Bake Cookies With 3D-Printed Utensils (Even a TPU Spatula)
Your stand mixer's beater is missing, the spatula has gone walkabout, and Cookie Monster is on his way. Don't panic — your 3D printer might just save dessert. Maker Startup Chuck recently filmed a whole cookie-baking session using only utensils printed from his own machine, and the lineup is a delightfully nerdy answer to the question, "how far can you really push a hobby printer?"
What is the printed cookie kit?
The set is the full Sunday-baker dream team: scoops in three sizes, a KitchenAid-compatible mixing bowl and beater, an AI-generated spork that's almost flat enough to use as a spreader, and the star of the show — a spatula with a flexible TPU blade. Everything is FDM-printed, mostly in PLA, with the soft TPU tip giving the spatula real bowl-scraping ability you don't get from rigid plastic.
It's a fun showcase of how versatile a single-extruder printer can be once you start mixing materials between prints. None of it is a forever solution — layer lines aren't food's best friend — but as a one-day project that ends in warm cookies, it's hard to beat.
How to print your own set
You don't need a fancy machine to pull this off. The basics:
- Filament: PLA is fine for short-use tools like scoops and mixing accessories. If you want a food-contact-friendly version, look for filament that's certified food-safe and pair it with a stainless or coated nozzle.
- Layer height: 0.16 mm gives smoother surfaces that are easier to wipe clean than rough 0.28 mm prints.
- Walls and infill: 3 perimeters and 25% infill for strength on handles; the spatula blade can drop to 15% to stay light.
- TPU tip: print slow (~25 mm/s), retract minimal, and use direct drive if you have it. Bowden extruders can struggle with soft filament.
For the actual cookies, Startup Chuck even baked them right on his printer's heated bed at around 200°C — not something we'd recommend leaving unattended, but a fun trick for the video.
Try it on your printer
An Ender 3, Bambu A1, or Prusa MK4 with a 0.4 mm nozzle handles every part of this kit. PLA for the rigid pieces and a small spool of TPU for the spatula blade is all you need. Grab fresh PLA and TPU from Flarelab and you can have your full set printed over a weekend — then put the kettle on and start baking.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to bake cookies using 3D-printed utensils?
For short, one-off use with cool dough — yes, with a few caveats. Use food-safe filament, print smooth (0.16 mm or finer), wash gently by hand, and don't expose the printed parts to high heat. Treat them as a fun novelty rather than daily kitchen tools.
Why use a TPU blade on the spatula?
TPU is flexible, so the blade can hug the inside curve of a mixing bowl and lift dough cleanly — something a rigid PLA spatula simply can't do. It also won't snap if you bend it accidentally while scraping.
What filament should I use for kitchen tools?
For PLA scoops and mixing bowls, look for a filament that's explicitly labelled food-safe. Pair it with a stainless steel or coated nozzle so no brass particles end up in your dough. For the flexible spatula tip, food-safe TPU works the same way.
Can I really bake cookies on my 3D printer's heated bed?
Startup Chuck did it as a stunt for the video — his bed cranked up to around 200°C. It's possible, but it's not something to leave unattended or do regularly: it stresses the printer's hardware and the cookies cook unevenly. A real oven is still your best friend.
What's the easiest piece to print first?
Start with a cookie scoop. It's small (under an hour to print), uses very little filament, doesn't need supports, and gives you something fun to test in the kitchen before committing to bigger prints like the mixing bowl.
Inspired by reporting from Hackaday 3D Printing.