The 15 Hands-Down Best Trader Joe's Finds For Bakers

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Trader Joe's is a haven for snack connoisseurs (we've ranked 50 of the absolute best TJ's snacks) and heaven for busy folks who crave affordable, delicious prepared foods. But you might not recognize that Trader Joe's is also stocked to the brim with interesting ingredients and whimsical elements for creative bakers to add to their sweet treats.

Whether you're tackling tried and true family recipes or itching to get wild and experimental in the kitchen, TJ's can provide you with some truly delicious and always cost-effective items that will kick your desserts up several, yummy notches. Because TJ's is generally so affordable, you won't feel so terrible if you burn the cookies or the buttercream curdles; you can feel free to try new things, combine new flavors, and let your Trader Joe's-inspired baking mind go wild.

There are several baking staples that are absolutely available at Trader Joe's that we left off the list, simply because they're sold everywhere. You can buy ingredients like eggs, butter, and nut butters at any store, and even though they did make our list of the best value items at Trader Joe's, we wanted to keep this list hyper-focused on items that will specifically up your baking game and interesting things you might not see on every other grocery shelf.

You roll any cookie in this turbinado raw cane sugar, sprinkle it over any muffin, and you've given your baked goods so much more crunch and texture (not to mention sweetness) than you would have had otherwise. It can also be substituted for brown sugar or used to thicken frosting. The applications are basically endless, and all delicious.

Fair Trade Turbinado Raw Cane Sugar ($3.49/24 ounces)

Vanilla bean paste is like vanilla extract with an exclamation point, and you should be using it in your baking. Really, both have their place in baking, but there are definitely instances when you should use vanilla bean paste over extract, and vice versa. Use the Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste from Trader Joe's (which is named so because it comes from the Bourbon Islands, not because there's bourbon in it), to achieve an extremely rich vanilla flavor and for when you want to see those signature black specks. Think: shortbread cookies, pound cake, or homemade whipped cream.

Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste ($4.99/4 ounces)

Rolled oats are a basic baking staple, but the price and quality makes TJ's oats unbeatable. Oats are technically gluten-free, but cross contact is a major concern for those who live with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance. It can be difficult — not to mention expensive — to find oats that are actually labeled gluten-free. Not only are TJ's oats gluten-free, but they cost $3.99 for a 32-ounce bag. In comparison, Quaker Gluten-Free Oats sell for $5.79 for an 18-ounce can at Stop and Shop. Use TJ's oats with abandon in your cookies, crumbles, and muffins, oh my!

Rolled Oats ($3.99/32 ounces)

Speculoos cookie butter hit it big in U.S. baked goods starting around 2011, when the spiced, caramelly cookie spread made its way from Europe. Trader Joe's was one of the first major adopters to sell the delicious stuff, and its version has since become a classic baking ingredient. Swirl it into cheesecake, blend it into your blondie batter, or take a look at our list of the 20 best ways to use cookie butter. It's good stuff.

Speculoos Cookie Butter Spread ($4.49/14.1 ounces)

You probably know by now that Trader Joe's is the place to go nuts for nuts. The store usually has an entire wall covered in every variety of every nut you can think of — raw, roasted, salted, unsalted, flavored — most for significantly less than you'd pay in another grocery store. We're here to tell you that the toasted, unsalted slivered almonds are a must-have for any home baker. They're crunchy and perfect for topping cakes, cookies, bars, and tortes.

Unsalted Dry Toasted Slivered Almonds ($3.79/8 ounces)

The name is French, and the sauce is sweet and salty. What more could you ask for? If you're a caramel fan, this is simultaneously great and dangerous to have in your house because it's perfect when drizzled over brownies or cheesecake or banana bread or poured in the middle of thumbprint cookies, but it's also pretty darn good straight from the jar. Ask us how we know.

Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce ($3.99/10 ounces)

Speaking of thumbprint cookies ... and being delicious straight from the jar, the Trader Joe's lemon curd is everything you want from a quality curd: tart, sweet, silky, indulgent, and a secret weapon for home bakers. There are at least 15 creative ways to use lemon curd, and the best part about this one is that you didn't have to make it from scratch, and it still tastes that good.

Lemon Curd ($3.99/10.5 ounces)

Freeze-dried fruit is the easiest, most natural way to infuse fruit flavor into your baked goods without risking too much moisture, which is always a concern when using fresh fruit. These have one ingredient — raspberries — which means you get pure, concentrated raspberry flavor with no added sweetener.

Blend up these freeze-dried raspberries into a powder and mix into frosting, or pour them right into your white chocolate chip cookie dough for a fresh, fruity kick. Or both! Frosting-topped cookies are underrated.

Freeze Dried Raspberries ($3.99/1.2 ounces)

Dollop this vanilla mascarpone on top of a fruit tart or whip it with some ricotta and inject it into your cannolis. If you have patience for none of that, dip a boxed shortbread cookie right into the container and plop a fresh strawberry on top. You won't regret it.

Vanilla Mascarpone ($3.99/8 ounces)

If you don't think you need a pound (plus) of dark chocolate, think again. Trader Joe's chocolate is always high quality, and this huge hunk is no exception. Chop it into artisanal chunks for your chocolate chip cookies, melt it down to achieve all your tempered chocolate dreams, or just eat it straight. You know you want to.

Pound Plus 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate ($8.99/17.6 ounces)

Trader Joe's uncrystallized candied ginger offers an incredible zingy flavor that will take your spiced molasses cookies, ginger cake, or fruit crumble to the next level, but the texture is perfect too. Biting down on a bit of candied ginger in a dessert is like finding a prize in a cereal box (but it's way more delicious).

Uncrystallized Candied Ginger ($7/8 ounces)

Pumpkin butter is a great sweet staple to have in your kitchen in the autumn months (it's a seasonal item at TJ's). It doesn't actually have dairy in it; rather, it's a spreadable, delectable combination of pumpkin puree, sugar, honey, and warm spices that would be a great addition to pies or cookies, but also to homemade ice cream, overnight oats, or even smoothies.

Pumpkin Butter ($2.99/10 ounces)

Bakers online swear by Trader Joe's shelf stable whipping cream. If you're a prolific baker, you know what a whipped cream emergency is. You have a freshly baked pie or a tray of brownies, and the only thing that would take it to the next level is homemade whipped cream. But oh no! You don't have any whipping cream in your fridge. That's when you reach into the cabinet for this shelf stable version. It's a seasonal item, so it isn't available all the time, but its shelf stable nature means you can stock up when you see it.

Shelf Stable Whipping Cream ($1.99/8 ounces)

You can elevate so many baked dishes with a luxurious, syrupy cherry on top, and these Amarena cherries from Trader Joe's certainly do the trick. They're obviously right at home as toppers to your ice cream sundaes, but think about fruit cakes and clafoutis, fancy crème brûlée, and, of course, cocktails. Mixology isn't exactly baking, but baking with a cocktail in hand is one of those experiences that can't be beat.

Pitted Amarena Cherries with Stems in Syrup ($5.99/16.2 ounces)

The GIR in GIR Baking Mat stands for "Get It Right." These silicone baking mats, which fit your 12 x 17 inch baking sheets and are heat resistant up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit, ensure that none of your cookies stick (no chocolate chip left behind!) and all of your cakes slide right out of the pan. And if they don't fit into your sheet, you can cut them into any size you need, and they don't fray. We know — game changer.

GIR Baking Mat ($4.99/mat)