Savory bake sale inspiration?

This will be an all day event so whatever I end up making will need to be able to stand at room temperature for several hours. I'd like to have a variety of offerings to accommodate different diets (gluten-free, nut-free, vegetarian, vegan etc.) So far the only things I can think of are very carb heavy, (pretzels, focaccia, biscuits, scones etc.) so points for anything that contains a vague notion of a vegetable or protein.

Hannah
  • Posted by: Hannah
  • September 20, 2016
  • 15104 views
  • 15 Comments

15 Comments

Alexandra October 25, 2017
For anyone still looking for bake sale inspiration, especially savory options, try Gold Medal Products Co (https://blog.gmpopcorn.com), a website all about making, packaging, selling and marketing food for concession stands/bake sales. Scroll down a bit and on the right side of the page, there is a list of categories to check out. Don’t miss the Concession Foods category for recipe ideas, or my other 2 favorites, how to make and sell sweet or savory popcorn; and the Healthy Concessions category. There’s also info about selling drinks, seasonal items, and school/athletics fundraising; or, financial/marketing advice if you want to start your own business.
Good Luck!
(and no, I have no affiliation or connection to this website or Gold Medal flour—I was just so happy to have found it I thought others might appreciate the info)

PS: I’ve included a pic I found on google below if you decide to go with granola bars—the packaging is cute, but obviously not the only option. Also, regarding granola bars’ cost, I agree with C Sangueza, the overhead cost of nuts and dried fruits can be prohibitively expensive. But, there are ways to get around this issue: 1)always BUY NUTS IN BULK at a place like Costco, or 2)always CHECK FOR SALES at the dry goods bins section at your local grocery/co-op/health food store (basically, where there’s high turnover so nuts are fresher)—several bin items are usually on sale, so keep your eyes peeled for bargains and (assuming it’s a whole grain), then go home, dump into ziplock, seal it, and freeze. 3) Nuts are CHEAPER when bough WHOLE and UN-TOASTED and preferably, UN-SALTED—they’ll stay fresher, toast more evenly whole, and of course, the nuts will be cheaper
4) depending on the nut, the price can vary widely, so CHOOSE YOUR NUT MIXTURE WISELY; 5) make a large batch at once and you can FREEZE THE LEFTOVERS; or 6) If it’s a good recipe, plan on making the bars frequently not just for selling, but also for yourself and family; granola bars make a HEALTHY BUT YUMMY TO-GO BREAKFAST OR SNACK FOR YOURSELF/PARTNER/KIDS.
If all else fails, Trader Joe’s prices are pretty decent, assuming you don’t need 20 lbs of pecan and macadamia nuts ; )
 
sexyLAMBCHOPx September 22, 2016
How about making vegetable chips and bag them for individual sale? Beef Jerky, spiced crunchy chickpeas or cheese straws.
 
Bascula September 22, 2016
How about something that uses popcorn? you could make balls or just bags of flavored popcorn: cheesy, spice, vegan....
 
Michele September 21, 2016
I recently made the Tomato Galette from Posy Harwood, and because of the pastry I used I made 2 smaller pies rather than the larger one. It was delicious and would work well if you made it smaller, the size of tarts. I think it would be fine at room temperature. https://food52.com/blog/17785-cheddary-mustardy-tomatoey-and-a-quick-dinner-to-boot
 
a R. September 21, 2016
Frittata, Spanish Tortilla with potatoes, or those quinoa-egg-cheese muffins are great savory & GF additions that can stand around all day and all of them are high in protein and stand up to the addition of many vegetables!
 
ChefJune September 21, 2016
Why not make a couple of Pissaladieres? I like to do as they do in Nice and use puff pastry for the base (DuFour's frozen is all butter and very handy). Here are links to the two versions I have posted here on Food52: https://food52.com/recipes/14243-pissaladiere-a-la-rabe
https://food52.com/recipes/12393-pissaladiere-nicoise

 
Dona September 21, 2016
Would gougeres work?
 
My F. September 21, 2016
Similar to the granola bar suggestion above; a savory homemade protein bar could be perfect if you think the clientele at your event would go for them. I've adapted the pictured recipe from the book Power Hungry: The Ultimate Energy Bar Cookbook (let me know if you can't read the picture, I've been meaning to add my favorite variant to the site). You can try to find a vegan protein powder if you want to go full out vegan; I couldn't find any without artificial sweeteners in my area. I find that coconut milk works best of non dairy milks and Tahini the best of the seed butters.

Some ideas to make it savory: add nutritional yeast and chopped up sun-dried tomatoes, press spiced pumpkin seeds into the top before refrigerating, add chopped pretzels or favorite flavor of chip, etc.
 
BerryBaby September 21, 2016
I would check the guidelines of the event; i.e., what they allow as far as ingredients (many forbid anything with nuts due to allergies), quantity needed, etc. At our local school they have huge signs on all the doors, "NO NUT ZONE" and you can't bring in anything with nuts. I don't recall this ever being an issue back in the days when I was in elementary school. Not sure how this happened. Anyway, good luck, sound like a fun time! BB
 
C S. September 21, 2016
Last year I made vegan granola bars for a bake sale. I think I found the recipe on Food 52 but did not save the link. They were good and sold pretty well - they are not a money maker though if you pay yourself back for the ingredients, with a lot of nuts and dried fruit the cost per bar was pretty high.
 
Nancy September 21, 2016
You can make patties from various vegetables (most work well except the very watery) and have different sauces or dips to go with them.
They give the satisfaction of crunch and saltiness (moderate) without going crazy.
Also, some kind of clafouti or other pastry with lots of fruit, in individual portions (small cardbord cups).
 
Nancy September 21, 2016
Two other ideas
Sweet potato cake with optional icing (so there's fiber & nutrients from the veg)
Pain d'epices. A French spice cake which can last all day and be relatively low in sugar. Optional nuts. Similary, British gingerbread and Jewish honey cakes (seasonal now for Rosh Hashanah). All have spices & some sweetener, which can be reduced.
 
Nancy September 21, 2016
Last addition, for those who can eat wheat, is to make savory versions of biscotti and shortbread...I made them with Parmesan, rosemary and corn, also seen recipes for onion, cheddar and other herbs.
 
MMH September 21, 2016
I should have asked about the nature of your event,
 
MMH September 21, 2016
If this is too sweet I'm sorry but I often use an old recipe for no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal balls. I cut the sugar in 1/2 but they are always popular. My daughter is a competitive swimmer & these are very popular,
 
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