Freshly baked cookies are a childhood favorite for many, and an irresistible sugar craving for others. Cookies serve as a crowd-pleasing addition to dessert tables at catered events, weddings, or other occasions. If you own a bakery or cafe, you might find that your delicious cookies are a best-selling item on the menu.
Whether you’re a professional baker or a freelance pastry chef, baking perfectly shaped cookies can be a challenge. However, cookie cutters are a massive aid in precisely cutting and shaping the edges of your treats. When it comes to cookie cutters, there is a multitude of styles, sizes, and finishes to choose from. To narrow down the list, consider what you are looking for in a baking tool. There are several pros and cons to each kind of cookie cutter. This buying guide provides you with helpful information and buying points so you can make the most out of your purchase.
What Are The Different Types Of Cookie Cutters?
Consider how many cookies you make at your establishment each day. Depending on your baking preferences, there is a cookie cutter that works best for your specific needs. Cookie cutters are made in almost every shape and design you can think of. From traditional circles and iconic holiday symbols to well-known animals and plants, if you can picture it, there’s a cookie cutter for it.
Buying cookie cutters in bulk sets is a great idea, so you have several shapes and sizes to choose from before baking. When choosing a cookie cutter, the comfort and ease it provides can also be a valuable buying factor. Below is a breakdown of the different types of cookie cutters and their differentiating features.
Metal Cookie Cutters
The most traditional kind of cookie cutter is a simple mold of the desired shape of your cookie. Cookie cutters are loved by pastry chefs for their precise edges and how quickly each shape can be pressed into soft dough. These kinds of cookie cutters are great for streamlining dozens of cookies, and firmly stamping out shapes without making a mess. Depending on the metal in which your cookie cutter is made from, they can be nonstick and dishwasher-safe, which makes removing sticky dough from cutters much easier.
Grip Cookie Cutters
If you’re looking for comfort and ease while baking mouthwatering sweets, grip cookie cutters are the best choice for you. Cookie cutters with grips are designed in the shape of your desired mold and have a rubber grip placed at the top of the mold. The rubber grip provides a comfortable hold while pressing down, and lessens the pressure on your hand while stamping out dough. For bakers who are constantly pressing out cookies, using a grip cookie cutter is ideal for avoiding hand fatigue throughout the day, while still achieving the precise designs a standard cookie cutter would produce. Most rubber grip cutters are not dishwasher-safe but can be simply hand washed instead.
Cookie Cutters With Handles
Great for long hours of baking or streamlining prep time, cookie cutters with handles are ideal for those looking to stamp out dozens of cookies with ease. Cookie cutters with handles are designed with a built-in overarching handle that provides a firm and stable grip for evenly pressing cookies. For at-home bakers, these kinds of cookie cutters are great for baking with kids or for preventing hand fatigue. For commercial bakers, using cookie cutters with handles ensures even stamping on dough and a firmer grip than other cookie cutters. 
Cookie Cutters With Grips Vs. Cookie Cutters Without Grips
As you are browsing through cookie cutters, it’s important to keep in mind the possible benefits and disadvantages of cookie cutters with and without grips. First, consider the kind of baking you plan on doing.
For professional bakers at foodservice establishments, grip cookie cutters are appealing based on how firmly and quickly cookies can be stamped out. For commercial pastry chefs, producing dozens of cookies by the hour means that they need to be well-equipped with baking tools that make their job easier and faster. Although cookie cutters with rubber grips can still be used at a commercial level, you might find that traditional cookie cutters are more effective for your baking needs since they allow for more pressure to be applied while stamping.
Grip cookie cutters are ideal for at-home bakers or beginners looking to improve and perfect their cookies. The rubber grips provide control while stamping, and prevent hand fatigue. For bakers that suffer from any sort of muscle pain or cramping, this could be a promising solution to your discomfort. For those looking to bake with kids, using cookie cutters with rubber grips is a great way to make baking kid-friendly and avoid any accidental injuries that might happen when using traditional cookie cutters. 
What Kind Of Material Should I Choose?
Once you’ve found a cookie cutter that works best for your baking needs, it’s important to find a material that suits those same needs. Cookie cutters are traditionally made from several kinds of metals, like stainless steel or aluminum. For those working with young bakers or kids, plastic cookie cutter options provide a safe way to stamp out cookies. Depending on your baking preferences, you might find that cookie cutters made from a specific material work best for you over others.
Stainless Steel
Based on the frequency at which you bake, you might find that a cookie cutter made from durable stainless steel is long-lasting and beneficial for your cookies. Stainless steel cookie cutters are used mainly at the commercial level and are known for their durability and sharp edges.
If you’re looking to buy a cookie cutter set that will withstand everyday use at your bakery or pastry shop, stainless steel cookie cutters are worth the investment. Stainless steel cookie cutters are corrosion-resistant and dishwasher-safe, which makes cleaning up after hours of baking much easier.
Metal
Most standard cookie cutters are made from various kinds of metal. Metal cookie cutters are great for intermediate-level bakers who are looking to make perfectly shaped cookies, but don’t necessarily want to invest in stainless steel cutters. Metal cookie cutters are lightweight and easy to use, and can produce dozens of cookies as you prepare your dough for baking. To maintain their unique shape, hand washing metal cookie cutters works best.
Metal cookie cutters are made from:
- Copper
- Tin
- Aluminum
While all metal cookie cutters can achieve the precision and pressure needed to stamp out cookies, they are not all created equal in terms of their longevity and durability. Copper cookie cutters tend to rust and warp easily after several uses. Tin cookie cutters also tend to rust if they aren’t properly dried and can sometimes be thin and prone to bending if too much pressure is applied. Aluminum cookie cutters are rust-resistant, and much more durable than tin or copper cutters, but can also warp or bend if too much pressure is applied. 
Plastic
Plastic cookie cutters are a great buying option for those looking for a long-lasting and kid-friendly baking tool. Plastic cookie cutters are made in all shapes and sizes, and most are lightweight and BPA-free. If you’re looking for an inexpensive option, plastic cookie cutters still produce the same precise designs as other cookie cutters, without sharp edges.
Which Cookie Cutter Works Best For Me?
Finding baking tools that work best for you is essential in making delicious treats that look just as good as they taste. If you are in-between options, it’s always important to make an informed buying decision and find products that fit your baking needs and personal preferences. When it comes to cookie cutters there are several buying factors to consider before making a purchase, like the style, shape, size, and material of each type of cookie cutter. Whether you’re an at-home baker or a professional pastry chef, cookie cutters are a helpful tool in creating freshly baked cookies.
When deciding between cookie cutters, keep in mind not all cookie cutters are made the same, and each has its own pros and cons. Cookie cutters made from high-quality materials like stainless steel or plastic have longevity and durability that make them stand out from other cutters. Cookie cutters with rubber grips or handles help diminish hand fatigue after long hours of stamping, while traditional cookie cutters deliver precision while prepping cookies. No matter which cookie cutter you choose, your hungry guests will surely enjoy your delicious, warm cookies.
