About us
Welcome to Bakers and Tasters! We are a Baking Club (AND EATING CLUB!)
Ladies, do you...
• Love to bake (sweet or savory)?
• Love to eat sweet and savory baked goods?
• Love to socialize over coffee, tea, and good food?
...if you say "yes" to any of these questions, then this meetup group is for you!
We will be scheduling 6-10 meetups per year in ESSEX, MA. Don't be afraid of the wait list! Just throw your name on there! I can assure you that people sign up well ahead and then by the time the event rolls around, it dwindles down.
This meetup group is for ladies only - every night will be "ladies night"!
BAKERS - Do you need people to eat your experiments? Would you like a fun setting for people to enjoy your baking? If you are a baker (new or seasoned) and want a unique outlet for your baking, please join us! And on those occasional weeks when you don't feel like baking, or are too busy to bake, you can be a taster!
TASTERS - Do you love to sit around a table with a cup of coffee and enjoy a sweet or savory snack in the evening with friends? Then please join us! Instead of bringing food, we ask all tasters to bring a small supply donation such as napkins, plastic utensils, tea, etc. Each event page will specify supply needs.
DUES: This meetup group is FREE to join. There will be a contribution box at events and it is recommended that attendees contribute $3 - $5 per attended event. It is extremely helpful in off-setting meetup costs (which continuously increase). Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated! If you want to know where your contributions are going, the finances are public and there is a link on the event page. You can see all of the startup costs and ongoing costs and how the past dues and contributions have helped to offset those costs.
I truly enjoy this meetup group and I think you will too! I have always enjoyed baking and thought I would do more 'recipe tweaking' and recreational baking if I had people to eat it! This group has been a great outlet while also providing a chance to meet new friends at the same time!
Upcoming events
1
Holiday Cookie Swap and Gift Swap!
65 Eastern Ave, Essex, MA, USOur cookie swap is a big hit every year! It is a fun opportunity to bake some treats and go home with a huge variety! As usual we will also enjoy a gift swap - details below. Please read all of the instructions carefully - each attendee will need something to contribute to the cookie swap as well as the gift swap!
COOKIE SWAP INSTRUCTIONS
- Bake (or purchase if life is busy) 5-7 dozen cookies, candies, or treats. You may want to bake a few extras in case any are unusable, get dropped, or get eaten along the way (haha) just to make sure you have enough.
- Make 18 packages of 2-3 treats and make sure you have 18 leftover for tasting. If you are putting 2 in each pkg you will need at least 5 dozen. If you are putting 3 in each pkg you will need at least 6 dozen.
- Wrap each package of 2-3 cookies very simply but securely in small ziplocks, or treat bags. When you arrive, there will be 18 boxes on the table. Put one package in each one. You should bring the remaining treats on a tray or plate, and these will go on the center tables for tasting!
- On the way out, everyone grabs a box with 18 different little treats.
This cookie numbers are for 18 participants. If the number of participants changes, please keep an eye for changes in the number of cookies.
GIFT SWAP
I like to keep the emphasis of the gift swap on the "fun" and not the "gifts". It's more about friendships, hanging out together, and having fun! The gift you give and receive is an extra bonus. Let's keep it between $15 and $30 (ish) so everyone can participate.Our Gift Swap theme this year is BREAKFAST and BRUNCH gifts. I chose this because it's not only a unique theme but also because breakfast and brunch food has been a favorite in this group! Please keep it creative and keep it special!
BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH GIFT IDEAS
- Artisanal Fruit Curds such as passion fruit or blood orange curd from local makers or specialty brands
- Flavored or small-batch specialty nut butters like salted maple pecan butter, cinnamon roll almond butter, or dark chocolate espresso hazelnut spread
- Unique fruit jams or compotes like fig-lavender, black currant, or sour cherry preserves paired with a pretty honey dipper or spreading knife
- Fancy compound butters or sweet honey-butter crocks designed to melt over warm biscuits
- Scone or Biscuit Mixes + Finishing Sugar such as blueberry-lemon or rosemary cheddar biscuit mix paired w/ sparkling sugar or clotted cream
- Gourmet Cinnamon Roll Kits, High-end skillet cinnamon roll mixes or brioche French toast kits that include a fancy glaze
- Infused syrups like bourbon-barrel aged maple, cinnamon vanilla syrup, or lavender-infused honey
- Artisanal Finishing Salts, Jars of flaky Maldon sea salt, truffle sea salt, or smoked salt to elevate scrambled eggs or avocado toast.
- Specialty brunch sauces
- Gourmet pancake/waffle mixes
- Pure maple syrup or specialty flavored syrup in decorative glass
- Artisan granola and Gourmet biscotti such as Dark Chocolate Cherry Pecan, Maple Tahini Sea Salt, Cardamom Pistachio Orange, or Honey Rosemary Almond
- A ceramic or stoneware pancake warmer that keeps pancakes, waffles, French toast, or crepes hot
- A reusable stoneware or painted terracotta egg crate
- A pretty dish for French toast casserole or quiches, or a single serving cast iron skillet or egg cooker, or a beautiful brunch platter for serving
- Gourmet candied bacon and glaze kits featuring specialty brown sugars, maple-bourbon glazes, black pepper crusting rubs, or spicy cayenne mixes formulated specifically to bake candied bacon
- A bacon press
Or….something else “brunchy” :) Use your creativity! Any of these gifts can include a breakfast or brunch recipe inside that matches the gift!
GIFT INSTRUCTIONS
- Purchase a gift! Please take the time to get something that the recipient will appreciate and enjoy between $15 and $30ish.
- Wrap your gift! Please wrap it so we can't see the contents. You can add note inside to let the recipient know that the gift is from you!
- There will be a table for gifts. Place your gift on the table, and we will play a little game to exchange them later!
RSVP - If you realize that you can't make it, please give AS MUCH NOTICE AS POSSIBLE (at least a week but more is better)
LEAVE A COMMENT: Be sure to leave a comment below with what type of cookie, candy, or treat you will be bringing (so we don't have duplicates), but keep your gift a secret! Again, please do not wait until the day before to comment. We need to hear from you so that we know how to plan.
DONATIONS $5 per person. Thank you :) All donations & expenses are tracked here if you want to see what your donations are going towards: https://www.meetup.com/Bakers-and-Tasters/money/
16 attendees
Past events
80
