For us and probably for you too, a big part of the holidays is baking cookies for family, friends, neighbors, and yes for Santa too. Many home bakers have a stash of cookie cutters but hardcore cookiers (cookie decorating enthusiasts) take it to another level and are always on the lookout for the new hot shape to add to their collection.
Just what are the trends in cookie cutters? To find out we asked the experts at Ann Clark Cookie Cutters, who stock 750 different cookie cutter shapes at a time, and have created over 2,000 different dies for cookie cutters in their Vermont factory. Gwen McShea, digital marketing director at Ann Clark, says that not surprisingly, cookie cutter sales soar around the holidays. They see as much as a fourfold increase in sales each winter.
As tradition is such an important part of the holidays, there are shapes that sell well year after year. Among these classics are wintry favorites like snowflakes, candy canes, ginger bread men, and the traditional moose (the shape Ann Clark is famous for), as well as more holiday-specific items; Christmas trees, angels, Santa Claus, stockings, and ornaments. But what's tops? Does the angel best the Santa and the gingerbread man, or does the Christmas tree win hands down? Turns out the most popular cookie cutter is the snowflake cookie, a 3.5-inch one that.