The best cookie cutters

Ann Clark Cookie Cutters is the largest domestic cooking cutter manufacturing company, so it's safe to assume they're doing something right. These Vermont-made baking tools are crafted out of tin-plated steel, so they maintain a smooth, polished exterior that allows for easy release of dough.

The cutters can also be used as pancake molds, bread or cheese cutters, and more. But of course, they're at their best when creating Christmas cookies. Amazon customer reviews say that the cutters are "very sturdy" and the "cutting edges are clean and sharp."

This set includes a gingerbread man, a pine tree, a mitten, a snowman, a snowflake, and many more classic holiday shapes. In fact, you will be hard-pressed to think of any common Christmas cookie that you can't create using this set.

That broad range of selection is really a secondary reason for promoting these Ann Clark Cookie Cutters as the top of the line, though. Their best selling point is their longevity. If handled properly (which basically means just hand-washing), these cutters should last a lifetime and then on into the next generation. Using them is a great way to start a tradition.

Pros: Designed to last a lifetime, great selection of holiday shapes, made in America

Cons: Not dishwasher safe, pricier than other options

Yes, the best reason to buy the 40-Piece Winblo Cookie Cutter Set is probably the fact that it's an amazing value. But the amazing variety of shapes included in this set is certainly a close second.

There are a plethora of great Christmas cookie designs, from a pine tree to a gingerbread man to an angel. But the set also includes shapes perfect for other holidays, like a shamrock ideal for St. Patrick's Day and a heart for Valentine's Day cookies, along with myriad cutters ideal for cookies served on any day of the year.

Adults will love the set's unique and clever inclusions like a martini glass and the outline of a house, while kids will get a kick out of the many animal shapes — such as a dolphin, butterfly, and cat. There are also crisp, simple cookie cutters in the shape of squares, circles, triangles, and more. In short, this cookie cutter set pretty much has something for everyone. There is even a dog bone cookie cutter perfect for making canine cookies.

Pros: Great price for a large set, wide variety of shapes, easy to use

Cons: Cookie cutters are rather small

Too often, Christmas overshadows the other winter holidays, getting all the focus in terms of decorations, music, and even stealing the show when it comes to baked goods. Well no more! With the Rite Lite LTD Metal Chanukah Cookie Cutters, the Jewish Festival of Light gets the holiday cheer it deserves, because nothing brightens the spirit like tasty baked goods.

The set has three durable stainless steel cookie cutters in three classic Chanukah-themed shapes: the dreidel, the menorah, and the Star of David. Each of the cookie cutters measures about three inches in height and between two and three inches across, allowing you to make cookies that are just the right size for having two or maybe three at a time. Or more.

This Chanukah cookie cutter set makes a great gift for Chanukah, as do the cookies you can make using it.

Pros: Welcome alternative to Christmas shapes, makes perfectly-sized cookies

Cons: Metal is too flimsy and flexible

The 3D Christmas Cookie Cutters Set allows you to make a selection of truly unique Christmas decorations. The whimsical curios you can create using this set are notable for how good they look, of course, but also because people can eat them.

Each cookie cutter in this set is, in fact, part of a two-piece package. When used in tandem, these two-piece sets create a snowman, a Christmas tree, a sled, and a reindeer. You simply slot the two notched cookie halves together, and they stand up on their own.

These striking 3D cookies are perfect for decorating an elaborate gingerbread house, setting up on a well-appointed holiday table, or passing around on a platter that is sure to leave an impression.

With a bit of practice using various types of icing, sprinkles, and other decorative flourishes, the 3D Christmas Cookie Cutters Set will allow you to make the handsomest holiday cookies you've baked up yet.

Pros: Unique 3D design, good price, great for making edible decorations

Cons: Many types of dough not suitable for 3D cookie baking

Cookie cutters aren't necessarily known for their sturdiness. After all, they're just bent pieces of metal in the first place. But there's nothing more disappointing than pulling out your favorite snowman cookie cutter from last year, only to find that his body is now somewhat deflated. Luckily, with Ateco's cookie cutters, you won't have to worry about such a sad fate befalling Mr. Snowman.

The cake decorating and baking company has a wide range of cookie cutting patterns to choose from, but one of my personal favorites is the Ateco 4843 Plain Edge Snowflake Cutter Set. Made of stainless steel, this five-piece set produces beautiful snowflake cookies that range from 1.5 to 5 inches.

Sure, you're not going to be getting enormous sweets using these cutters, but their form will be delicate and true. What more could you want from a holiday cookie? The designs are also surprisingly intricate for a cutter. Whereas most patterns will give you a cookie that vaguely resembles a tree or a shooting star, these snowflakes look seriously professional, both before and after they go into the oven.

As a whole, Ateco cookie cutters use some of the heaviest-gauge metal when compared to other popular cutter sets. And as it turns out, that really matters. If you're used to flimsy tin or tin-plated cutters, you'll immediately feel the difference with the Ateco set. They're not only heavier, but also distinctly tougher to bend. Plus, the seams of their cutters are more closely welded, which means that breaking an Ateco in two would require quite a bit more force.

And because Ateco's products are made with stainless steel, you won't have to worry about your cookie cutters rusting over time. These snowflakes will stay as special and as shiny as the day you got them.

Pros: Durable, won't rust, intricate designs, stainless steel material is much harder to bend and break

Cons: Some customers may not like the comparatively diminutive size of the Ateco cutters

For kitchens where six-year-olds prefer to play sous chef, there are few tasks more exciting than baking holiday cookies. And while cutting out creative shapes and designs seems like the perfect job for less experienced hands, using traditional metal cookie cutters can be a bit dangerous.

The solution comes in the form of the Wilton 101-Piece Cookie Cutter Set. Not only is it an absolute steal at just over $16 for all 101 shapes, but the set is also made of plastic, which makes it safer and easier for young chefs to use.

Included in the 101 designs are letters, animals, and of course, holiday motifs. So while this set may get the most use between November and December, you could just as easily pull out these cutters for a wide range of occasions throughout the year. After all, who doesn't want birthday cookies that spell out their name?

The designs are all color-coded so that you know instantly whether you're working with a letter or something more holiday-themed, which makes separating these cutters into categories much easier and less time consuming than you might think.

Alas, because these cutters are made of plastic, they're not quite as strong or sharp as some of their metal counterparts, which means that working with frozen dough is a little tougher. Plus, for added safety, these cutters aren't particularly deep, so you'll want to make sure that your dough is rolled fairly thin before trying to implement any designs.

Pros: Affordable, safe for kids, easy to use, easy to clean

Cons: Not as deep as other cutters, nor as strong

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