Our 11 Best Gifts For People Who Love to Bake

Know that friend of yours who’s always making Insta-worthy pies and bringing you cookies for no reason at all? Repay her this holiday season with a container of gourmet cocoa powder, a nice pie pan or anything else she can use the next time she’s baking up a storm. You know you’ll only benefit from more treats in 2019, so these are all kind of gifts for yourself, too.

1. Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract, from $33

If Nielsen-Massey sold its vanilla by the gallon, we’d be suggesting that. They don’t, so this four- or eight-ounce option will have to do. The company has been making vanilla extract (using only the best vanilla from Madagascar) since 1907 and bakers know it’s the brand of choice for adding rich, deep flavor to cakes, cookies, ice cream and other treats.

2. Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick 4-Piece Bakeware Set, $106

Our Goldtouch Nonstick bakeware hit stores a few years ago and totally disrupted the bakeware industry. Made in the USA with superior aluminized steel, our commercial-grade cookware distributes heat quickly and evenly, won’t warp and releases baked goods with ease. This set includes all the basics to get a new baker started or replace a seasoned baker’s gear that’s seen better days: a 12-well muffin pan, a half-sheet pan and two nine-inch cake pans.

3. Pernigotti Cocoa, $23

Ina Garten (and Williams Sonoma shoppers!) are obsessed with this cocoa powder. Made by a company that’s been around since 1860, its dark, rich and noticeably better than other cocoa powders you’d buy at the grocery store. Put a bow on top or tie some measuring spoons around the container and any chocolate-loving baker will be pumped to receive this.

4. Emile Henry Artisan Deep Ruffled Pie Dish, $50

One of the best names in the business when it comes to ceramic bakeware, Emile Henry makes this pie pan inspired by a design the brand had back in the 1850s. Made from Burgundian clay, the pan absorbs, distributes and retains heat evenly, so pies bake and brown to perfection. Plus, it’s so good looking, whoever gets it can leave it out on their stovetop or counter all year round.

5. Chef’N Cakewalk Decorating Set, $30

For your friend who’s hoping to get more into cake decorating, this set has everything she’ll need. The base holds 16 standard decorating tips, a coupler and flower nail and two disposable pastry bags. And the storage container’s lid doubles as a rotating turntable for easy decorating. When not in use, the set nests together nice and compactly.

6. Silpat Silicone Ultimate Baking Set, $116

We launched this Silpat set back in September and it’s been a bestseller ever since. In addition to the standard half-sheet Silpat, it includes two brilliant baking mats—for cupcakes and madeleines—which have rigid cavities to hold batter or dough and eliminate the need for baking cups.

7. Marble Rolling Pin, $90

Every pie maker needs this rolling pin. Made of Carrara marble, it’s hefty and oh-so-effective at rolling out pastry dough. The marble not only looks good, it helps keep dough cool during the handling process. Give this as a gift and hope that you get a pie sometime down the road as a thank you.

8. Harry Potter Cookie Cutter Set, $25

Help loved ones whip up something magical with this Harry Potter cookie cutter set. The kit comes with eight cookie cutters (including Hedwig, Hogwarts Express, a Sorting Hat and more), 12 icing bags, four decorating tips, one plastic coupler, and a spell book, er, a storage box (that happens to look like a spell book).

9. KitchenAid Limited Edition Heritage Artisan Model K 5-Qt Stand Mixer with Ceramic Hobnail Bowl, $500

September marked KitchenAid’s 100th anniversary and we teamed up with them to launch a special stand mixer to celebrate. (Seemed like a natural fit considering we were the first ones to bring the KitchenAid Stand Mixer to the average home cook back in the day.) This limited edition mixer comes in Misty Blue, which is meant to evoke a classic style, harkening back to one of the first KitchenAid Stand Mixer colors ever introduced. Other special features include a ceramic hobnail bowl and a unique Heritage-Inspired, old-time-y KitchenAid logo.

10. Williams Sonoma Stainless-Steel Nesting Measuring Cups & Spoons Sets, from $17

Believe it or not, not all measuring tools dole out accurate measurements. These are scientifically calibrated for accuracy and come in standard-size, odd-size and mixed sets. The measuring cups have flat bottoms to rest on the countertop for easy filling and all the pieces nest together for storage. Nothing else on the market quite measures up.

11. Williams Sonoma Olivewood Pastry Tools, $80 for five

One of the newest additions to the Williams Sonoma family of tools, this set will make anyone well-equipped to make cakes, pastries and pies. As proud as we are to talk about functionality of these tools (an offset spatula, straight spatula, pastry brush, fluted pastry cutter and a bench scrape), we’re equally as proud to talk about how beautiful they are. Those olivewood handles, though, right?!

Get more gift guides, recipes, and holiday ideas at our Williams Sonoma Holiday Headquarters.