My Favorite Things: Ingredients, Supplies, Photography, Books, & Life
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Welcome to the official list of all my favorite things and links to where you can get them. When I first started cookie decorating, I didn’t know where to begin, and a list like this would have been unbelievably helpful to my wallet. These are my die hard favorite products that I really can’t live without, and I will be updating it as I discover more amazing things. Enjoy!
TOOLS & SUPPLIES
Arkon Mount- use code LINENANDGRAY for 20% off
The Arkon Mount is amazing and 100% necessary if you plan to use a projector or make videos of yourself decorating. It is sturdy and adjustable, and they even have a cookie decorator specific one. It can’t be beat. (Mine is the “Cookie Decorators Mount Stand for Phones and Pico Projectors” – CDM2XMG5) This one allows you to use your phone to video while using the projector, as well as the option to use each on their own.
Using a projector is one of the most crucial things to invest in when looking to improve your decorating skills and gain a level of sophistication and consistency. This is the projector that I use, and it has always performed well. I’ve used it for about a year with no problems.
Apple Lightning to Digital AV Adaptor
This cord is needed if you want to connect your projector to your iPhone or iPad. Since I design all of my lettering and cookie designs on my iPad, this cord has been awesome for connecting it to the projector. (As a bonus, you can also connect your phone to your tv with it and watch shows.)
Tonic Haberdashery 6″ Scissors
These scissors are amazing. They are sharp and thin, which is perfect for cutting teeny tiny bits off of tipless piping bags.
The BEST spatulas for mixing icing colors. Cannot recommend them enough. They are the perfect size, sturdiness, and flexibility. And they’re pink. Need I say more?
If you like to create royal icing transfers of any kind, these cellophane squares are a game changer. I discovered them for this purpose completely by accident, as I originally bought them as lollipop wrappers. (They work great for that too, by the way!) The reason I like them so much for RI transfers, is because they are small and easy to place over your illustration and move around as you please. Cellophane also is great at preventing cratering.
Grunderfully Delicious Piping Bags
These are my favorite tipless piping bags because they are super thin, yet they withstand a lot of pressure. I have only had one bag break on me since using them, and it was my own fault. These bags are also the best for lettering and small details.
These bags are amazing as well, and I love them almost as much as the Grunderfully Delicious bags.
Tweets Cookie Connection Edible Pen
This is the only pen I will recommend for drawing on icing. It is a super fine tip and writes so well on cookies. I use it for all my extremely detailed lettering/writing as well as drawing delicate black lines and details. I haven’t experiences any bleed or smudging with it. (Before packaging the cookies, I will dust with a little cornstarch to prevent smudging.)
Using a scale for baking is CRUCIAL to getting good and consistent results. Trust me, you need a scale. (It’s also so much easier to weigh out your ingredients in a bowl rather than scooping them all out with measuring cups.)
Joseph Joseph Rolling Pin with Adjustable Rings
Game Changer. The best way to roll a consistent dough is to use a rolling pin with guides. Below is a link to my favorite size for dough, 5/16″. (The rolling pin doesn’t come with this size.)
5/16″ Guide- (My Favorite Size)
PACKAGING
The key to providing fresh cookies to your clients is to heat seal them in poly bags. This little machine is perfect for sealing these bags.
One of my most used bag sizes.
This is a smaller bag size, but it comes in so handy sometimes, and I really recommend having them on hand if you tend to ever make smaller cookies.
One of my most used bag sizes.
5 7/16″ x 5/8″ x 7 9/16″ Crystal Clear Collapsible Box Top
*This is the top part of the box. You need this and the bottom part below.*
I absolutely love this size box. It is perfect for pre-sales, farmers markets, or pop ups because it holds either one very large cookie, two average cookies, and sometimes even three cookies. The cover fits so snuggly.
5 3/8″ x 1″ x 7 1/2″ White Paper Box Bottom
*This is the bottom part of the box. You need this and the top part above.*
12 1/2″ x 9 3/4″ x 1 1/4″ White/White Two Piece Set
This is a long skinny box that can hold up to a dozen. Most often I use it for realtor boxes, which are half dozens. Other than that, I don’t tend to use this one most often.
