cookie cutters

Cookies Since Childhood

I've been baking cookies since I was very small. At first, my mother handled eggs and oven doors and I managed the rest. Messily. I could read, a little, so I read which ingredients and how much and mixed them together. (My mother always made sure I knew all the words for any new recipes.) I couldn't read the directions, though, and those had to be explained.

My grandmother and aunts thought it was "just adorable" that I was baking cookies at such a young age and gave me cookie cutters. And more cookie cutters. And even more cookie cutters.

Then I grew up and I kept finding interesting cookie cutters. Sometimes I bought them. I've used nearly all that I own at least once.

After all, I find cookies that are pretty, or fun, to be more interesting and attractive than just plain ones.

Metal Outline Cutters

These are usually deep enough to cut designs in a variety of dough thicknesses. Easy to clean. Usually easy to hang on to. Usually inexpensive, easy to find and in a wide variety of shapes. However, sometimes the metal edges are sharp and these are frequently not safe for younger children.

The designs are: elephant, cat, shooting star and moon.

I bought these cookie cutters in the 1980s & 1990s.

Plastic Outline Cutters

These aren't quite as sturdy as the metal ones, but are deep enough for a variety of dough thicknesses, are child safe, are inexpensive and come in a wide variety of shapes.

The designs are: cat, ghost, butterfly, star, shamrock, turkey, and leaf.

I bought these cookie cutters in the 1980s & 1990s.

Plastic Imprint Cutters

These are a little harder to use because the dough must be a precise thickness in order to stamp the design into it and yet be thin enough for the cookie cutter to fully cut out the cookie. (Otherwise, you're working with a knife to get it free.) These cutters will need to be oiled or floured so that stickier cookie doughs don't stick into the design. These are extra fun because of stamping a whole picture instead of an outline, which makes up for the bother of useing them. They are also child safe.

The designs are: bat, squirrel, tulip, hatching egg with chick, valentine, 2 different cupids, wreath with bow, candy cane. The candy cane one is showing the back so you can see the handle on it.

I bought these cookie cutters in the 1980s & 1990s.

Thicker Metal "Covered" Cutters

These tend to not be as sharp on the edges as the metal outline cutters and are, therefore, much more likely to be child safe. These are the cookie cutters I had when I was a child and I never managed to get cut on them. These are the thicker ones, like 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick, which will allow for a variety of dough thicknesses.

The designs are: chicken, rabbit, bell, heart, club, spade, flower, round, and star.

I was given these in the 1950s & 1960s.

Thinner Metal "Covered" Cutters

I always had a harder time using these cookie cutters because they were so shallow. There is 1/4 inch or less of depth to the cutter. I kept these because these were the only cookie cutters I had with these designs and sometimes they were exactly what I needed to have to use.

The designs are: camel and Scottie dog.

I was given these in the 1950s and 1960s.

Things to Check when Buying Cookie Cutters

How safe are they? Are the edges so sharp that you'll cut yourself? Is there an overlap (on metal "outlines") where you could catch a finger?
How deep are they? Can you use dough with a variety of thicknesses, or do you have to have dough that's *exactly* the thickness of the cookie cutter? Both work...sure, but the one that requires exactitude is going to be a little harder to use and I would recommend it to more experienced cookie makers and not beginners.
Is it obvious from the outline as to what the item is? Or do you have to decorate or frost the cookie to make it possible for others to know what it is? (This doesn't apply to the "imprint" cutters which have the picture included.)