Make your own cookie cutter with a can

I love my cookie cutters and I have quite a collection! I have big ones for cookies, small ones for fondant. When I find one that I like, I buy it telling myself that I would surely find it a good use (this is not always the case, lol). But it’s okay, I like to have them ready to use, and with my job I get to use most of them. My problem is when I want a specific one and, either I try to order it and I can only find it in Alabama with exorbitant shipping fees or it is so unique that it simply doesn’t exist. Until now, I used to draw the shape of my choice on a thick cardboard, cut and then use it as template to cut my cookies with a knife. This method is quite quick and convenient method when you want to cut a single biscuit or a piece of fondant to a particular form. But it becomes a highly time consuming and tedious task when you have to cut out dozens of cookies.

When Gemmyo offered me to create a recipe for their new kitten-inspired collection Gemmiaou, I knew right away I wanted to make kitten-shaped cookies. Of course, it was impossible to find the right cookie cutter for what I had in mind. I didn’t even want to think of cutting out the cat whiskers with a knife. So I started hunting for a way to make a cookie cutter. I finally found THE method that met my needs, something that wouldn’t require much equipment, investment nor a trip all the way to the hardware store. So here it is, come learn how to make a cookie cutter from a can! At first, I was skeptical, doubting the cookie cutter would be sturdy enough to cut more than three cookies. But I was dumbfounded by the result: not only making a cookie cutter from a can is cheap, easy and fast but the cookie cutter does is job perfectly well too! Now I can expand my collection endlessly! See you very soon for the finished kitten cookies!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Imprimer

Make a cookie cutter from a can

 

Time: 30mn

Ingredients

• a template drawn or printed of the shaper of the future cookie cutter
• a ruler
• a permanent marker
• a pair of scissors
• an aluminum soda can
• a cutter
• small flat pliers (like the one used for beads and jewelry)
• a string of thread
• tape
• masking tape (optional)
• 

Instructions

1. Open and empty your aluminum can. Rinse with warm water and let it drain. Using the cutter, cut the top and bottom of the can ( so that you get a cylinder ). With the scissors, open the cylinder.
2. With ruler and marker, draw 2.5cm wide strips* on your aluminum rectangle, making sure not to include the raw edges that are not straight. The rectangle tends to curl, it is normal. To maintain it flat, we can use the ruler and your hands. [I]If you proceed slowly, there is no risk to cut yourself ;-) [/i])
3. Cut the strips along the lines. Put the masking tape (or regular tape) on one of the long sharp edge. This edge will be the one in contact with the hand and remaining sharp edge will be the one used to cut the dough. To create longer strips, you can link two strips by taping them together: overlap the ends of the strips and wrap the tape around them.
4. Then take the template. With the string, roughly follow the contour of the template to determine the strip length needed to make the cookie cutter. Then cut a strip of aluminum about 3 cm longer than the string.
5. Start making the cookie cutter, ensuring always start on a rather long straight or curved line to (the lower part of the cat's head here). Holding the strip with your fingers, follow the line of the template. When you get to a fold (like the whiskers or ears), use the marker to mark the location of the fold, then use the pliers to create the bend. It does not matter if the fold is too narrow, you can use your fingers to open it a little. But try to be precise when you mark the location of the fold because when folded, the aluminum becomes fragile and can break if you try too many times. To create a round shape (like between the ear and whiskers), one can wrap the strip around a finger or a pen. After each modification, compare your work with the template and make changes if necessary.
6. Once you've gone around your template, it's time to connect the ends and close your cookie cutter. The ends should overlap about 5mm to 1cm depending on the size of your cutter. Secure by wrapping a piece of tape around the cutter. Rinse your cookie cutter before use.
7. And that's it, you've just made your own cookie cutter and are ready to bake your unique cookies!

Notes

* The size of the strips depends on the final size of your cookie cutter. Here I have used stripe 2.5 cm wide for a 7cm cookie cutter diameter. But you can use 2cm wide strips for smaller cookie cutters and even up to 3cm wide strips your cookie cutter is to be bigger than 7-8cm. By doing so, the cookie cutter are easier to use because they are sturdier and they last longer because they are less likely to become distorted.

3.5.3208