12″ x 5″ x 1 1/2″ White/White Two Piece Set
This is a large box that can hold up to two dozen. I use it constantly for orders with either a single dozen or two dozen cookies. It is a great size and looks so professional.
9 1/2″ x 6″ x 1 1/4″ White/White Two Piece Set
This is my second favorite box, and it is a bit smaller. Ideally it can hold cookies similarly to the small box from ClearBags above, but it is larger and has more room. This is such a great box to have on hand, and it is also perfect for pre-sales, farmers markets, and pop ups.
INGREDIENTS
I use cake flour in my sugar cookie recipe, and of course for cakes. This is a great one!
Professional bakers recommend using kosher salt for baking rather than table salt, and this brand is specifically recommended. It has less of a salty taste, and the larger granules are perfect for preventing a recipe from becoming too salty. I love this one.
If you have a hard time enjoying the flavor of royal icing, it could simply be that you don’t like your meringue powder. This brand’s flavor is amazing, and it also keeps the icing workable for longer on the cookie. Overall, a great meringue powder.
This vanilla bean paste is a MUST HAVE in your life. I use it in my dough and royal icing, as well as a variety of other baking applications. It has such a delicious vanilla smell and flavor, and is much lighter on the alcohol flavor (making it perfect for non-baking applications too, like royal icing). It is expensive, but if you combine this with vanilla extract in a recipe, you don’t need to use as much.
The best kind of vanilla to use for a natural flavor is dark, pure vanilla. This is the inexpensive, classic vanilla of your childhood. (It is recommended by professionals. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on vanilla as long as it is dark and pure.)
I add this to the flour in my vanilla sugar cookie dough, and it adds a little oomph. Love it. This one is not strictly vanilla beans ground up, because it has sugar added to it.
Casa Bella VIda Mexican Vanilla
This is a clear vanilla with the most amazing scent. I use this in my Royal Icing, and I love the dreamy, marshmallowy flavor it gives. Total winner.
The BEST gold paint there is. I mix mine with a little bit of Everclear, and it makes the most beautiful golden paint.
COLORING
Americolor White Gel Food Coloring
Trust me, you’ll want the big one. I put a couple squeezes of this in every batch of icing, and it works so well to prevent color bleed in my cookies. It also takes out the ivory tone left by the natural vanilla that I use in my icing. It’s also great for achieving a pure white icing.
Americolor Nifty Fifty Gel Food Coloring
This is a great starter set of fifty Americolor gels in the small size.
Americolor Heavenly Seventy Gel Food Coloring
This is almost their full set of gel colors (missing some of the new ones) and a great investment for learning to experiment with colors and finding out which ones are your go-tos.
Americolor Taupe Gel Food Coloring
My #1 favorite gel. I use this in almost every color of icing that I make. It is a beautiful gel for toning down colors that are just a bit too bright.
Americolor Blush Gel Food Coloring
This is the most subtle neutral with a touch of pink to it. I use this gel all on its own to create a soft, pinky neutral.
Americolor Ivory Gel Food Coloring
This one is right up there with Taupe when it comes to importance. It is helpful for toning down colors, adding a yellow tone to colors, and also on its own as a soft buttery yellow.
Americolor Warm Brown Gel Food Coloring
Believe it or not, this is my favorite light pink color. On it’s own in very small amounts, it creates a beautiful nude pink.
Americolor Wedgewood Gel Food Coloring
My all time favorite and most used blue. It’s pretty much a robin’s egg color, but be turned into an icy blue with a bit of taupe.
Americolor Dusty Rose Gel Food Coloring
A gorgeous pink, Dusty Rose is a very potent color that I use in small amounts with Ivory to make a peachy pink.
Americolor Gold Gel Food Coloring
My favorite yellow. It’s perfect.
Americolor Laurel Gel Food Coloring
This is the perfect green, green. I add a bit of cypress to make it darker and more blue toned, and I add a bit of moss to make it more olive-y green toned.
Americolor Cypress Gel Food Coloring
This green is STUNNING. Blue toned and deep, it is perfect as a tropical green on it’s own, but it’s best when mixed with a tiny bit of moss, olive, or laurel.
