Baking ingredients (brandy, freezer, pizza, cookies)

[Jaxson]

while shopping Friday night I was grabbing some chocolate baking chips just as they were raising the prices. Hershey was $1.97 and Toll House $2.46 that is a .49 difference but today they both were the $2.46 price. I bought more 3 bags the other night to put up for my holiday baking keeping them in the freezer until needed.

Are you stocking up now for your baking needs? What other baking ingredients have you noticed a huge jump in pricing? Will you do less baking this holiday season? Do you share with just family and friends or do you take trays around to businesses that you frequent?

I usually make trays for our local meat counter guys, librarian, dentist office, local pizza place, kid's bus driver and of course put some in my mailbox for my mail carrier. Along with taking some to a couple of elderly neighbors then make enough for my family consumption.

[MJ1986]

Wow, that is quite a jump in price! I haven't bought any baking supplies lately, but I will have to check, and maybe I'll have to stock up now.
I do a little baking during the holidays. It all depends on how busy I am!
I usually bake for family members and take some baked goods to co-workers.

[MrsMo]

I have cornmeal and flour in my freezer now. Whenever it goes on sale I buy it! Yes I am stocking up for holiday baking. Went to Sam's and bought butter both salted and unsalted and froze it too. Noticed the price of choc chips also, luckily I buy 5 bags or so whenever they are on sale, so am pretty well stocked. This is the time of year the chips will go on sale alot. What I noticed at Sam's was the price of nuts!! Used to get pecans $5.99 a 2 lb bag, now they are almost double that!! Costco is the same. I like the larger bags as I like to add extra to my baked goods. Am also going to buy sweet potatoes when they are on sale. Boil them, then slice and put them in the freezer. I like sweet potatoes all winter long, just not during the holidays. I still have 2 teens at home and those boys would eat everything in the house if I let them. So I try to do buying when things are on sale and freeze what I can, even cooking as soon as I get the goodies home, then packing in freezer containers, so I will be prepared for holiday guests. And for 2 hungry boys that love to eat 24 hrs a day. We also smoked a 15 lb. brisket Sunday, what was left after dinner we sliced and put in the freezer, so there is our Christmas Eve meal, brisket sandwiches.

[nikkzone]

One of the Alertson's in our area went out of business about 6 months ago and had everything 75% off. I stocked up on lots of brown sugar, powdered sugar, nuts, and yes, bags and bags of chocolate chips and baking chocolate. Oh, and tons of Vanilla and cocoa, too. I bought over $400 worth of things for $100. One of the most exciting days of my life. It was almost better than giving birth to my three kids!

[Sizzly Friddle]

I have started stocking up. Soon it will be time to start my fruitcake. It needs plenty of time to fester in brandy before the holidays. I have been buying flour, sugar and butter when they are on sale. I will be ordering some good Callebaut white and dark chocolate from Chocosphere this weekend. I get most of the nuts and chocolate chips at Costco. I moved a few months ago from the Bay Area to very rural Northern California. The Costco up here does not carry unsalted butter. Safeway usually has good sales on corn syrup, condensed milk, and marshmallow fluff. Since I moved, I have a lot less people to give goodies to. I am really going to have to cut back on my holiday goodies. It will be hard to narrow down to just a few good recipes. Jaxson, I will do like you and take goodies to all the places I do frequent business with. I can make more stuff then. I have noticed that prices are up, but I am an aggressive bargain hunter, and I will get the best prices I can.

[carlitasway]

I stock up on baking stuff, too. I wish I would of on condensed milk because not too long ago it was 99 for the generic and today it was 1.42. Usually the baking stuff goes on sale for the holidays and I hope it still will this year. Sales suck lately.

[arod0331]

I'll have to keep my eyes open, the cookie exchange will be here soon and the nine of us each make 2 dozen for each other. That's right, we each make 18 dozen cookies.

[Jaxson]

Originally Posted by carlitasway

I stock up on baking stuff, too. I wish I would of on condensed milk because not too long ago it was 99 for the generic and today it was 1.42. Usually the baking stuff goes on sale for the holidays and I hope it still will this year. Sales suck lately.

I hadn't thought about canned milk going up even though gallons and the dried kind have. Sales around here the past couple of years haven't been worth the trip into town to go to. Last year when folks were saying how much turkeys were in their area we didn't have anything below .99 lb. I better be looking at my recipes and see how many cans of evaporated and condensed I will be needing huh?

[cb at sea]

I don't use enough baking ingredients to need to "stock up"---kids grown and gone--who's going to eat all of the goodies? I certainly don't need those calories!!! Neither does hubby! While they are delicious, you know the saying---"a second on the lips, forever on the hips!"

[Jaxson]

Originally Posted by cb at sea

I don't use enough baking ingredients to need to "stock up"---kids grown and gone--who's going to eat all of the goodies? I certainly don't need those calories!!! Neither does hubby! While they are delicious, you know the saying---"a second on the lips, forever on the hips!"

That is why I make the trays and we take them around to places! I still get to do all the baking and candy making then bless others with the yummy parts.