DIY Baking Goods with A Budget Mindset
Three Step-by-Step Baking Goods that fit a $20 Budget
By Elizabeth Moore
Bloggers and Foodies allow us to see firsthand how things are made, the proper tools you need to make them at home and where to buy these tools from with a click of a hyperlink on your screen, and how certain angles can make a baking look good and desirable so people will travel miles to take a picture of it, even if it doesn’t taste all that great.
Being a full-time student and stay at home mom, traveling to try a Churro Ice Cream cone is not always an option. The go to option nowadays is experimenting at home after I have found something online that catches my eye. Baking at home seems more realistic, convenient, affordable and overall a fun activity to try new things and tastes at the pleasure of my being in your own home. On top of that, making something from scratch with your own two hands comes with an overall feeling of accomplishment and creativity. With that said, on this journey of trying to bake new goodies, talking to baking enthusiasts, and staying in budget I have three yummy treats to share.
Items you’ll need for all Three Baking Treats Include:
-All Purpose Flour ($2.00) $0.11/cup
-Baking Soda ($1.48) $0.02/teaspoon
-Unsalted Butter ($3.49) $0.87/stick
-White Granulated Sugar ($2.49) $0.11/cup
-Light Brown Sugar ($1.80) $0.11/cup
-Salt ($0.89) $0.01/teaspoon
-Vanilla Extract ($1.98) $0.17/teaspoon
-Eggs ($2.99) $0.25/egg
-Milk Chocolate Chips ($2.99) $0.60/cup
-Whole Milk ($2.64) $0.17/cup
-Envelopes Active Dry Yeast ($1.39) $0.46/envelope packet
-Ground Cinnamon ($2.19) $0.44/tablespoon
-Baking Powder ($1.59) $0.03/teaspoon
-Almond Extract ($6.36) $0.13/teaspoon
Total= $33.30*
- Please note prices may vary, this is before taxes and shipping. I got all the items from either Walmart or Amazon. Also, these are items you might already have at home to use
“The best part about working for a blog was being able to work firsthand with recipes, so I could take home for personal use,” said Alexandria Stafford, a former employee for Best Friends For Frosting when asked for her favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Given by: Alexandria Stafford
-2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ($0.24)
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda ($0.01)
-1 cup (2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature) ($1.74)
-1/2 cup granulated sugar ($0.06)
-1 cup packed light-brown sugar ($0.11)
-1 teaspoon salt ($0.01)
-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract ($0.34)
-2 large eggs ($0.50)
-2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips ($1.20)
Total= $4.21*
Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small to medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda; then set aside until further use.
Step Two: In a separate bowl that can be used with an electric mixer, combined the softened butter with both sugars, make sure to beat on medium speed until the consistency is light and fluffy. After you get the light and fluffy consistency reduce to a low speed, then add in the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Make sure it is well mixed, it takes about a minute to a minute and a half.
Step Three: Add the two bowls together in; make sure to mix until everything looks evenly combined. Lastly, add in the Chocolate Chips.
Step Four: Drop tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Step Five: Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes (for me 9 minutes worked perfectly). Remove from oven, let cool on baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, to let them cool down completely. Then eat all you want.
“I think that if you have a great foundation of flour, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla, you’re off to a great start,” said Sanitta Kiep, food blogger, baker and owner of Sweet Saneets when discussing her favorite Sugar cookie recipe.
Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
-1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted softened butter ($1.74)
-1 Cup granulated white Sugar ($0.11)
-1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract ($0.17)
-1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract ($0.07)
-1 Large Egg ($0.25)
-2 Teaspoons Baking Powder ($0.06)
-3 cups All Purpose Flour ($0.33)
Total=$2.37*
Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step Two: In the bowl add you butter and sugar mix until it is a smooth consistency, it takes at minimum 3 minutes.
Step Three: Beat in extracts and eggs.
Step Four: In a separate bowl combine baking powder with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff, if it is too stiff for the mixer to turn out the dough onto the countertop or a flat surface. Wet your hands and then finish kneading the dough by hand.
Step Five: Do not chill the dough. Divide into workable batches, roll out onto a floured surface and cut with whatever design you want to use. You want to make sure these types of cookies are on the thicker side (closer to ¼ inch thick).
Step Six: Bake at 350 for 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to move to a cooling rack. Once cold decorate as you wish or eat as is.
“Cooking from home is cheaper, plus you can make your own personal recipes that will last overtime,” says Isaiah Lagunas, a cook from Bing Maloney Grill in Sacramento.
This leads me into my favorite and most dearest recipe out of the three. Everyone has that one special meal or treat that reminds them of pure happiness, for me that’s Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. The recipe I will be sharing with you comes from my own home, it has been passed down from generations to generations continuing the Cinnamon Rolls Tradition.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
-1 Cup whole milk ($0.17)
-2 Envelopes Active Dry Yeast ($0.92)
-1/2 cup Granulated sugar ($0.06)
-2 sticks of Unsalted Butter, softened ($1.74)
-1 ½ teaspoons salt ($0.02)
-2 large eggs ($0.50)
-4 ¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour ($0.47)
-1/2 cup packed Dark Brown Sugar ($0.06)
-1 Tablespoon Ground cinnamon ($0.44)
Total=$4.38*
Step One: In a small microwave bowl, microwave the whole milk at high power in 30 second bursts until it’s warm, not hot. Sir in the yeast and a pinch of granulated sugar and let the milk stand until foamy texture, takes about 5 minutes.
Step Two: In a separate bowl use a mixer to beat 1 stick of the butter with the ½ cup of granulated sugar and the teaspoon of salt at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat eggs until blended. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat at low speed until combined. Beat in the warm milk mixture, scraping in any yeast that has settled in the bottom of the bowl.
Step Three: Slowly add the remaining 2 ¼ cups of flour and beat at medium speed until a soft, sticky dough forms, takes again about 5 minutes to combine evenly. Scrape the dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic (we usually use a hand towel holds heat in better). Let the dough stand in a warm place until risen looking like it has doubled in size for about an hour.
Step Four: Cut four 15-inch-long sheets of wax paper. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and divided it into four pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough to a rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. Roll the dough around a rolling pin and unroll it onto a sheet of wax paper. Repeat with the 3 remaining pieces of dough. Transfer 2 sheets of dough to each of the 2 baking sheets and freeze for about 10–15 minutes, or until they have a well-chilled temperature.
Step Five: In a separate, medium size bowl, blend the remaining stick of softened butter with the brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
Step Six: Evenly spread 1 sheet of dough with one-fourth of the cinnamon butter. Trim the edges to form a neat rectangle within the dough. Working from a long side, tightly roll up the dough. Return the dough to the freezer and chill until very cold, around 20 minutes will do. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and cinnamon butter.
Step Seven: Butter a 10-inch circle pan. Cut the rolls 1 inch thick. Arrange the cinnamon rolls, cut side up.
Step Eight: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls for about 25 minutes, until they are golden and risen. Add extra butter on top to melt as they cool down. Let them sit for 5 minutes then share them or eat them all to yourself.