Americolor Moss Gel Food Coloring
I don’t use this on it’s own, but I almost never make a green without a dab of this. It just makes greens look more realistic.
BOOKS
I have referenced this book quite a bit while working on my recipe for sugar cookies, and I plan to use it often as I develop other baking recipes. A great resource to have on hand!
This book is a text book with amazing information. Totally recommend if you want to do any baking recipe development.
How Baking Works: And What to Do When it Doesn’t
This book is also on the way, and I also have high hopes for it.
This is an amazing book to have on hand if you like to explore really unique ideas. Christina Tosi is so creative, and her ideas really sing in this book.
This is another Christina Tosi book, and I highly recommend it if you are interested in expanding your mind on the basic concept of cake. So much fun.
This book by Jamie Curl is all about candy, and there is a surprising amount of useful, seemingly non-candy related recipes/ideas in it. Very creative and unexpected recipes.
This book is also by Jamie Curl, and uses a few base recipes to show how you can use them to create many other recipes. It’s a very good resource to have on hand as a baker. (And it’s a lot of fun.)
This magazine subscription has been so worth it. It features beautiful photography and elevated recipes based on classic ideas. I absolutely love this magazine. There is a digital version too if that’s your thing.
PHOTOGRAPHY
This is the DSLR camera I purchased for food photography. It came recommended to me by professionals, and I am still in the process of learning how to use it. If you are in the market for a high quality DSLR, this is a great one.
iPhone 12 Pro Max
The easiest way to take amazing photos is with your iPhone. This is the iPhone I have, and it takes amazing pictures. Almost all the pictures on my Instagram and website were taken with this phone.
Adobe Lightroom Mobile
This app is free to use on your phone, and it is amazing for editing photos. You can also purchase presets (or make your own) that make editing your photos cohesively a one click experience.
Replica Surfaces – this link will give you 15% off your total
These surfaces are my favorite that I’ve used. They are sturdy and easy to clean, which makes them great for food photography. My favorite way to use them is the plastic stands to connect the All-White in the vertical position and the White Marble in the horizontal position. Putting them in an ‘L’ shape like that softens shadows and brightens the photo surface. There is such a wide variety of designs to choose from, so you can choose the surface that best fits your aesthetic. I love them!
BUSINESS
Flodesk – use this link for 50% off your subscription
Starting an email list is absolutely one of the most important things to do when starting a business. I regret not starting mine sooner, but I’m working on it now. Better late than never! Flodesk is amazing, because with your subscription, you get all the templates and features, as well as no cap on subscribers. The templates are gorgeous, and they are so easy to edit. I love Flodesk and am never going back to MailChimp.
Square
I love using Square for sending invoices and managing payments. Now you can also use Square to create contracts.
PLANN
This app is amazing for setting up your Instagram grid and planning posts. You can set up hashtag groups that are easy to copy and paste to your post, and there is a special insights tab that allows you to see even more behind the scenes information about your posts such as engagement rate, best performing color palettes, follower location, and best performing hashtag groups.
LIFESTYLE
Daily Harvest – use code LINENANDGRAY for $25 off your first box
I have been wanting to try Daily Harvest for so long, and I am so happy I finally did. It is so difficult to focus on your health as a mom with a home based business, and Daily Harvest has made eating healthier much easier. My personal favorite are the smoothies. Absolutely delicious, and they all have amazing health benefits that go beyond just fruits and vegetables.
Hello Fresh – use this link for $40 off
Hello Fresh is a game changer for my family right now. As a mom to a toddler running a business from home, I don’t have time to think about meal planning, go grocery shopping, or meal prep. Hello Fresh does all that for me, which allows me to still cook a healthy meal for my family and save money (and calories) by not ordering fast food to be delivered. I love that I can select my own meals each week based on our preferences. I am extremely particular, and I always find things I like!
I hope you find some amazing new things to try from this list! These are all products I absolutely love and use often, and I am so excited to share them with you. Let me know if there is something you think I need to try and maybe even add to the list.
Have a happy day,
Emily
