27 Homemade Pantry Staples for baking that make baking easier
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These homemade pantry staples for baking from jams and fillings and homemade spice blends to basic doughs are gifts that you make for your future self.
I get busy just like you do, and there’s days that I really want to make something, but I don’t want to be bothered with making all the things. That’s where these homemade pantry staples come in. Think of them as a “If this, then that” kind of way to approach your baking. If you have whole wheat butter cookie dough hanging out in your freezer, you can then quickly make a simple shortbread cookie drizzled with chocolate. Of course you want to eat that–it looks fancy, but it’s actually dead simple. And shoot, I pretty much use my homemade vanilla paste every day.
That’s why I call these pantry staples “baking building blocks” here on Baking With Tradition. All these recipes are like baking Legos you can stick together to make something new. My goodness, just a simple bag of streusel in the freezer, and I’ve got German Crumb Cake, strawberry crumb cake, pear streusel muffins all that much quicker in my grasp. I could go on and on (in part because being of German heritage, streusel is life), but let’s get to all these lovely little back pocket recipes!
Homemade Pantry Staples for baking
Homemade Pantry Staples
Think of these like baking Legos: if you have any of these on hand, add it to another and make something new. Endless baking ideas are right at your fingertips.
Homemade Nutella is the best thing to spread on toast
Wait until you taste this perfect simple ganache with added hazelnut butter to make the nuttiest, most chocolatey spread ever. There’s almost no end to what this spread will make taste better, but right out of the jar with a spoon is perhaps the best.
The best apple butter recipe is also the easiest
Starting with applesauce, you’re 1 minute of prep away from getting a batch of apple butter underway. Make your apple butter extra special by starting with a batch of lazy applesauce. This low sugar slow cooker applesauce is anything but tasteless. Make a batch for toast, or add it to apple butter muffins or in the glaze for apple pie rolls.
Homemade Lemon Sugar is the easy hack for getting more lemon flavor
Lemon sugar is simple, versatile little flavored sugar you can use in cookies, cakes, glazes, frostings, and more.
How to make buttermilk: good, better, and best
Here are 3 easy methods for making your own buttermilk at home so you never have to get stuck with a quart that you can’t use up before it goes bad.
Homemade Pear sauce is the more interesting cousin to applesauce
Simple unsweetened puree made from juicy ripe pears. Use it anywhere applesauce.
Maple Pear Butter is the Fall jam you wish for
Starting with a batch of pear sauce, you can mix up the pear butter at dinner and set it to cook overnight. Who doesn’t want to wake up to fresh jam ready for toast?
Easy plum jam with low sugar you’ll want to put on everything
Use up all of the best fruit of summer with this easy plum jam.
This makes one of the best fillings for homemade kolache.
Homemade Vanilla Sugar is the easiest way to boost flavor
An easy convenient way to roll your sweetness and vanilla flavor into one place.
Homemade pumpkin pie filling will save you time right now
If you love baking with pumpkin pie filling but not necessarily always making a pumpkin pie, having pumpkin pie filling on hand might be your perfect solution. I love it for pumpkin brownies, pumpkin hand pies, and mini pumpkin pies. Double or triple it if you’re making a bunch of pies for Thanksgiving.
Chai Spiced Maple Candied Pecans that make everything insanely delicious
Addictively crunchy candied maple pecans with alluring chai spices. Wrap these up for an easy holiday gift, or eat them out of hand, maybe with some cheese.
Don’t forget to add some to Kitchen Sink Blondies or Pecan Sandies!
Whole wheat butter cookies for a better teatime
Fresh milled soft wheat gives these lightly sweetened butter cookies an addictive soft toothy bite. Combined with the crisp texture, these are a perfect base for any kind of cookie sandwich or fancy cookie. Try them in mini strawberry tarts or homemade Samoas.
Easy candied orange peel so good you’ll have to hide it
If I could write a love letter to one baking ingredient, all the beautiful words would go to candied orange peel. With just 2 ingredients, you’ll have something that instantly makes everything you bake that much extra. Use it in things like lemon monkey bread muffins, strawberry jam, and mini banana breads.
