it this way, I suck at eyeballing the thickness of cookie dough and pie crust. With these rings, there's no guesswork. If you need your dough to be 1/4" thick, just slide the appropriate rings on and BOOM! Perfectly even 1/4" dough all over! Mine were a Christmas present from mom last year. She picked them up at Williams-Sonoma for $8.99.

4) Wilton Excelle Elite cupcake and mini muffin pans
I love love LOVE these pans! They are great because they have enough room on the ends to hold the pan without smashing your pretty cuppies. The dark finish browns cupcakes perfectly. I like the 24-cup mini muffin pan. Who only makes 12 mini-cupcakes at a time, ever?? Not me. And these pans are cheap! Less than $8 each at Walmart.

5) Pie Crust Shield
How annoying is it to remember to put little strips of foil on your pies like halfway through baketime so the crust doesn't get too brown? It's really annoying. This little gadget is on MY Christmas list this year. If you are the pie maker in the family, this should be on your Christmas list too! Just slip it over the pie before the it goes into the oven. Your crust will be perfectly and evenly brown! Find them at Walmart for under $5.

6) Vanilla Bean Extract 'Crush'
This stuff is heaven in a bottle. It's vanilla extract loaded with real vanilla bean seeds! It smells just like a vanilla bean, and tastes absolutely perfect in ice cream, creme brulee, buttercream, pound cake, etc... Plus, for every bottle of Vanilla Crush sold, Sonoma Syrups will donate 10% of the retail price to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I bought mine at Marshall's for $12.99. I've also seen it at Ross and TJ Maxx.

7) Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan
If you love baking, you need this book. It's as simple as that. The recipes are fantastic, the photos are spectacular, and most recipes come with a little backstory. And if you haven't heard of "Tuesdays with Dorie," it's a huge group of bloggers that make a recipe from this book every single week! The suggested retail price of the book is $40. But I got mine used from Amazon for $11. I've also seen it at Ross for really cheap!

8) Better Homes and Gardens: New Baking Book
If you've been reading my blog lately, you might've seen the Pumpkin-Cream Cheese pie I made not too long ago. That recipe came from this book, which has quickly become one of my favorite baking books! It's full of pictures and includes tons of helpful tips. I recommend this book for any new or experienced baker. The retail price is $19.95, but I was lucky enough to find mine at Ross for $7.

9)2009 Cupcake Box Calendar by Fergal Connolly

If you love the book 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Connolly, you'll definitely love this calendar. It features a new recipe every day. And supposedly it has new recipes in it! The retail price is $13.99.

10) Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
This book is on my own Christmas list this year. If Santa doesn't deliver, I'll definitely go out and buy it for myself! I browsed through it last time I was in B&N. It features new twists on classic desserts as well as unique modern desserts. Definitely a good gift for an out-of-the-box baker. It retails for $29.95.

BONUS: Here's a tip for finding great books at the perfect price! It's hard buying books online because you can't always flip through them (which is especially important if you're a picture-lover like me!). What I do is take a trip to my favorite book store (Barnes & Noble is my choice because it always smells so nice). Browse through the books. Write down the books that have the best recipes and most gorgeous pictures. Take that list home and go to Amazon.com. Most of the time you can find those same books for about 50% off or more. Usually you can get them new (from the independent dealers) for really cheap. For instance, "Cupcakes Galore" by Gail Wagman sells for $16.95 at B&N. But on Amazon.com you can get a brand new copy for $7.45 from an independent seller. And lots of times you can get free shipping for various reasons (ex: signing up for a trial of Amazon Prime, Free Super Saver shipping if you spend over a certain amount, etc.) Also, I've gotten lots of used books from Amazon's independent sellers and all of them were in great condition when I got them! I should get paid for this kind of advertisement! (Psst.. Amazon, how about a check??) Haha :D

Well, I hope I was able to help someone solve a gift giving dilemma this year. I know the economy sucks. If you can't afford to buy gifts this year, give the gift of cupcakes. And if someone doesn't like it, smash it in their face! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!