19 Affordable Baking Tools And Supplies You Can Pick Up At Dollar Tree

Everything is more expensive these days, which can make it difficult to stay within a tight budget. Whether you bake every weekend or are just starting to experiment and perfect your techniques, it too can take a lot of your hard-earned money. It might be time to check out what Dollar Tree has to offer. Beyond the potential savings that await, being able to pick up what you'll need without hitting up several stores can also save you a lot of time. Plus, Dollar Tree offers more than you might think — such as cake, cookie, and brownie mixes; the whisks, spatulas, and other tools you'll need to combine all of the ingredients together; and the cookie sheets, muffin tins, and cooling racks you need to bake these delectable treats.

I've pulled together a list of some of the affordable baking tools and supplies that you might want to pick up the next time you're checking out all that it has to offer. To decide which items to feature on this list, I visited my local Dollar Tree. Beyond considering the price (most items are only $1.25, while some cost a few dollars more), I also considered how useful each item would be for baking and its overall value. While you shouldn't expect baking tools from Dollar Tree to match the quality of those you'll find from more premium kitchen stores, you still want to get something that will actually be useful and beneficial in the kitchen. It is also important to consider not only the overall price of the item but also the added convenience of dropping it into your cart when you're already out shopping.

When many people think about the different tools they need for baking, they often focus on those that they'll need to prepare and combine ingredients or the pans and cookie sheets that they'll need in order to bake their delicious treats in the oven. However, there is one more important step in the baking process that you shouldn't overlook: properly cooling the baked goods you prepare.

Picking up a wire cooling rack at Dollar Tree will help your cookies, cakes, and other baked goods cool more quickly by allowing air to circulate around each item. The slightly raised design of this product means that air will also flow beneath the item, which wouldn't be possible if it were put on a plate or left on a baking tray. You might want to grab a few of these on your next visit, especially if you're planning a baking marathon with several batches of cookies.

Sugar is a pantry staple that you'll need to have on hand when baking anything from your favorite cookie recipes to those decadent cake recipes. Dollar Tree sells 12-ounce bags of granulated sugar for only $1.25, so you can always grab a few to make sure you're prepared to bake when the mood strikes.

Of course, you can also find granulated sugar at your local grocery store. You might even assume that it will be a better deal. I initially thought the same thing and was pleasantly surprised that the cost per ounce for this 12-ounce bag works out to be about the same as when you purchase a 1-pound box from Walmart (both cost around $0.10 per ounce). When you purchase a larger bag of sugar from Walmart, the price per ounce does drop to about $0.07. However, if you only need a small quantity or are already at Dollar Tree, the convenience alone may make this purchase worth your while.

When your baked goods finish cooking in the oven, you'll need an oven mitt in order to pull them out without burning your hand or upper arm. Fortunately, this is another baking essential that you can grab at Dollar Tree to make sure you have everything you need.

While you won't match the quality of some of the best-reviewed oven mitts when you shop at Dollar Tree, you'll also only be spending a fraction of what you'll have to pay at other in-store or online retailers. Plus, Dollar Tree offers an assortment of oven mitt colors and designs to help you coordinate with your kitchen's design or to match your fun personality.

Keeping a few brownie mixes in your pantry is never a bad thing. You never know when you're going to need to prepare a last-minute dessert to share with colleagues, want to cook something for a community bake sale or satisfy a craving for something rich and chocolatey.

You're likely to find a few different brownie mixes in the baking section of your local Dollar Tree. I was surprised to find that my local store even carried Pillsbury and Betty Crocker mixes, which are two of the best boxed brownie mix brands. Bake these to enjoy as is, or pick up some ice cream and chocolate syrup from Dollar Tree and turn them into decadent brownie sundaes.

While some recipes for baked goods ask you to stir the ingredients to combine them properly, others call for whisking these ingredients together. Using a whisk when called for in a recipe is essential if you want it to turn out properly. Whisks can help ensure ingredients are properly blended (and lump-free). Their open-wire design also helps incorporate more air into the batter to ensure that your goods don't turn out overly dense.

I found two different sizes of balloon whisks at my local Dollar Tree. Balloon whisks are particularly good for ensuring ingredients are properly combined and that a batter turns out nice and smooth. These whisks from Dollar Tree are also coated, which means that you could even use them safely with nonstick pans.

Whenever a recipe calls for folding ingredients into the batter, you need to scrape the sides of a bowl, or you need to level the top of your cake or bread batter before baking it; you'll want to have a spatula on hand. You can pick up one — or even several — from Dollar Tree.