How to make streusel topping
Make this beautiful crunchy crumb topping to top your favorite cakes, muffins, quick breads, fruit crisps and more. This is my #1 recipe here for a reason: it’s just that good and so incredibly versatile.
Easy date paste for naturally sweetened baking
Having date paste in your fridge makes it so easy to get a little sweet taste without the sugar hangover. Bursting with vanilla caramel sweetness, you’ll be surprised at how much you don’t miss the sugar. You’ll be amazed by how good these are in cashew butter cookies.
Lazy homemade applesauce is the easiest and the best
The simplest and the best way to make applesauce. Homemade applesauce is a true treat, and it couldn’t be simpler to make. Eat it on its own or add it to applesauce granola, or apple pie rolls.
This Maple Whiskey Blueberry Jam recipe will bring on Fall vibes
Easy to make blueberry jam with cozy flavors of Fall. Make it when you’re wishing for crisp days and warm flavors.
Quick poppy seed filling is the forgotten jam that’ll make all your baked goods better
This poppy seed filling is packed with so many layers of flavors and the magical crunch of poppy seed. Use this to fill pastries, breads, cakes and more.
The best poppy seed rolls are that much closer.
Make this homemade vanilla paste and get more flavor with less mess
Vanilla paste gives you the extra vanilla flavor of vanilla beans without the hassle of using vanilla beans plus the added vanilla flavor of extract. Wrestle with the beans once, and you’ll have enough vanilla paste for a good long while.
How to render lard: old-fashioned better fat
Fresh pork lard is a perfect fat to have on hand for pastries, frying, and cooking in general. That it’s easy to make is a bonus!
The best apple fritters are like nothing else fried in this liquid gold.
The ultimate Fall baking hack: 3 Cinnamon homemade spice blends
Save money and customize your own cinnamon-based spice blends. Add a ribbon and a decorative box, and you have an almost instant gift.
With dozens of recipes you can use these for, you’ll want to have a batch of each on hand!
Make this easy vanilla pastry cream (It’s just 10 minutes to dessert)
Ultra smooth rich vanilla custard you can use to fill pies, tarts, pastries, donuts or as a base for German buttercream. Anytime you want a nice pudding filling, a batch of pastry cream will get you there. Similar to the pourable custard creme anglaise, this pastry cream (aka creme patisserie) is thick enough to pipe.
So good in strawberry mini tarts!
Make Ahead Apple Pie Filling that takes out all the guesswork
Save time in your pie-making ventures by making your own incredible caramelized apple filling. A bag in the freezer, and you’re ready to make a apple hand pies or cinnamon apple pie rolls on demand with no fuss.
The easy raspberry jam recipe you’ll want to make on repeat (seedless!)
Fresh or frozen berries come together into a tart, flavor filled jam that’s dying to be slathered on toast, wrapped up in raspberry almond blueberry wreath bread, or in raspberry sour cream coffee cake ASAP.
Dark Chocolate Cut-out cookies recipe: a cookie to know by heart
This is the perfect dough for sandwich cookie bases or chocolate tartlets. Use your favorite cookie cutters for simple addictively crisp chocolate wafers.
Spread some homemade caramel sauce in between two for an unforgettable sandwich cookie.
The easiest homemade strawberry jam for sunny bakes any time
With just 4 ingredients and no pectin, you can make this jam anytime you want a bright fresh berry taste. Slather some on sour cream biscuits or wind them up in strawberry jam rolls for a truly glamorous breakfast. Pipe it in strawberry white chocolate blondies for a stunning bar cookie.
Vanilla homemade cashew Butter (your life needs this)
Your toast will thank you for this fresh roasted addictively creamy spread. Bonus: There’s no creepy bad for you oils or rancid nuts that have been sitting in plastic jars for forever.
Spread it on your toast or make some date sweetened cashew butter cookies.
Easy vegan caramel sauce (gluten free with coconut)
Watching sugar slowly bubble into molten caramel is one of the joys of baking. Luscious with coconut cream, this vegan caramel has all the deep caramel flavor you hope for with a hint of coconut. Use it for caramel apple cookies, caramel peanut chocolate blondies, homemade Samoas, or caramel chocolate swirl ice cream. We love it in coffee!
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