The Last Day of National Cookie Cutter Week

We've reached the last day of National Cookie Cutter Week and although we say goodbye to cookie cutters we definitely do not say goodbye to cookies the month of December.

Source: bhg.com via Sybil on Pinterest

A cookie cutter in American English and biscuit cutter in Commonwealth English is a tool to cut out cookie/biscuit dough in a particular shape. They are often used for seasonal occasions when well-known decorative shapes are desired, or for large batches of cookies where simplicity and uniformity are required. Cookie cutters have also been used for, among other uses, cutting and shaping tea sandwiches.

Skipping the food relating aspects of cookie cutters..., let's look at the crafty side of cookie cutters. Look at this cute photo of a wreath made with cookie cutters. What a fantastic idea for Christmas wreath or even a all year round wreath hung on the kitchen door.

Several years ago I was given a small version of a cookie cutter wreath as a gift. I thought it was homemade but to my surprise it had a retail label attached to it. Wow I thought! I loved it so much that I dug out my collection of cookie cutters and separated all the duplicates. I don't think I have to tell you what I did next do I? Yep you guessed it. I had to try my hand at making myself a larger version of a cookie cutter wreath. I kept that wreath for years and the more the cookie cutters rusted, the prettier the wreath got. I changed out the color of the bow according to the season and admired it winter, spring, summer and fall.


Thank you: bhg.com / wikipedia.com / gone-ta-pott.com  / merriam-webster.com/dictionary / Pinterest

Pancake Cookie Cutters

It's Day 5 and this is the 5th post in celebration for National Cookie Cutter Week.

Source: theberry.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

I ate a lot of pancakes when I was a kid and my Mother enjoyed drawing pictures with the pancake batter but never did she make pancakes with cookie cutters. Yes she made me many kitty cats and bunnies and when Daddy did the cooking he made snakes and frogs. LOL! Go figure -

Serve a fun breakfast to the kids
There's not a kid anywhere who wouldn't want to have a cookie cutter pancake breakfast. For Christmas you could make holiday pancakes like the picture to the left shows. For Valentines Day you could make heart pancakes. To celebrate a good report card you could make A+ pancakes. For that football player in your family you could make football pancakes.

Lunch Box
I think any kid would enjoy the different shapes that are available for eating and the best part is the ideas go on and on. If breakfast is not for you; you could always surprise the kids with a fun treat in their lunch box. Don't forget to pack the maple syrup for dipping.

Now let's talk about Breakfast in bed
Breakfast in bed? Yes! Even adults like to be pampered with cookie cutter pancakes. giggle~ Add a few sausage links and you better half will be happy for the rest of the day.

Finger Food
Mini cookie cutter pancakes are perfect for parties too. Yep! Add a plate of shapes that go with the theme of your party and provide a bowl of dip to dip them in. It could be syrups or a thinned down cream cheese dip. Sprinkle them with powdered sugar and you have a sweet party treat.

• Shop Pancake Cookie Cutters

Tea Parties with Tea Party Cookies

Post 4: In honor of National Cookie Cutter Week and all cookie holidays... 
Do you take cookies with your tea? Well here's a cheerful idea for a tea party.

Source: sentimentalcelebrations.com via Anne on Pinterest

Tea party lovers are always looking for wonderful ideas for a tea party and I think I found a cute idea to pass on. How about having a tea party with a tea party theme? I think young ladies and little girls would love taking tea with pretty tea party cookies don't you? Little cookies in the shape of tea cups and tea pots would be a delight to nibble on.

Let the tea party cookie cutters be the theme and serve some great tasting cookies with some great tasting hot tea. How about a Alice in Wonderland tea? You can even give cookie cutting as gifts to your guests too. Put on your best hat girls because we're having a ladies tea!

You can buy tea party cookie cutters at craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michaels. You can also buy them online at sentimentalcelebrations.com, the website who provided this sweet picture above.

