I am not an experienced baker by any means. The extent of my prior baking experience consisted of buying a box of cake mix or brownies and voila! A pan of tastiness just like that! When the pandemic came, I found myself really into old episodes of The Great British Baking Show and thinking, “how hard can THAT be?” I started with bread baking and found that it wasn’t as scary as I had always thought that it had been. There had always been something about using yeast that made me think it was 1,000 times harder than it really was.

Since then, I’ve tried a little more than bread baking, but my baking skills are still not where I would like them to be. This year, I’ve decided to put together a list of items that I would like get under my baking belt. A baking bucket list if you will. 🙂

2025 Baking Bucket List:

Homemade Bagels – Everything that I’ve seen always looks so easy and let’s be honest, if I can avoid paying $4-$5 for a bag of six bagels from now on, I’d be a very happy bunny!

Brownies – I’ve tried making homemade brownies in the past and they have turned out like absolute trash. I haven’t figured out what I did wrong, but I will keep trying.

Croissants – I love a good croissant, but I don’t love paying for them. I think the labor intensiveness of this one has always seemed off-putting when I could grab a box from the grocery or a tube from the dough boy. It’s time to put my big girl baking pants on and give it a whirl!

Peanut Butter Cookies – My aunt made the BEST peanut butter cookies, hands down. I found her recipe in a box of my grandma’s old recipes and tried once to recreate the magic with my “no stir” peanut butter. I recently bought her “go to” p.b (Skippy) and will make another attempt with that essential ingredient.

Vanilla Cupcakes – The thought of making without the help of Ms. Betty Crocker scares me. I’ve attempted homemade chocolate cake before, but for some reason the little cakes seem more scary. Am I a complete nut?

Challah – It’s no secret that I love bread and this is a very pretty bread. I don’t think I’d be able to do it justice, but I’m willing to give it a go!

Whole Wheat Bread – My previous attempt was left very dense and the loaf felt like it weighed 10 pounds. Needless to say, it wound up in the trash.

What are some recipes that you’ve got under your baking belt? I’d love to see any tips that you’d like to share!

Happy Baking!