The in-store bakery at a grocery store is a place of wonderful convenience. It is also a place of massive markups. You are paying a huge premium for the labor and the convenience of a pre-made baked good. While some complex pastries are best left to the professionals, a huge number of classic, simple treats are incredibly easy and much, much cheaper to make at home. By investing just a little bit of time, you can save a huge amount of money on these seven baked goods.
1. Brownies
A single, pre-cut brownie from a bakery can cost three or four dollars. A whole box of brownie mix, which will make an entire pan of at least a dozen brownies, often costs less than that. The ingredients are simple, and the process is foolproof. Brownies are one of the easiest and most cost-effective treats you can make from scratch.
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
The price of a single, large chocolate chip cookie from a bakery is often over two dollars. For that same price, you can buy a bag of chocolate chips. This will allow you to make two or three dozen cookies at home. The taste of a warm, fresh-from-the-oven homemade cookie is also a thousand times better than the one that has been sitting in a bakery case all day.
3. Banana Bread
The bakery is a master of turning its old, brown bananas into a new and profitable product: banana bread. A single loaf of banana bread can cost seven or eight dollars. You can make your own at home for a fraction of that price. All it requires is a few basic pantry staples and the same brown bananas that you were about to throw away.
4. A Simple Birthday Cake
A custom-decorated birthday cake from a bakery can be a beautiful centerpiece, but it is also very expensive. For a simple, classic birthday cake, you are much better off making it at home. A box of cake mix and a can of frosting will cost you less than five dollars. This will produce a delicious and perfectly festive cake for a tiny fraction of the bakery’s price.
5. A Simple Fruit Pie
A fruit pie, like an apple or a cherry pie, seems like a difficult and time-consuming dessert to make. However, with a pre-made, refrigerated pie crust and a can of pie filling, the process is incredibly simple. You can assemble and bake a delicious, homemade pie in under an hour. The total cost will be much lower than the price of a pre-made pie from the bakery.
6. Scones
A scone from a coffee shop or a bakery can be a delicious but very pricey treat. A single scone can easily cost more than four dollars. A basic scone recipe, however, is one of the simplest and cheapest things you can bake. It is just a mix of flour, butter, sugar, and milk. You can make a whole batch of eight scones at home for the price of a single one from the store.
7. Rice Krispies Treats
This is perhaps the most overpriced item in the entire bakery. A single, pre-packaged Rice Krispies treat can cost two or three dollars. You can make an entire pan of them at home with three simple and cheap ingredients: a box of Rice Krispies, a bag of marshmallows, and a stick of butter. The markup on the pre-made version is truly astronomical.
The Sweet Savings of DIY
The convenience of a store-bought baked good is a powerful temptation. However, that convenience almost always comes with a massive, hidden markup. For these simple and classic treats, the small amount of time and effort that it takes to make them at home is a fantastic investment. The reward is huge savings for your wallet. You will also get a much more delicious and satisfyingly fresh-from-the-oven result. The sweetest treats are the ones you make yourself.
What is your favorite baked good to make at home? What do you think is the most overpriced item in a grocery store bakery? Let us know!
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