Frugal Tactics For Cookie Baking
I hauled home a 4-lb bag of chocolate chips this week.
I ignored the frugal rule (do the math) and bought it by instinct. At $7 for 64 oz, the cost is equivalent to paying $1.08 for a 12-oz bag of Nestle semi-sweet morsels. Couponers could beat that, but not for convenience.
This is the season for cookie exchanges and sales on baking supplies. One--or both--should send you for a quick pantry survey. What can you stock for the future? What can you bake with the least expense?
As a general rule, these are my target prices for baking supplies:
- Butter $2/lb or less, stockpile in freezer
- Margarine .50/lb
- Flour $1.50 for a 5-lb bag of White Lily
- Granulated sugar .50/lb at Sam's Club
- Powdered sugar .70/lb
- Brown sugar .76/lb
- Vanilla extract .50/oz for imitation
- Eggs $1/dozen
When I see these staples at this price or lower, I consider stocking up until the next sale. Shopping the loss leaders or using coupons can whittle those totals down even further.
Now, what to bake? What type of cookie gets the most bang for your buck?
I like iced sugar cookies for maximum impact. With $1 box of food coloring, you can wow kids and parents alike with simple painted cookies. Momadvice offers a great tutorial on mastering sugar cookie dough and frosting. You don't even need cookie cutters. Artist Tasha Tudor freehand cut her fanciful gingerbread shapes each year.
For chocolate cookies, look for recipes which use cocoa. You can also substitute 1 Tbsp. butter or oil with three Tbsp. cocoa for each ounce of baking chocolate required in a recipe.
My current project is shortbread. My mom gave me a yard sale shortbread mold with hearts and flowers. The official Brown Bag company recipe uses 1 stick butter, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and 1 cup flour. Not bad for the beautiful, plate-size result!
What frugal cookies are in your repertoire? Where are you finding rock-bottom baking supplies? Do tell!
19 Responses to “Frugal Tactics For Cookie Baking”
December 14th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
That shortbread is beautiful! I love meringues for inexpensive cookies. They’re relatively quick, too, no cutting or decorating neccessary since it’s so easy to color them with a litle food coloring before piping them out.
December 14th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Kroger had chocolate and butterscotch chips on sale the first week of December for $1 per bag. I bought several bags. As I senior I also got 10% off my purchase. Really hard to beat .90 per bag for chips. They also had brown and powdered sugar for the same price, and sweetened condensed milk.
While I do not celebrate the holidays, I love to bake. A little too well, my waistline would say!
December 14th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Carol, I regret that I missed that sale!
December 14th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Check out the price of butter at Sam’s. I can always get it there significantly cheaper than $2/lb. Maybe it’s that inexpensive in your area, too.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Yes! I’ve heard that butter is cheaper at Costco and Sam’s, about $1.67/lb if you buy it in bulk. My family doesn’t buy in a volume large enough for regular warehouse stores shopping, but if we did, butter (and cream!) would be on my list.
$2 is a good sale at my 3 regular groceries. Down to $1.50 and I stock for the freezer.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I second the recommendation for Costco. I get brown sugar there for ~$.50/lb and butter is always less than $2, usually closer to $1.50.
This has nothing to do with holiday baking, but I find that the savings on cheese easily pays for my membership in just a month or two. Granted, most families don’t eat as much cheese as we do, but still…the savings add up quickly if you can find just a few staples at 50% off your normal prices.
BTW, your list mentions Sam’s Club for granulated sugar. Do you have a friend with a membership pick it up for you? I’ve also heard that Sam’s allows you to split a membership with a friend, even if you don’t live in the same household. One membership gives you two cards, and you don’t have to give the second one to your husband.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Shortbread is one of our favorites, too. I love the simplicity and it’s always SO good. And it can be fancied up with a drizzle or dip of chocolate or a sprinkle of sugar. Lovely.
I’m almost reluctant to admit this, but one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes is made with a sugar cookie mix. Our local store reduces these considerably after Thanksgiving and with a coupon, I can usually get them for about $1. The recipe requires 1 stick of butter, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of cornstarch and 1 T. almond, orange or lemon extract in addition to the mix. A package of mix usually makes 4-5 dozen small (about 1 1/2 inch) round crisp cookies, which I coat with confectioner’s sugar. I figure I spend about $1.75, at the most on the batch, with sales on the other supplies. And it’s super easy and everyone loves them. They’re great to take to cookie exchanges as they travel well and look nice and, again, are generally adored.
I probably could make these cookies for less if I could develop a sugar cookie recipe from scratch the would come up with the same result, but so far — no dice. A pricier treat, one we use for Christmas eve, is the same recipe with a thin layer of Nutella sandwiched between two wafers. My mouth waters just thinking about it…
December 14th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Walmart had butter for $1.50 per pound recently. I don’t know if it still is that price, but I consider this a stock up the freezer price.
December 14th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
My husband has a Sams card through work, which we are allowed to use for personal shopping, but this last year I’ve hardly made the trip across town. I did buy the 25 lb bag of sugar last year, and we are still using it up.
December 15th, 2009 at 6:38 am
I don’t quite cut out of my cookies “free hand” but here is what I do if I don’t have a cutter the right size or shape. Each yr I like to make at least one GIANT sized gingerbread cookie for everyone to decorate (last yr they were people – this year they were trees…I have a picture of the trees up on my blog). I haven’t been able to find foot-long cutters and if I did I’m sure they’d be far from economical.
Find a simple image online – enlarge it on a photocopier if need be. Cut out design and trace picture onto stiff paper. Cut out again. Place picture on rolled out dough and using a sharp knife go around the picture.
December 15th, 2009 at 9:43 am
I love holiday baking. Your shortbread looks yummy!
I do not have a warehouse membership, but my friend picks up bulk yeast (super cheap) and bread flour for me.
December 15th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Miss you meredith! COME BACK TO US! (wink)
latrice ‘working mom in the nw!’
December 15th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
When I have the kids’ cookie decorating extravaganza, I use muffin pans to put the different sprinkles and etc into. Mini muffin pans are even better! Usually 2 kids can share 1 pan. They use their fingers to do the sprinkles–not as messy and they can’t get so much at a time.
And I let them paint the cookies with a mixture of evaporated milk and food coloring. That way once they go in the oven, the kids are through with them (except to eat them). I keep a package of cheap kids’ paint brushes for this use, and put them in the cabinet with the decorations.
December 16th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Your prices look about right to me although I don’t know if I could find brown sugar for that low of a price in my area.
We don’t save much on holiday baking as I have some family favorites and specialty items that are traditional. I did bow out of cookie exchanges and campaigned (successfully) to change one to a cookie tasting so I don’t have to make 30 dozen cookies. (Also have you ever noticed that not everyone who participates in a cookie exchange can actually cook?)
The shortbread is beautiful.
M
December 16th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Oh Meredith – that is beautiful. I have a number of the smaller brown mold type pans that I too, picked up at yard sales…I need to get them out. I admit, I haven’t used them in ages.
December 19th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
I really miss your blog ….It was my favorite! Beth
January 5th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
I love shortbread cookies very much. Your shortbread looks lovely.
January 13th, 2010 at 11:30 pm
I just wandered here after checking your blog for the first time since you’d taken time off.
My family has been making shortbread in that same mold for nearly 30(!) years. Once given, it becomes a much-requested tradition/expectation.
I also enjoy candy-making for Christmas; spiced, candied nuts, almond roca, truffles.
My newest holiday give-away treat is chai mix.
October 6th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
I just added a frugal recipe to my blog for Banana Nut Muffins.
http://www.thecrabtree.net/blog/blogentry/27
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