Popular Cookie Cutters

Lions and tigers and...tractors: cookie cutter styles

Today's cookies have it good when it comes to getting in shape.

Though you can still find your grandmother's cookie cutters, those steel or aluminum shapes topped with wooden handles, the cookie cutter market has virtually exploded with options. Here, we'll go over some of the most popular types available and the delectable benefits of each.

Metal cookie cutters

Perhaps the most beloved, metal cookie cutters have long been the royalty of the cookie cutter world. Metal cookie cutters come in a variety of metals including stainless steel, aluminum, and copper, and, of course, every shape you can imagine (and probably some you can't).

Vintage metal cookie cutters encompass the aforementioned cutters of yesteryear; these cookie cutters have a solid top and wooden handle. Most everyday metal cookie cutters, though, have open tops and bottoms, with a smoothed top edge (and sometimes, a handle) to protect your palms when cutting dough.

Especially popular in the current metal cookie cutter department are make-your-own-cookie-cutter sets which include pliable copper strips you can uniquely shape.

Plastic cookie cutters

Plastic cookie cutters are similarly designed as metal cookie cutters but, of course, lack very sharp edges, making them perfect for family baking projects.

And while softer aluminum, tin, or copper cookie cutters may become misshapen by time, use, cleaning, and storage, plastic cookie cutters are sure to hold their shapes as long as you have them.

Cookie presses

For those looking to speed the process of cutting cookies, a cookie press (used specifically for spritz butter cookies) can get the job done in a unified hurry.

Cookie presses are composed of several parts: a manual handle and rod, a tubular body, and a metal disk. Cookie batter is placed in the body, generally clear, and pressed out through the disk by pushing the ratcheted lever. Holes or lines in the disks determine the pattern pressed onto the cookie; all cookies will come out of a press equally sized and patterned.Many cookie presses come with a variety of disks and a few pastry tips for cookie decorating.

Specialty cookie cutters

While you can find just about any cookie cutter shape these days, including awareness ribbons, cheerleaders, farm equipment, and cookies missing a bite or two, you can also find a few particularly nifty cookie cutters with bonus features.

Two to look for: multi-cutters composed of five or six identical cookie cutters attached by a single handle and metal cookie cutters with rubber comfort grips to protect your palms when cutting dough.

More information on cookie cutters