When I browsed through the aisles to discover the baking supplies that were available in the store, I found a mix of spatula sizes and shapes. These include a standard-size McCormick silicone spatula and some colorful mini silicone spatulas. I also found some cute Minnie and Mickey spatulas with wooden handles that could double as adorable kitchen decor.

Even if you have a tried-and-true favorite cookie recipe, sometimes you just want to keep things as simple as possible when looking to satisfy a sweet tooth or to prepare a treat to share with others. With the packaged cookie mixes available at Dollar Tree, you should be able to do just that.

As with many of their other baking mixes, the store offers products from some trusted brands. At my store, I found options from Pillsbury (Funfetti Sugar Cookie Mix and Traditional Sugar Cookie Mix) and Betty Crocker (Peanut Butter Cookie Mix). For $1.25 each, plus a few other ingredients that are likely in your fridge or pantry right now, you can have some warm and delicious cookies ready to enjoy within a few minutes.

If you want your cakes to look as professional as possible, then you don't want to use just any knife to frost them. Instead, for just over $1.00, you can pick up a Pillsbury icing spatula.

The tool's long and thin silicone head makes it ideal for neatly and evenly spreading frosting over each creation. Just remember, there are several things you'll want to do to avoid making a mistake when frosting your cakes — always let the cakes cool completely before you start, make sure your cakes are leveled before layering them, and avoid making the icing before you're ready to start working.

Muffin mixes the next time you shop at Dollar Tree. You can put a spin on a classic banana muffin recipe with the Banana Nut Muffin Mix I found at my store or try something a bit more unique with the Blueberry Cheesecake mix.

Both of these Martha White branded mixes only call for the addition of milk. So, they'll be super quick and easy to prepare, leaving you with more time to tackle other tasks on your to-do list or to fry some bacon, scramble a few eggs, or cut fresh fruit to serve alongside them.

I was a bit surprised by all the bakeware I stumbled upon at my local Dollar Tree. Considering how much cake pans, muffin tins, and other baking dishes can cost, you can save a small fortune by picking up these essentials for only $1.25. Some of the metal bakeware options I found at my Dollar Tree include a 6-cup muffin tin, a brownie pan, a bread pan, and a pie pan.

For only $1.25, you can't expect these to be top-quality pieces, but they will get the job done. They could even be especially useful if you're baking several batches of a recipe and don't want to pick up additional expensive pieces that you'll rarely use. The bakeware is made from tin. The manufacturer recommends handwashing to protect the finish and construction.

When you want to bring a pan of brownies, a pie, or a cake to an event, you might be reluctant to use your favorite baking pans. If you need to bring the baked goods to the gathering in the pan, remembering to bring it back home with you isn't easy. It can also make things a bit awkward if you need to leave before everyone else has finished eating.

Enter the simplicity that the disposable foil bakeware from Dollar Tree has to offer. For a small investment, you can grab a few baking dishes that you won't need to worry about accidentally leaving at a party. After use, they can be rinsed out and recycled where accepted.

From birthdays to anniversaries to graduation ceremonies, many of us rely on boxed cake mixes to help us make a dessert that tastes great but that isn't overly complicated to prepare. Well, when you shop at Dollar Tree, those cakes can be even less expensive in addition to being quick and easy to make. For $1.25, you can pick up different flavored mixes (my store had Pillsbury boxed options) and get baking.

You could even add a few additional ingredients to take that boxed cake mix to a new level and convince your guests you spent way more time baking than you actually did. For example, adding some instant coffee or espresso can deepen the chocolate flavor, while some ricotta cheese can help ensure that the cake comes out extra moist.

Don't forget, there are many creative ways to use boxed cake mix that don't involve making a cake at all, such as turning it into a flavored topping for a strudel or fruit crisp, using it to make sweet pancakes or waffles, or even using it for baking cookies.

Muffins and cupcakes sometimes stick to the inside of a baking tin. This can make them difficult to remove while still ensuring they maintain a neat appearance. Additionally, if you are preparing muffins or cupcakes for a birthday party or another event, it will be harder for you to pack them or for your guests to grab them if there is no wrapping over the base.

Well, it's a good thing that you won't need to worry about the possibility of this problem if you shop at Dollar Tree. You can find a 90-pack of pastel baking cups for only $1.25. Plus, with the paper wrapper, you might even have guests wondering whether you bought your delicious muffins or cupcakes from a local bakery.

