You don’t need much in the way of fancy tools and equipment for making rolled and cutout cookies. Chances are pretty good that you already own many of the essentials—a baking sheet or two, some mixing bowls and measuring cups and spoons. Anything you don’t have is very easy to find in kitchenware stores and online. Check the Sources here to find out where you can find all the supplies used in this book.
I happen to have an odd assortment of baking tools and more kitchen equipment than any one baker could ever use, the result of years of going to yard sales and flea markets in Upstate New York. I have a tough time resisting a set of battered measuring cups, old tin measuring spoons, and timeworn graters. I’ve also amassed a huge assortment of very useful bowls, baking sheets, whisks, and enough rolling pins for a cookie decorating party of 20—one for each guest. Of course, you only need one rolling pin, but once you begin making and decorating cookies, the pull to own a few more may strike.
I’ve organized this section (and the Decorating Supplies section that begins here) into essential and optional items. The nonessential tools are just that, but you will find them helpful in getting the most pleasure out of baking and decorating cookies.