make your own cookie cutter

For the TED Movember cookie drop, I needed a mustache cookie cutter. Well, everyone else must have had the same idea since I couldn't find a single one for sale. Thwarted! Well, not actually. That minor glitch didn't stop MacGyver Mari from accomplishing her task!

Enter: the Design Your Own Cookie Cutter kit. I bought this kit last year when I needed to make a ninja sword-shaped cookie cutter, but that's a story for another time. The kit comes with a couple shaping tools, a flat platform, strong double stick tape and a roll of one-inch wide aluminum flashing. You just need a template to trace.

After having made two, I have two suggestions: 1) Start your shape at a corner, if your cutter has one. For instance, I started the mustache at the center top. 2) Leave about half an inch of overlap so the double stick tape can do its thing. The instructions say to leave it alone for 72 hours (um, hello, 3 days?) but whoever's planned that far ahead wouldn't need to be making their own cookie cutters. So press really hard and make the cutter before you make your dough.

If you'd like to make your own mustache cookie cutter, click here to download a template. Have fun!