National Cookie Cutter Week – December 1-7, 2024

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The first week of December, from December 1 to 7, is National Cookie Cutter Week, and we’re more than excited to celebrate. After all, what’s there not to love about cookies? They are best made at home. Wondering just how to bake perfectly shaped, round cookies? Wonder no more. Have fun baking and using cookie cutters! If you have never used one, now is your chance to learn how to give cute shapes to your cookies. With cookie cutters, you can now use the extra dough instead of throwing it away. Don’t worry if you don’t have fancy cookie cutters: The simplest of shapes can be styled to create versatile designs. For instance, a tiny circle can be shaped like the moon, a smiley face, a football, a daisy, or a Santa head. Isn’t that fun? So what are you waiting for? Go grab your cookie cutters and start baking!

History of National Cookie Cutter Week

If you really want to delve into the origin of cookie cutters, you’d have to go a long way back to 2000 B.C. The tradition of molding sweet cakes into shapes began in Ancient Egyptians and was later adopted by the inhabitants of Greece, Rome, and Western Europe. In the 1500s, the Germans started baking molds with intricate designs, out of which emerged oodles of gingerbread people, houses, trees, mountains, and whatnot. And by the 1800s, American tinsmiths had built cookie cutters and introduced them into the market for sale.

The naming of this holiday week was initiated in 1996 by a lady named Paula Mullins from Kentucky. While collecting signatures for the petition to create the holiday, Paula designed a cutter in the shape of a horse’s head and gave it to each person who signed. She started this tradition for the members of the Cookie Cutter Collectors’ Club. Yes, you read that right! There’s a club for people who share an interest in cookie cutters and any cookie-related topics. What’s more, there’s a National Cookie Cutter Historical Museum in Joplin, Missouri, established for the public. All the varied cutters designed by the club members are featured there.

In 2007, when Mullins decided to retire, Lyn Linder took over the charge of the club and the museum, to continue this unique tradition of designing cookie cutters. Who knew there could be such a thing as a club that specializes in making cookie cutters? Now that there is, we think it’s quite intriguing.

What kind of dough works best for a cookie cutter?

When it comes to the consistency of your cookie dough, make sure it is firm, so you can get the cleanest cut in the desired shape. If your dough gets warm, freeze it until it’s firm, or it might get awfully stretched and sticky as you transfer it to the baking sheet.

Where can I find unique cookie cutters?

Etsy is the best place to find adorable cookie cutters for an affordable price. Drukowanko, JHCookieCo, and Nowprint3d are some of the popular Etsy shops that have theme-based cutters and also take orders for custom-made ones.

How do I organize my cookie cutters?

We suggest you organize them based on their sizes or designs. For instance, store your Christmas-themed cutters in one box and separate the rest into different boxes — maybe add a label to each box. It’ll surely save a lot of hassle in the next season.

How To Celebrate National Cookie Cutter Week

Make your own cookie cutters
While there are a million stores where you could easily find exquisite cookie cutters, it’s always gratifying to make a few on your own. Grab hold of a few clips, aluminum flashing, and glue, to hold them all together. Of course, you would need time and patience along with an idea of the shapes, but we think it’d be fun.
Visit the cookie-cutter museum
A great way to honor this holiday is to take a ride to the National Cookie Cutter Historical Museum and witness the story behind this whimsical baking tool. FYI, the museum gives away a plastic cookie cutter to every visitor.
Host a cookie exchange party
The holiday season calls for festivities! To mark the first week of December, why not host a cookie exchange party? Invite your friends and family and gorge on delicious cookies over laughter and hearty conversations.

5 Fun Facts About Cookie Cutters

What’s in a name?
There’s a shark named cookiecutter; its bite marks are like cookie cutters.
More than just a cookie cutter
This multi-purpose item can also be employed as a stencil, a bird feeder, a gift tag, a napkin ring, and whatnot.
Hail, Queen Elizabeth
Back in the 1600s, Queen Elizabeth I asked for biscuits made as miniature replicas of her most favored guests — this was how gingerbread cookies came into being, thus leading to the popularity and need for cookie cutters.
Multi-type
There are four main types of cookie cutters: detail imprint, cookie mold, cookie press, and cutting sheet.
Original Founder
The founder of the Cookie Cutter Collectors' Club was a woman named Phyllis Steiss Wetherill — she even wrote two books on the history of cookie cutters: "An Encyclopedia of Cookie Shaping" and "Cookie Cutters and Cookie Molds."

Why We Love National Cookie Cutter Week

To relive memories
There’s nothing as exciting as decorating cookies with your kids or grandkids. If you don’t have kids, relive your childhood memories with your friends and family. Spend quality time gorging on freshly baked cookies, with a tall glass of milk or frothy coffee.
Cookie making is an art
This holiday season, don’t just stop at baking round cookies. Get your creative juices flowing and let the artist in you come alive. Do you remember making gingerbread men, reindeers, and snowmen as a kid? Well, maybe now you can even trace a story with your cookie cutters.
Cookies cutters are a lifesaver
With a cookie cutter by your side, you need not worry about wasting dough. Bring out your baking tray and load it with an array of cute little cookies from your leftover dough.