Cookie Cutting Tips & Tricks - Using Detailed or Small Cookie Cutters

Tips and tricks to cutting out really small, embossed or highly detailed cookies with our cookie cutters.

We sometimes get queries on using some of our trickier cookie cutters.  Sometimes there is trouble cutting out the cookie with a cutter with embossed details without it separating into pieces, sometimes the dough just won’t come away in the narrow sections of the cutter.  We have been there, done that!  Here are our tips to get a great result with these cookie cutters.  They may seem a bit more tedious or time consuming to use but we think the end result is so worth it!  Once you get the hang of it there’ll be no looking back!

• Roll your dough out between two sheets of baking or parchment paper and roll it a bit thinner. 4 or 5mm should work well.
• Refrigerate your rolled out dough for as long as possible. At least an hour but longer if possible, overnight would be ideal.  The more chilled the dough is the firmer and easier it is to work with.  I can’t stress this enough and believe this is the most important step.
• With the sharp side of the cutter facing down press firmly into the dough.
• Use the blunt end of a toothpick, a plastic fork or something similar to carefully tease the tricky, small sections out first.  If you concentrate of these areas first the rest of the cookie should fall away easily from the cutter.

• If dough becomes sticky, re-refrigerate it. Also after re-rolling the dough, refrigerate it again.
• I also refrigerate my cookies between roll-outs and before cooking to help them keep their sharp cut-out edge and shape.
• Using a dough with a high butter content can help as this extra grease helps the dough to come away from the cutter more easily.

• Bake for 8-15 minutes (the time varies greatly depending on the size of the cookie or biscuit), once out the oven, place on a wire rack to cool. When the biscuits have completely cooled down, they are ready for icing. Using the indentation as a guide, you are now ready to get creative.

I hope these tips help you and if you have any others that work for you we would love to hear from you.

Happy baking!

- Lisa