Ditch the Cookie Cutter This Season—All You Need Is a Cookie Stamp

I enjoy the idea of making Christmas cookies, but the reality of traditional cut-out and frosted holiday sugar cookies is a total hassle. While the dough is easy to make, rolling it out is a mess. Cutting the dough into shapes is even worse. (I've always had trouble keeping the dough cold enough to hold its shape when cut.) I often end up with uneven edges, resulting in cookies that are barely recognizable after baking. Even if I do manage to cut out a perfect shape, decorating is another challenge entirely. I'm neither skilled nor patient enough to create the beautifully decorated cookies I imagine. Instead, I end up with messy, poorly decorated cookies that look like a child's art project.

Because of this, I usually skip these cookies in favor of simpler options like biscotti and basic shortbread, which I love. Over the years, I've also become great at making toffee, and I'm always looking for combinations of chocolate and peppermint. But still, there's something irresistible about a plate of beautifully decorated, holiday-themed cookies that keeps me coming back every few years.

Last year, I decided to give it another go. With so much time spent alone at home, I knew I wanted to create cookie boxes for my loved ones, and I wanted them to be unmistakably festive. I almost caved into the idea of buying cookie cutters, which I would have definitely regretted, when I stumbled upon these cookie stamps. They promised exactly what I needed in a holiday cookie: a beautiful design with minimal effort, the ability to create cut-out cookies without the usual hassle, and even the illusion of decoration without having to do it myself. I bought them on the spot.