If you know someone who loves to bake, there are plenty of really cool gifts out there! They sound lame if you’re not into baking, but someone who is will love them.

Many items depend entirely on what they like to bake (cookie cutters aren’t so great for someone who’s obsessed with cupcakes). And then there’s the level of baking–I’m more of a casual baker, so I enjoy things that don’t take up much room, are easy to clean, and especially are multi-purpose. But someone who is hardcore into cake decorating wouldn’t mind an entire cart-full of decorating paraphernalia.

The other issue is figuring out what they already have. There are only so many, “Kiss the cook” aprons a person really needs. And then there are some things that you can never have too many of (I have two sets of measuring cups and spoons, but I could always use more).

(This is going to be links heavy, and many are affiliate links.)

15 Great Gifts for Bakers

1. Silicone Baking Mats

These are definitely one of the most useful gifts I’ve ever gotten. My favorite mats are the HOTPOP Set of 4 Reusable Silicone Macaron Baking Mats, because they come in so many sizes But honestly…I haven’t met a silicon baking mat that wasn’t wonderful.

I also love the cookie mat and rolling mat from King Arthur Baking.

2. Stacking Cooling Racks

The wire cooling racks are really nice for taking rustic-looking photos. But if you have a lot of baking to do, and little room to work with, stacked cooling racks are where it’s at.

We received a set of these as a wedding present and they are ridiculously handy at Christmas time. They can be used to stack or they can be used individually, which is why I recommend them over a set of collapsible racks.

3. Mixing Bowl Set

When it comes to mixing bowls, some people do have a preference. I’m partial to metal and LOVE all the sizes in this set of stainless steel nesting mixing bowls. Nesting bowls have only gotten more and more popular over the years, due to the small amount of storage space they take up.

If they prefer glass, I was given this 8 cup measuring glass bowl a few years ago and I love it! It’s wonderful for things that require large amounts of dry ingredients (like bread), because I can measure out flour in it and it’s far less messy than using regular-sized measuring cups.

If they’re a fan of ceramic, this green hedgehog mixing bowl is adorable and I’m currently restraining myself from buying one right now.

4. A nut chopper

I was so thrilled to find this nut chopper through King Arthur Baking. My mom had one when I was growing up that she used for making thumb print cookies, and it is SO much nicer than trying to pound nuts into tiny bits with a meat tenderizer.

5. Apple Peeler

Sounds lame, but I had one of these peelers a few years ago and it was wonderful! Made making apple pie and dumplings so much easier, because it peels, cores, and cuts evenly. Plus it takes WAY less time. There are also attachments you can get for a Kitchenaid mixer that is probably even easier to use.

6. Cake Decorating Set

One of these days I’m going to learn how to decorate cakes. There are all kinds of decorating sets out there. This 216-piece set from Wilton is probably all-encompassing. But if you want to start small, the two most useful cake-decorating tools I’ve gotten so far are an offset angled spatula knife and a cake turntable stand. They make frosting so much easier. A cake leveler would be pretty cool, though. If I made cake often enough.

7. Cookie Dough Freezer Tray

If your baker likes to keep cookie dough on hand for a cookie emergency, this freezer tray is perfect for distributing it all equally

8. The Cadillac of cookie presses

For the baker who is a fan of beautiful, well-pressed cookies, this Spritz Cookie Press is going to knock their socks off.

This thing is amazing. It’s made entirely of metal, so they won’t constantly be worried about a stiffer cookie dough breaking it. Metal also means that it’s less porous and easier to keep clean and sanitized.

9. Fresh Sourdough Starter and Glass Crock Set

If they’re not already into sourdough baking, it’s time for a little push with this starter and crock set. I started doing this over the last couple of years and it isn’t just the bread that comes out amazing — you can use sourdough starter in cookies, cakes, brownies, pizza dough…if it can be baked, it can be sourdough.

The texture of baked goods made with sourdough starter is nice and cake-y. I’ve also found that maintaining it isn’t very difficult, but maybe I just had higher expectations.

10. OXO Good Grips 8-Piece Baking Essentials POP Container Set

Living in the south, bugs can be a pretty big issue for bakers. No matter what you do, gnats will find their way inside.

I discovered pretty quickly that leaving my baking ingredients in their original packaging was not going to work out. So I grabbed a set of these OXO pop containers and WOW! They keep things fresh longer, they make it a breeze to measuring out ingredients, they stack nicely, and I freed up SO much room in my cabinets.

Do your favorite baker a favor and get them a set — they’ll love it!

11. A bread machine

For the baker who loves fresh bread, but hates all the work that goes into it, the Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine is a true blessing. Just dump your ingredients in and the machine does the rest!

When we got our first bread machine, I was frustrated by how many recipes weren’t machine-friendly. But since then, things seem to have changed.

Looking for something a little cheaper? The Cuisinart Bread Maker is more compact and makes beautiful loaves. It bakes the loaves upright, so once you cut away the top heel, each slice will be uniform in shape and size.

12. Digital Food Scale

A good digital food scale can make a huge difference with certain recipes (ESPECIALLY bread). The trick is finding one that has a long automatic shut off time, because nothing is more infuriating than pouring flour into a bowl only for the scale to shut off and leave you wondering how many grams you added before it quit on you.

For anyone baking in large quantities, this extra-high capacity digital scale is perfect. It can hold up to 33 pounds and it will stay on for a full 5 minutes, which is longer than I’ve ever had.

If you’re looking for something a little less heavy duty, this digital kitchen scale will hold up to 22 pounds, stays on for 3+ minutes, and comes in a few different colors.

13. digital kitchen scale

Did you know pie crust bags existed? I had no idea and my mind was blown. I bought one immediately.

You just put your pie crust in the bag, zip it up, and then roll out the bag with your rolling pin. No more pie crust sticking to the rolling pin! I’m going to try it on sugar cookies, too. If your baker loves making pies, but hates rolling out dough, give this a try! It’s under $10, so it’s not much of a risk.

14. Measuring Cups and Spoons

A really good set of measuring utensils can get pricey. If your baker is like me, any set they buy themselves came from the clearance section of Walmart.

But having been gifted some nice sets of stainless steel measuring cups/spoons, it’s safe to say that it makes a pretty big difference. Ingredients are more level, the numbers don’t rub off, and they actually fit into smaller containers (like baking powder).

If you want to go all-in, this set of reinforced measuring cups and spoons are gorgeous and sure to last for generations. The slim spoons will also fit into most containers (which is a huge problem with round spoons).

Need something cheaper? This set of 12 measuring cups and spoons from Simply Gourmet may be lighter weight, but will definitely add more accuracy to any baker’s kitchen.

15. Kitchenaid Mixers

Let’s face it: this is the one thing every baker lusts after. They’re just way too expensive, so help a baker out and gift one! My mom, brother-in-law, and I went in together to get a mixer for my sister which brought the price down a lot…and was the only thing she ever really wanted. So worth it!

Did I miss anything? Anything other bakers want or have gotten that they loved? Let me know in the comments!