12 Cheap Baking Items To Buy At Michaels

When most people think of Michaels, they think of a well-stocked craft store specializing in creative DIY-projects, holiday decorating, picture framing, and fabulous finds to declutter your kitchen. Home decor enthusiasts and teachers are known to flock there, but home bakers in-the-know understand that any given store has an aisle-full of useful baking supplies. From pans and tools to decorating accessories and packaging boxes, Michaels is a great resource for any baker, whether they're a novice or a professional. Even better is that many of these items won't break the bank, like the 12 we found that will help you successfully create gorgeous, tasty baked goods on a budget.

The most expensive item we put on our list is a hand mixer for just under $31, but we think you'll understand why we see it as a value. Everything else costs no more than $15, but most of our picks are actually under $10. These 12 items are just a fraction of the selection that Michaels' stores and website offers, and there are usually additional seasonal items, so if you want to take a look at everything it carries, give yourself plenty of time. For starters, these picks show you that high quality baking items don't need to cost a bundle.

You might be surprised how often an oven set to a specific temperature does not heat to what you have specified. This is why it's important to keep a portable oven thermometer inside your oven. It's a much more accurate way to determine how hot your oven is, so you can adjust it accordingly (and then your baked goods will come out perfectly at home). With this model, you can hang it or place it on top of your oven rack.

Buy Celebrate It oven thermometer from Michaels for $12.99

While you might be able to get away with estimating measurements when you cook, baking is very different, and precision is absolutely necessary for success. Having a good set of measuring cups in your repertoire is vital. We love this silicone set because it's lightweight, very affordable, and the cups collapse flat for easier, safe-saving storage.

Buy Makery silicone measuring cups from Michaels for $5.99

When you think about it, you probably use a whisk in baking much more than you think. It's a great tool for combining dry ingredients, and it's a crucial tool when you don't want any lumps in your sauces, puddings, and custards. When you beat egg whites into stiff peaks for meringues, or heavy cream into whipped cream, the best kind of whisk is a balloon whisk like this one that will incorporate lots of air into your concoction.

Buy Progressive stainless steel balloon whisk from Michaels for $14.95

Priced just over $30, this electric hand mixer is an absolute steal for a gadget that acts like a baking workhorse, especially when you consider that it basically does the job of those very expensive stand mixers. Additionally, this five-speed model by Brentwood has great customer reviews. It will quickly blend all your baking batters with very little elbow grease. To avoid achy wrists, just elevate your bowl with a cutting board or a sturdy cookbook.

Buy Brentwood 5-speed electric hand mixer from Michaels for $30.99

While not exactly a baking tool, this beautiful brown glass cake stand makes for a gorgeous presentation for your cakes, tarts, brownies, cookies, candies, and dessert bars. While cake stands like this can be expensive, this one from Ashland is under $8 on sale ($19.99 at full price) and has an elegant vintage look and feel. The flat surface area measures 10.5 inches, so there is plenty of room for large desserts.

Buy Ashland brown glass cake stand from Michaels for $7.99

Whether it is reaching into the oven for a hot pan, or grabbing the edge of a double boiler full of melted chocolate, you're going to need to protect your hands if you're a baker. This sturdy silicone one can handle heat up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, has a textured surface to support grip, and is long enough to protect your hand, wrist, and lower arm.

Buy Makery blue silicone oven mitt from Michaels for $8.29

For professional-looking bakes, uniformity is key. Using a cookie scoop ensures that all of your cookies, muffins, cupcakes, cake pops, ice cream scoops, and even pancakes are the same size and shape. Just scoop your dough or batter up with this handy tool, and squeeze the handle to release onto your pan.

Buy Makery cookie scoop from Michaels for $8.99

It's amazing how much an offset spatula can improve your frosting skills. With just a small angle, you gain so much more control than, say, a butter knife, or straight spatula. This 9-inch model is great for applying frosting to any kind of cake or cupcakes and can be helpful when lifting delicate cookies off a cookie sheet.

Buy Makery angled spatula from Michaels for $9.29

This is a perfect decorating kit for anyone getting started in cake or cupcake decorating. It includes eight disposable pastry bags for placing your frosting in, and four metal decorating tips: two are star designs, one is round, and one is a flower design. As your decorating improves, you'll probably accumulate many more tips, but these four classic shapes are timeless.

Buy Celebrate It cupcake decorating kit from Michaels for $12.49

One reliable way to give your bakes instant flourish is by adding color. Whether it goes in your baked goods or is used to dye the icing decorations, food color is an indispensable tool for any baker. We love this food color gel because it is much more concentrated than water-based dyes, meaning a little bit goes a very long way without changing the consistency of your batters or frostings. Michaels carries 20 colors.

Buy Satin Ice food color gels from Michaels for $4.99 each

One of the easiest ways to decorate baked goods is by adding colorful, festive sprinkles. Michaels is stocked with a giant array of sprinkles in various colors and shapes. We especially love the choices from PME Cake Sweet Street because they're extra glitzy, and there's a color and vibe for every occasion.

Buy PME Cake Sweet Street sprinkle mixes from Michaels for $11.49 each

Baking can encompass so much more than vanilla and chocolate. To help create intense flavors of all kinds, baking emulsions can help. LorAnn sets the standard in the baking industry with great flavors and lots of choices. Not only does it offer common flavors like almond and lemon, but you can find unusual ones like cherry, cream cheese, cookie butter, and cinnamon spice at Michaels.

Buy LorAnn Oils bakery emulsions at Michaels for $9.99 each