Once in awhile it’s fun to make up a big batch of sugar cookie dough, and let the kids go at it with cookie cutters, and a big bowl of royal icing.  It’s worth the mess, and probably something the kids will remember for a long time.

Cookie cutters have really evolved over the last decade or so.  My favorites are still the large copper cookie cutters that turn out huge cookies, but some of the new takes on cookie cutters look like a lot of fun, especially if you have kids or grandkids.

The circus cookie cutters above include a seal, an elephant, a giraffe, a lion, and a tiger.  I like the little pop-out mechanism for getting the dough out of the cutter without messing it up.  Add some sprinkles, and a cardboard circus tent, and these would definitely spark some little imaginations.  I found the circus cookie cutter set at Williams-Sonoma.

Here’s a suggestion for cookie sheets, especially if you have a tendency to over-bake….like me!

I’ve always had a tendency to over-bake baked goods.  Even though my mom always told me to pull things out of the oven “before they look done”, I just never seemed to get them out early enough.  A few years ago, I started using AirBake cookie sheets, and it’s really fixed my over-baking dilemma.  In fact, I’ve become so accustomed to cooking with AirBake bakeware, I’m not sure I could use any thing else.

If you’ve never heard of them, AirBake pans are double-layered insulated aluminum bakeware.  Because of the layer of air between the two layers of the pan, it’s hard to overcook, and nearly impossible to burn cookies or cakes.  The 2-piece AirBake set above includes a pizza pan and a cookie sheet, and it’s available at Target.  AirBake bakeware is made by WearEver, and there are plenty of pieces to choose from, including jelly roll pans, muffin pans, cake pans, etc.