In my house, cookie baking season really kicks into high gear during the holidays, making it a time of increased use of cookie cutters. (And also an increase in calorie consumption.) However, any time of year is a good time to use a set of cookie cutters to whip up a cute and delicious treat.
We have several sets of cookie cutters that have blended over the years, so it can take some time to separate the Halloween pumpkins from the Valentine's Day hearts from the winter snowflakes and so on. For our purposes, we'll assume you're starting with a fresh slate and are in need of a decent set of cookie cutters, not just one or two shapes to complete a set.
While some of the sets on our list have a definite Christmas feel, we've also made sure to include sets that are appropriate for other winter holidays, for the winter season more generally, and also some suitable for all-year use. Because while many people are like me and tend to make most of their cookies close to the winter holidays, plenty more folks keep right on baking in the spring, summer, and fall, too.
Here are the best cookie cutters:Updated 8/20/2020. We updated prices and links and added a selection of relevant buying guides.