The author of Dorie’s Cookies in her element. Photo credit: Davide Luciano
Dorie Greenspan knows a thing or two about baking: She’s written 12 cookbooks, most of them about baking, including Baking: From My Home to Yours, Around My French Table and Baking Chez Moi. Her latest, Dorie’s Cookies, highlights an all-cookie collection that she’s made over and over again throughout the years, and includes techniques learned from Julia Child, recipes from her years spent with renowned patissier Pierre Herme, and original creations from Beurre & Sel, the pop-up cookie boutique she and her son, Joshua, ran together in Manhattan.
With holiday shopping season in full swing, we asked Dorie for a handful of her go-to gifts for bakers of all levels. Here are seven suggestions from Dorie that you can’t go wrong with for any baker in your life.
 1. A Stand Mixer
Dorie says: “The greatest tool a baker can have is a stand mixer. It’s my go-to tool for everything from wispy meringue to hearty bread. It’s a great investment in a sweet future.”
Our pick: KitchenAid’s Artisan Stand Mixer. |
 2. Well-Made Measuring Cups & Spoons
Dorie says: “Get sturdy metal measuring cups and spoons that won’t dent or lose their shape. Make that two sets of cups and spoons: Doubles make the work go twice as fast.”
Our pick: All-Clad’s Stainless-Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons.
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 3. A Food Processor
Dorie says: “Never underestimate what a processor can do for a baker. I keep mine at the ready to make all kinds of dough, from pie and crust to nutty shortbreads and macaroons.”
Our pick: Breville’s 16-Cup Sous Chef Food Processor. |
 4. A Good Rolling Pin
Dorie says: “A good pin is for a baker what a good car is for a race driver.” She recommends a French-style straight rolling pin without handles: “This is the pin that works for all doughs and gives you the most control.”
Our pick: This Straight maple rolling pin. |
 5. Quality Vanilla Extract
Dorie says: Buy Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla extract. “It’s a great extract, the kind that smells so good you want to use it as perfume. It makes everything taste better, deeper and more seductive.”
Our pick: Nielsen-Massey’s classic vanilla extract. |
 6. A Baker’s Library
Dorie says: “Put together a selection of your favorite baking cookbooks to give to your favorite baker. For extra fun, put stickies on the pages of your tried, true and beloved recipes in each book.” Some of her favorite baking books? Flo Braker’s The Simple Art of Perfect Baking and Pierre Hermé’s Secrets Gourmands.
Our pick: The timeless Baking Chez Moi (by Dorie Greenspan, of course!). |
 7. A Baking Class
Dorie says: “A gift certificate for a baking class at the best cooking school in your area is an amazing gift. Actually, it’s a triple pleasure: There’s happiness when the gift is opened, when the class is taken and when what’s baked at class is brought home and shared.”
Our pick: A one-day baking class at San Francisco Cooking School in San Francisco or Haven’s Kitchen in New York City. |
To all the bakers out there, weigh in below and tell us: What are you hoping to receive this holiday?
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