Cut It Out

Dear Foodies,

Up until we reached the high school era, my Mom and Aunt Julie would gather the cousins together for Hanukkah cookie decorating. We made the standard menorah, Star of David, and Jewish “chai” symbol (make sure you really use the back of your throat to get the right sound). The once a year Hanukkah cookies took a lot of work.... Let me rephrase that. They were a lot of work for my Mom and Aunt.  Us kids got to do the fun part – the frosting and sprinkling and making a total mess (and not having to clean it up).

Although, thinking about it now, my Mom and Aunt did reserve one of the best creative steps for making cut-out cookies to themselves. They chose the cookie shape.

In my opinion, cut-out sugar cookies are a hassle. What makes them fun is that they are the one exception to the whole “do not play with your food” rule. You can customize a sugar cookie by shape, color, topping, etc. Cut-out sugar cookies are a baker’s blank canvas.

I’ve been looking around for cookie cutters of my own, and they are remarkably difficult to find in unique shapes. Here are a few I’ve found that I’d love to give a test drive:

Beverly Hsu Helvetica Cookie Cutters

Victor Trading Company Silhouette Cookie Cutter

Williams-Sonoma Message-In-A-Cookie Cutters

Where do you find out-of-the-ordinary cookie cutters? I'm dying to know! I might have to look in to making my own cookie cutters. Can't wait to hear all of your tips!