Cookie cutter

Some simple cutout cookie cutters

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.

Types and variations

• Cutout: Most commonly made of copper, tin, stainless steel, aluminium, or plastic. Cutouts are the simplest of the cookie cutters; the cutter is pressed into cookie dough that has been rolled flat to produce the shape of the cutter's outline.
• Detail imprint: Commonly made of copper, tin, or plastic. Detail imprints are similar to cutout cookie cutters, except that detail imprints also mark the surface of the dough.
• Cookie mould: Usually made of wood, ceramic, or plastic. Springerle moulds are the oldest examples of such. A cookie mould typically has an ornate design debossed into the surface; the mould is pressed into the cookie dough to produce an embossed design.
• Cookie press: Automated or hand operated press used to make large batches of cookies quickly. The cookie dough is extruded onto the baking sheet in ornate shapes that would otherwise be too difficult or time-consuming to create by hand.

Alternative definition

"Cookie cutter," when used as an adjective, is defined as a "lack of originality or distinction",^[1] a reference to the uniformity that results from the use of a cookie cutter. An example might be a reference to a suburban subdivision's housing, all looking pretty much alike, as "cookie cutter homes".

See also

• Cookie decorating

References

1. ^ "Definition of cookie-cutter". Merriam Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/cookie%20cutter. Retrieved 2008-09-09.