I was pricing out my usual Thanksgiving and Christmas baking this weekend and honestly had sticker shock — butter, eggs, chocolate, even vanilla seem way more expensive than last year. I usually make pies, cookies, and a cake or two for family, but I'm starting to wonder if it's still cheaper than just buying a few things from the bakery. Is anyone else still baking at home this year, or are you cutting back / switching to store-bought? Any tricks for keeping costs down without skipping the good stuff?
Baking at home usually still comes out cheaper per serving than a bakery, especially for cookies and pies, but the gap is smaller than it used to be. A few ways to keep costs down: buy butter when stores run holiday baking sales (it freezes well for months), use store-brand chocolate chips and pure vanilla only where the flavor really shows, and pick two or three favorite recipes instead of making everything. Splitting a big bag of flour or a flat of eggs with a neighbor or relative also helps.
I'm still baking, but I'm definitely cutting back to just two or three favorites this year instead of the whole list. Butter is the one that really stings — I grabbed a few packs on sale and froze them, and that helped a lot. I also split a big bag of flour with my sister, which kept the cost down. Homemade cookies still taste better to me than store-bought, but I totally get why people are switching this year with prices like these.