Parchment paper is one product that every baker — whether professional or novice — should have on hand. It offers a range of benefits, including helping make sure cookies and other goods bake evenly, preventing them from sticking to a baking pan or baking dish, and greatly simplifying cleanup.

So, make sure your kitchen is well-stocked with what you'll need when preparing cookies, muffins, and other baked goods by swinging by Dollar Tree. My store even offered a few different parchment paper options, including a 12-inch-wide roll (which would be perfect for covering baking dishes or lining the countertops before rolling dough) and 6-inch square sheets to use as cupcake or muffin liners.

Despite being commonly confused for parchment paper, wax paper is not the same thing. As you might be able to guess based on its name, wax paper has a waxy-like coating to it, making it nonstick. Therefore, this box of wax paper from Dollar Tree could come in handy when rolling out dough or drizzling chocolate or other sticky sauces over handmade truffles or pretzels. These food items won't stick to the surface, and once you're finished, you can simply crumple up the paper and toss it out for an easier cleanup.

However, it is important to note that wax paper should never be used to line pans when baking goods in the oven. Unlike parchment paper, it is not considered heat-safe due to the risk of the waxy coating melting or even starting a fire.

Sure, you can always make your own cream cheese or buttercream frosting. However, homemade frosting takes time, which is something that many of us do not have an overabundance of. Picking up some canned frosting from Dollar Tree can help you solve this issue while still ensuring your cakes or cupcakes taste great.

You can even give this store-bought frosting a homemade texture by fluffing it up with your hand mixer before spreading it over your baked treats. A little butter can also improve store-bought frosting by giving it a more balanced taste. I was surprised that there were at least four flavor options at my Dollar Tree, including chocolate fudge, cream cheese, vanilla, and aqua blue vanilla.

When a recipe calls for baking soda, it might be tempting to just skip it. After all, what difference will a teaspoon or so of such a plain, white podwer really have on the cookies or cake you're baking? You can try skipping it one time to see what would happen, or you could just take our word that it won't be as good. Baking soda is a leavening agent, which means that it helps baked goods rise. It's able to do so thanks to a reaction with something acidic in the batter, such as buttermilk, brown sugar, or lemon juice.

Grab a box of baking soda from Dollar Tree next time you shop to make sure you're prepared and able to avoid a catastrophe. Your cookies and other baked goods will not only look better, but they'll taste better when cooked properly. Just keep in mind that baking soda is one of those ingredients you shouldn't use past their expiration date since it can become less effective or absorb odors. But don't worry; you can still put it to good use when cleaning the kitchen or other rooms in the home.

Add 1 cup of sugar, 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla. Sounds like some of the basic ingredients called for in many recipes, right? But how are you going to measure these ingredients without the proper tools? Accurate measurements are important when following any recipe, but they're even more essential when baking. If you're off slightly, that cake might be too dense, your cookies won't rise, or your pie crust dough could be too wet and sticky.

Here comes Dollar Tree to the rescue once again with its sets of measuring spoons and dry measuring cups. Made by McCormick, each of these sets comes with four pieces. The measuring spoon set includes measurements for 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, and ¼ teaspoon, and the measuring cup set includes 1, ½, ⅓, and ¼-cup tools.

Consider adding a graham cracker pie crust from Dollar Tree during your next shopping trip. These crusts are ready to use, eliminating much of the hassle of making your own pies. No more crushing graham crackers, trying to achieve the perfect ratio of butter to graham crackers, or trying to evenly spread the coating over the base of the pan.

Instead, all you need to do is add a favorite filling, and you can have a dessert ready to share with others in no time. Graham cracker crusts are great for a variety of recipes, such as chocolate cream pie, key lime pie, or even a decadent peanut butter pie.

I considered different variables as I put together this list of baking essentials from Dollar Tree. First, I wanted to choose tools and supplies that would make a worthwhile purchase. For the baking supplies, I thought about the different types of treats that one might make — such as cakes, cookies, brownies, and pies — and thought about which tools would be necessary to prepare or bake these.

Since most of these items are priced at just $1.25 (or just slightly higher for a few of them), I assessed their overall quality and value to the best of my abilities by viewing them in person at a local Dollar Tree. As stated earlier, the tools that you'll find at Dollar Tree are unlikely to match the quality of what you'll be able to purchase from more premium brands or stores. However, some seem like they'll be more likely to hold up for multiple uses than others.