If you make DIY Halloween cookies for the holidays, you can take it to the next level by making homemade cookie cutters to use. Store-bought cookie cutters can be generic, plus making your own can be a lot of fun and less expensive. You can also use these to make decorations for Halloween cakes and as biscuit cutters.
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An empty, clean aluminum soda can can be turned into a DIY cookie cutter if you have your heart set on making Halloween cookie cutters. Wearing thick gloves to protect your hands, cut off the top and bottom of the soda can with a pair of heavy-duty kitchen shears. Next, snip straight down the can's seam from top to bottom. When you are finished, you will have a rectangular sheet. Flatten this out and cut a 1-inch-wide strip down the entire length.
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Smooth down the edges with sandpaper and set them aside. Now, draw out the shapes you want onto a piece of paper and cut them out of cardboard. Form the aluminum strips around the shapes and adjust them until they take on the shapes of your designs. Once they are bent and curved into the shape you desire, trim as needed and attach them with food-grade glue or food-safe superglue. Allow them to dry, wash with soap and water and let them dry again before using them.
If you don't have any soda cans around, you can also use heavy-duty aluminum foil, although this is not as sturdy. Once you have your cardboard cookie cutter form, tear out a long piece of foil that is large enough to be folded several times and still be large enough for the form. Fold the foil over itself several times lengthwise until you have one long strip that is about 1 inch wide.
Arrange the aluminum foil strip around your form, adjusting as needed. Remove any excess foil by cutting it off and attach the ends with superglue. Like the soda can method, you may have to play around with it a bit until it is just right. For the best results, do not make your cookie cutter forms too complicated or with too many small parts.
For the sturdiest homemade cookie cutters, you can get a 1-inch-wide roll of tin strip coil. Cut a long piece of string, outline your design and trace it with the string. Cut off the piece here and use it to determine how much tin you will need. (This is also good for determining how much aluminum or foil you will need.) Cut your tin strip coil to this length and shape it with a pair of needle-nose pliers. You can secure the ends with superglue or a hot glue gun.
The best Halloween cutout cookies recipes produce goodies that taste as good as they look. Most recipes of this kind call for plenty of sugar, butter, flour and extras, like half and half, flavoring, meringue powder (for royal icing) and decorations, like sprinkles and food coloring. If you don't have time for making dough, you can just buy some premade cookie dough at the grocery store.
You can make and freeze sugar cookies up to three months in advance, so feel free to make them before the holiday. Once you thaw them, they should still taste delicious. Just be sure to lay them in a single layer inside a good-size, airtight container that is made for freezing. Separate each layer with wax paper. Then, enjoy delicious treats in Halloween cookie shapes.