Amazon has a set includes 3 cutters (all 1 inch high): tea cup (3-1/2 wide, 2-1/2 top to bottom) cupcake (3-1/2 wide, 3-1/4 top to bottom) and tea pot (3-7/8 wide, 3 top to bottom). Roll-out cookie recipe included on back. Decorating instructions also on back. Have you ever hosted a tea party? Well here's a cheerful idea for a tea party theme.

Now this second pack from Amazon includes:

• 5 tin cookie cutters, made in the USA
• Each set comes in a sturdy box with the artwork of Ann Clark
• Recipes for cookies and frosting included
• Cutters include: teacup, teapot, heart, heart 'n hand and sunflower
• Box size 12.75"L x 6.5"Hx1"D

A Tea Parties is a formal, ritualized gathering for afternoon tea but it's a good excuse for conversations about life, exchanging recipes, and sharing holiday ideas too. Formal tea parties are often characterized by the use of prestige utensils, such as bone china or silver. The table is made to look its prettiest, with cloth napkins and matching cups and plates. In addition to tea, larger parties may provide punch, or in cold weather, hot chocolate. The tea is accompanied by a variety of easily managed foods: thin tea sandwiches, such as cucumber or tomato, cake slices, buns or rolls, and cookies are all common.

Pinwheel Cookies

This is a favorite cookie to make. I love folding down the pinwheel and I love baking and eating them too. You can make them with a cookie cutter which punches out four-armed shapes. Just dab with jam in the center, flip the ends, and bake! It's quick, easy, and impressive! You can also make them without a cookie cutter if your good at cutting straight line. If not Amazon has some that are dishwasher-safe plastic. If you buy the cutters from Amazon it includes instructions and recipes.

My favorite filling to put in the center is chocolate or vanilla doughnut filling but I know that most people put jam in the middle before folding the sides down. With me I like to fold the pinwheel first, bake, then add the doughnut filling to the center. You have to wait until the pinwheels have completely cooled because cream filled doughnut filling is made with lots and lots of crisco and powdered sugar so it will melt if you don't.

I kid you NOT these cookies are delicious and they look soooooo beautiful in a big bowl; pilled up real high. Give as a gift on National Make a Gift Day which is celebrated on December 3rd.

Serve these during National Cookie Cutter Week the 1st week in December (we blogged it here), National Cookie Month in October and National Cookie Day too.
Note: There is a flat spiral cookie that's called a pinwheel as well.
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Buy from Amazon

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg, separated
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder

Directions

  Beat butter, cream cheese, and egg yolk until smooth. Stir in flour and baking powder. Mix until stiff dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Lightly beat egg white and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

On lightly floured surface, roll dough, 1/2 at a time, into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. With sharp knife, cut dough into 3-inch squares. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with egg white.

With sharp knife, cut the dough diagonally from each corner to within 1/2-inch of center of each square. Place small amount of jam in center. Fold alternate corners of the square to the center to form pinwheel, overlapping the dough at the center pushing down gently to seal in center.




Bake until set, about 9 to 12 minutes. Using spatula, immediately remove from cookie sheets.

Cookie Cutter Fudge Gift

It's Christmas, everyone is expecting fun food and everyone is always looking for new gifting ideas too. Well I found this great idea for gifting fudge from Betty Crocker. This is a fabulous idea and Oh so easy too! Happy Cookie Cutter Week everyone! This is one idea I'm going to do myself.

Source: bettycrocker.com via Jacqui on Pinterest

Betty Crocker says "Here's a sweet gift for someone with everything. Place cookie cutters & fudge into cellophane gift bags, & tie with ribbons." Well I think that's a fabulous idea. I think it would also be fun to place a dozen of them in a flat box, you know like a candy box. How fun would that be to open a box of 12 different cookie cutters filled with homemade fudge! You could even use the cutters for brownies or cookies too.Wow I would love for someone to give me this as a gift myself. Really...

