Ten Best Cookie Baking Tools

We absolutely love cookies here. You can explore a variety of recipes on our site, from Chocolate Butter Cookies to Red Velvet Cookies and more. And we’re not alone!

Did you know that the average American eats about 300 cookies a year? As a whole, Americans consume over 2 billion cookies every 365 days. Sounds a bit overwhelming...and delicious.

Even if your favorite cookie is not the same as mine, some cookie baking tools always make making cookies easier and more enjoyable. Here are our 10 best cookie baking tools and recommendations for any beginning baker that needs the basic tools. 

1. Cookie Scoops

We’re starting our list with cookie scoops, a tool that is often overlooked as an unneeded one that’s nice to have but not essential.

This cookie scoop set from Fayomir comes with three different sized scoops ranging from 1 tablespoon to 3 tablespoons in size. While you can get away with using a generic tablespoon for cookie scooping, exact measurements are important when you’re looking for the perfect bake across batches. Think oatmeal cookies or chocolate chip cookies, these stainless steel cookie scoops are an essential tool to ensure you have the exact same size and amount for the perfect bake. Did I mention these also make great ice cream scoops. I love when one tool can easily become your best, or in my case, favorite tool. Who doesn't love a perfect scoop of ice cream?

2. Hand Mixer

This must-have cookie baking tool will come as no surprise. A hand mixer offers you all the control of mixing by hand with added power and consistency. Sure, you don’t need one for a once-a-year cookie batch, but if you’re interested in more frequent treats and testing different dough recipes, this is a must-have. (If you are baking weekly, you might want to look into a KitchenAid stand mixer as part of your essential baking tools.)

Look for an electric mixer with multiple paddle attachments and make sure you have storage space for it. The last thing you’ll want to do is spend money on many different attachments only to find half of each pair missing! 

3. Rolling Pin With Thickness Rings

Uniform cookies require cookie dough that is rolled to an even thickness at all ends. But let’s face it- we can only get so close with sight alone. Thankfully, rolling pins with thickness rings can take the guesswork out.

These rolling pins look like regular pins but come with thickness rings that are slid onto each side of the pin. These are often secured with silicone inner rings or pieces.

Choose a rolling pin with a variety of thickness rings, typically between 2 and 9 mm. Now you’re set to bake anything from thick chewy delicious cookies to thin sugar cookies, or even make pie dough.

4. Fun Cookie Cutters

Sometimes, a sugar cookie in a silly shape is all we need to fix a bad day. Plastic cookie cutters won’t be the fanciest or most expensive tools in your kitchen, but they can still provide shape consistency and lots of fun.

Consider grabbing these if you often bake cookies as a gift! You want to make sure they come with sharp edges so they cut the dough easily. Brainstorming which new or classically quirky cookie cutter is best for each friend adds joy and personality to a delicious present.

5. Elegant Cookie Press

For more elegant cookie shapes, a cookie press is a must. Cookie presses hold cookie dough in a plastic or glass canister. You then load the press with a metallic disk that is precut in cookie designs.

Applying pressure then pushes dough through the disk onto your baking tray. Common shapes that are created in this way include stars, various flowers, suns, and letters. This also cuts out the middle step of rerolling dough when using traditional cookie cutters! And when you are making a lot of cookies that all need to be the perfect size, every step counts!

6. Silicone, Non-Stick, Baking Mats

Many individuals who bake only on rare occasions butter their cookie sheets or use parchment paper to prevent sticking to the sheet pans. But for those of us with a more permanent sweet tooth, these steps easily become an expensive hassle.

Silicone baking mats are one of the best cookie baking tools as they act like parchment paper without the repeated cost. Yum! And no more messy buttered pans. That's a win for me.

7. Cookie Icing Decorating Tools

What’s better than a delicious textured sugar cookie? One that also features beautiful and scrumptious icing! Cookie decorating tools often feature small metal etching tools, scrapers, and combs to create delicate designs.

This set in particular is made for royal icing designs including feathering, marbling, and anything else your mind can come up with. That scribe, or also known as the boo boo stick, is a life saver when the holiday season comes and you are making 10 dozen cookies for all your loved ones. It's the right baking tool to get your royal icing right up to the edges.

8. Reusable Silicone Piping Bags

Following the decoration trend, piping bags are a must-have for fluffier frostings like buttercream. However, using one-time bags is wasteful and messy. Silicone reusable piping bags are ideal cookie baking tools and they come in different sizes.

Some worry that piping bags with tips are prone to be messy as the tips pop off with too much pressure. However, with proper couplers, this shouldn’t be a problem. If you aren't ready to go with reusable, Ateco makes a compostable pastry bags. Any baking supplies I can get to help with keeping plastic out of the landfills is worth looking into.

9. Pastry Brushes

Pastry brushes being on a top 10 cookie baking tools list may surprise you. While they are not absolutely necessary for cookie baking, they can save you time and energy when keeping your baking area and cookies clean.

Use a pastry brush to remove excess flour from your cookie dough, or to apply a sugar glaze to finished batches. This set is made from silicone and also appropriate for egg washes and even barbeque events. It works well on wet ingredients and also dry ingredients.

10. Camera For Cookie Testing

Our last best cookie baking tool is a bit different. After all, a camera is not an absolute essential when it comes to creating cookie dough or perfect bakes! However, you’ll need a camera to capture your best cookie creations.

Perhaps more relevant to your baking skill is a camera’s ability to capture exactly what color, texture, size, and even weight your cookies feature. This is essential information when you are pursuing a particular cookie perfection.

Give our post on Tips For Taking Great Food Photos a read to learn how to take salivating cookie photos!

Best Cookie Baking Tools for Your Kitchen

The best cookie baking tools will be durable, make your cookie-making process easier, and are applicable for many different recipes. After all, even a cute gingerbread man cookie cutter isn’t worth the money if you hate gingerbread!

Investing in a cookie press will allow you to try new shapes of cookies with only a new metallic disk moving forward. Cookie scoops are invaluable for almost any dough that holds shape, and pastry brushes can apply a plethora of cookie decorations but also be useful for cooking in the kitchen.

Ready to try a new dose of cookie sweetness? Give my cookie recipes a read today for a scrumptious treat.

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