Culture

Everything You Need to Turn Your Kitchen Into a Cookie Factory

Set yourself up right with these nonnegotiables.
Image may contain Food Confectionery Sweets Animal Bee Invertebrate Honey Bee and Insect
Photo by Chelsie Craig

It’s cookie baking (and swapping, and sharing) season—which means you’re turning your kitchen into a cookie factory, right? Before you get going on all those recipes, make sure you’re fully prepared. This means stocking up on all the tools you need to make and package your goodies. From precut parchment paper (trust us, you’ll never buy a roll again) to sturdy boxes that will ensure your cookies hold up during long-distance shipping or schlepping, here’s what you’ve got to have on hand.

  • Image may contain Plant Food Vegetable Corn Confectionery Sweets Animal Bee Invertebrate Honey Bee and Insect
    Photo by Chelsie Craig
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    Small ziptop or cellophane bags

    These bags separate soft cookies from crispy ones and serve as a protective layer between the cookies and the metal tin or cardboard box they’re nestled in.

    Buy it: Cellophane bags, $6 on Amazon

  • Image may contain Tape
    Photo by Chelsie Craig
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    Sturdy boxes

    Metal tins are pricier but more protective. Thin cardboard boxes are cheaper but flimsier. If you go the cardboard route, seek out options with plastic windows so that you can show off your handiwork.

    Buy it: Silver round tins, starting at $3 from The Container Store

  • Newspaper bubble wrap or other soft stuff from around the house will ensure that a tin doesnt scoot around in the package.
    Photo by Chelsie Craig
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    Packing material

    Newspaper, bubble wrap, or other soft stuff from around the house will ensure that a tin doesn’t scoot around in the package.

  • Image may contain Wire Sunglasses Accessories and Accessory
    Photo by Chelsie Craig
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    Tape and ribbon

    Use decorative ribbon to seal bags, clear tape to secure cardboard boxes, and patterned washi tape to decorate metal tins.

    Buy it: Washi tape, $16 on Amazon

Sarah Jampel is a writer, editor, recipe developer, and food stylist based in Vermont. She was a senior staff writer and stylist at Food52 before joining Bon Appétit as senior cooking editor in 2019, which entailed heading up the Basically vertical, editing and developing recipes, and writing about everything from her favorite ... Read More
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