Have you ever run out to the grocery store at the last minute in search of an ingredient for your holiday cookies, only to find that they're sold out? It's rare for a grocery store to sell out of an item but if they do, it's usually around the holidays. And for certain, the more holiday-like an item is, such as red and green colored sugar or marzipan, the more likely it is that you'll arrive only to find an empty shelf. It's better to be safe and stock up early.
This is especially true if you don't own a car or live in a large city and can't easily hop from one grocery store to another. I'll never forget the time that I took a bus to the store to purchase red and green colored sugar for my family's Santa treat, only to find that they were sold out. It was another two busses to the next store which was, of course, sold out, too. That was the year that Santa ate yellow and blue cookies.
The Basics:
It's unlikely that your local supermarket is going to run out of these, but it's nice to have them on hand for last-minute baking projects or emergency entertaining.
• An extra pound or two of butter in the freezer is a good back-up.
• If you have the room, purchase an extra 5 or 10-pound bag of flour. Store it in the freezer if you don't think you will use it up quickly to keep it fresh.
• Extra bags of white, brown and powdered sugar are necessary. Dark brown sugar is nice, too.
• Several bars of good chocolate.
• Double check your supplies of baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla.
• You can go through a lot of parchment paper, waxed paper, and aluminum foil this time of the year.
The Extras:
• Stock up on colored sugar, especially if you have specific colors in mind and double-especially if they're red or green, as well as other cookie decorations.
• It's not at all unusual for a grocery store to run out of marzipan
• Check your supply of holiday spices such as cinnamon, ground cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and be sure you have enough.
• Nuts, especially pecans, walnuts and almonds are essential.
• If you're thinking of gingerbread, make sure you have molasses.
• Fruitcakes and stolen often require candied fruit.
• Coconut is also a poplar holiday baking ingredient.
• Frozen puff pastry and frozen pie dough (either homemade or a good brand) are nice to have stashed in the freezer.
What holiday baking items are you sure to stock up on this year?
Related: Good Food with Evan Kleinman: Tips for Stress-Free Holiday Baking
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Extracts! One year I was going to make mint chocolate cupcakes and I couldn't find any mint extract anywhere. And I tried about 5 different grocery stores!!!!
Apparently canned pumpkin can be hard to find this time of year.
Almond extract always seems to sell out (though there's usually the artificial stuff leftover). Our butter cookie recipe uses it, and we make batches and batches.
Agreed on extracts.
My favorite tip for this time of year (or year round really) is to just buy a ton more granulated sugar and a bottle or 2 of molasses (more if you bake with it this time of year) On the fly, you can make fresh dark or light brown sugar if needed just by mixing the sugar and molasses to desired taste/color. Then you won't be able to run out! Same is true of colored sugars- just have some food coloring (gel is best for this) on hand, a ziploc bag and you have all the colored sugar you need without fighting at the store.
I just had this problem with walnuts before Thanksgiving. My grocery store was completely out, none in bulk foods and none anywhere else in the store! I've already started stocking up on flour because I know I'll go through at least a five pound bag by the end of the year.
I may have about 10 lbs of butter in my freezer, 15 lbs of sugar and 4 bags of white lily flour in my pantry. /shifty eyes
It's just so cheap right now that you can't justify not buying it. My German-Yankee grandma goes to the commisary this time of year and buys enough baking supplies to keep us in apple pies for the rest of the year.
Agree on peppermint and almond extracts. Lemon & orange can vanish, too. And NUTS NUTS NUTS. Blanched almond and sliced almonds always sell out. You can get plain and blanch/slice them yourself, but you're at the grocery store so late because you're Behind Schedule, right?
Corn Syrup!!!
Went through my butter reserves in the freezer due to Thanksgiving. Time to restock that at least.
Try to find plain milk chocolate kisses in a few weeks and you will wish you had grabbed a few bags for peanut butter blossoms and those tasty little square pretzel/kiss/mm combos.
Also, ditto for the ease of making color sugars. Super simple. Same technique works for sweetened coconut.
It's funny you say that. Last week (before Thanksgiving) I was looking for corn syrup in the baking aisle and had to ask for help. The store employee started by saying "this is the aisle you want to avoid until January..."
Yes lemons!!! Just this past Thanksgiving I was looking for lemons everywhere on Wednesday. NONE to be found!
Canned pumpkin as well.
This time of the year is usually when my local Trader Joe's stock lady fingers (only this time of the year), so I usually stock those up as well.
Flours and sugars are a must. Time to go shopping.
These are all good reminders.Thank you!
I looked for super fine sugar at two separate stores today and there was none to be had. Weird.
defaultname, just whiz regular sugar up in a food processor or blender. No use paying for superfine when you can make it yourself :)
I bought canned pumpkin today without any noticeable shortages on the shelves, but the pecans & walnuts in bulk were fairly scant.
More importantly those leaf dishes in the photo- SO CUTE!