If you know someone who collects cookie cutter; this would be a great gift idea for them.

• Follow this link for recipe and instructions. 

For A Dinner Dessert Idea:  Try serving your after dinner dessert in a over sized cookie cutter and let your guests eat it out of the cutter with a spoon. Then tell the guests they get to keep the cookie cutter as a parting gift. Great idea right! :) I love it!

• Related recipe link for white fudge

This post is in honor of National Cookie Cutter Week which is celebrated the 1st week of December. We Blogged it here-

National Cookie Cutter Week

National Cookie Cutter Week is celebrated the first week in December. This holiday is for honoring and enjoying the fun use of cookie cutters all week long. There's nothing as fun as decorating a cookie! Let today be the day you buy a new cookie cutter and enjoy using it by baking homemade cookies just in time for all those food gifts for Christmas. 

Source: bhg.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Let's face it. Homemade cookies are everywhere during the holiday season and everyone tries to come up with the latest & greatest looking cookie right! It's that way at my house too. I love to bake & decorate cookies and I usually always have a bowl full sitting on my table all throughout December.  In fact you'll see more cookies at my house then you'll see Christmas cakes or pies.  And.... I have to tell you -I've even made my own cookie cutters too!  How's that for being crafty? lol- 

I know I know, I have to much time on my hands but I didn't have any children to run around after so I had a bit more play time than most. Anyway, I had a hard time finding cookie cutter letters for a project I was doing so I just made my own. Well you can make your own too! In honor of National Cookie Cutter week I'll be posting some neat cookie ideas that I know you'll love. To start out with I've found a great link that shows you how to make your own cookie cutters. This is how I made mine too. See bottom of post for link-

Let this week be the week you sit down with your kids or grand kids and have some cookie decorating fun. Memories last a lifetime so make some cookie memories for your family. Let today be the day you sit down with a tall cold glass of milk or hot coffee, a large plate of fresh cookies, and have no guilt at eating them all up.

Origin of this Holiday?

"National Cookie Cutter Week was started in the mid 1990's by Paula Mullins from KY.  It was started for the members of the Cookie Cutter Collector's Club.  Paula registered it and designed a cutter for it each year.  Lyn Linder took it over around 2007 when Mullins decided she no longer wanted to do it."  Lyn Linder emailed us and said "Check out the National Cookie Cutter Collector Club's Musuem in the Joplin, MO Musuem Complex.  It, as well as the rest of the musuem is a pleasant surprise...great experience...thanks ,lyn"

What is a Cookie Cutter?

A cookie cutter is a tool to cut out cookie dough in a particular shape.

Types & Variations

• Cutouts: Usually made out of Copper, Tin, Stainless Steel, Aluminum or Plastic. Cut outs are the most simplist of cookie cutters and only "cut out" the shape in the dough.

• Detail Imprint: Commonly Made out of Copper & Tin or Plastic. Detail Imprints not only cut out the dough they also leave an imprint in the dough that will last through baking.

• Cookie Molds: Usually made out of wood or ceramic or plastic. Springerle molds are the most ancient of examples (can be traced back to the 14th century) and perhaps the beginning of cookie & cracker shaping.

• Cookie press: Automated or hand operated press used to make large batches of cookies quickly

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happyfind.typepad.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Here Ya go! Snip, Snip, Snip. Click on this link and it will take you to an instruction page on how to make your very own cookie cutters. It starts out talking about Halloween cookie cutters but don't let that through you. Homemade cookie cutters are for all seasons that's for sure.

If you can't find the cookie shape your looking for at the cookie cutter store then don't fret. Make your own! It's fun!

Happy National Cookie Cutter Week ya'll! 
May your week be filled with wonderful cookies. Pam

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Sources: gone-ta-pott.com / bhg.com / happyfind.typepad.com  / amazon/cookie cutter store /
make/diy-cookie-cutters/