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!