There are times when you want to bake but can’t or don’t want to go to the store. That’s where these recipes come in handy. These are some really great dessert recipes utilizing what you’re very likely to have in your pantry!
Baking with Basic Ingredients
If you bake regularly, you probably have some basic baking ingredients in your kitchen – flour, sugar, eggs, butter, etc. – all the time. In addition to those, you probably also have a stash of other ingredients that you like to use in baking. For instance, I almost always have a few kinds of chocolate, nuts, dried fruits, peanut butter, oats, and several other odds and ends.
Everyone’s idea of “pantry staples” will vary, but I hope you’ll find several things here that will work with what you have on-hand. Then you can get on with baking a treat to share with your family, doing some stress baking, procrastibaking, or whatever else motivates you to get in the kitchen and get baking!
And if you don’t quite have enough chocolate chips, nuts, or another add-in, remember that it’s easy to substitute something else. Not enough chocolate chips for your cookies? Replace some with nuts or dried fruits. Get creative and see what great flavor combinations you can create!
Pantry Staples Baking Recipes
Get ready to bake some amazing things using just the basics! I think you’ll be surprised what all you can make with simple ingredients.
Blondies and Bars
Double Chocolate Chunk Blondies are such a sweet and simple treat. They mix quickly and easily, and are a welcome sweet treat or dessert. If you don’t have two kinds of chocolate, no worries. Just use what you have or add some chopped nuts. Just keep the total volume of add-ins about the same.
Here are some more blondie and bar recipes to try with your stash of baking ingredients:
- Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Squares
- Salty Chocolate Chunk Blondies
- Black Bottom Cookie Bars
- Toffee Squares
- Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Frosted Oatmeal Bars
- Brown Butter Skillet Blondie
- Peanut Butter White Chocolate Blondies
- Black and White Cookie Bars
- Spiced White Chocolate Blondies
- Chocolate Toffee Bars
- Oatmeal Brownie Bars
- Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Brown Butter Blondies
- Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Brownies
If you’ve got baking chocolate and/or cocoa powder in the pantry, then brownies are always a great choice! These Triple Chocolate Brownies are one of my favorite all-out brownies with plenty of chocolate chips and nuts.
Or match up what you have in your pantry with one of these brownie recipes:
- Dark and Milk Chocolate Marbled Brownies
- Peanut Butter Toffee Brownies
- Cinnamon Crumb Brownies
- Kitchen Sink Brownies
- Salted Fudge Brownies
- Brownie Cupcakes
Cakes
When I’m asked for an easy yet amazing dessert recipe, Easy Chocolate Torte is one of the first things that comes to mind. If you happen to have some ice cream stashed in your freezer, add a scoop to a warm slice, dig in, and enjoy.
If you’ve got chocolate, nuts, or just the basics, these cakes (and cupcakes) are great options, too:
- Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake
- Vanilla Bean Cake with Brown Butter Icing
- Chocolate Pound Cake with Vanilla Glaze
- Cinnamon Pudding Cake
- Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Frosting
- Chocolate Chip Snack Cake
- Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
- Cocoa Cake
- Brown Sugar Pecan Coffee Cake
- Chocolate Cobbler
- Pecan Pie Cupcakes
- Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Pies
Monster Cookie Pie can have simple flavors or as many flavors as you want. Just use chocolate chips and maybe some nuts if you like. Or dig into your stash of baking add-ins and add everything that sounds good!
If you’re in a pie-baking mood, here are some more easy ideas:
Cookies
When it comes to baking with pantry staples, these Brown Sugar Shortbread are a winner. They’re so easy to make and just the right amount of sweet. I usually have cornstarch in the pantry, but you can try using more flour if you don’t have any.
I’ve shared dozens of cookie recipes with you, so be sure to see all of them if you have something specific in mind. Or try one of these favorites:
- Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Salted Oatmeal Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Monster Skillet Cookie
- Danish Butter Cookies
- Salty Mixed Nut Cookies
- Dorie’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Salty Sugar Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies
- Brown Sugar Crinkles
I hope you’ve found some baking inspiration here! Do you have a go-to baking recipe that just uses pantry staples? Let me know in the comments!
If you have plenty of baking ingredients on-hand, then visit my Recipe Index for even more baking ideas! You’ll find recipes by category and by ingredient to help you find just the thing to bake!
Happy baking!
2 Comments on “Pantry Staples Baking Recipes”
Hi! Thanks for your words of encouragement. I’d sure love to know (no sarcasm intended) what sites you’re finding it easy to get certain staples delivered from? Just last night, I went online to look into ordering flour for baking. Seems there’s none to be found, unless you want to purchase a 50 lb bag and pay at least double the cost in shipping! I first looked on King Arthur Flour’s site – all sold out of the majority of their classics – AP, cake, whole wheat, you name it. Webstaurant store – pretty much the same. An Amish outfit in Virginia sells 50 lb bags of Sir Galahad flour for around $23, but the shipping was more than double the price to ship to NJ! If you know of some online resources that still have staples for a reasonable price, including shipping, I’d love to hear about it! Thanks for your wonderful recipes! Stay safe, and healthy!
I hadn’t had any real issues until this week. I order groceries locally online for delivery, and they are thinned out but still have most of what I need. I’m on the lookout for more options, and I’ll pass along any I find.