Trump The Super-Obsessed Soccer Moms With Homemade Shamrock Cookies!
Written: Sep 12 '07
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Pros: Nice shape, three inch size, inexpensive, great for St. Patrick's Day.
Cons: Leaves can get bent easily, seasonal item.
The Bottom Line: Don't pay outrageous prices for store bought cookies, make your own for a fraction of the price!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Fox Run Shamrock Cookie Cutter |
Is there anything better than seeing a basket full of thick sugary shamrock cookies for St, Patrick's Day? Well, I am sure that some people would say that green beer or even a green milkshake from McDonald's would be better but for me, making these 'chunky' cookies has turned into a tradition. They do require a little more work but they are more than worth it. To get a good looking cookie you need to start with a good cutter and this is one of the best shamrock shaped ones I have seen, yes, it's even nicer than the Wilton one that I purchased a few years ago. What makes this so great? It's a hair under three inches in width and height so you are getting some really nice sized cookies from it but that also means that you will have to spend more time cutting them out and baking them because you can't fit more than six on an average sized cookie sheet without the threat of them spreading and the sides touching.
Fox Run Craftsmen Shamrock Cookie Cutter
Shamrocks aren't something that you normally see unless St. Patrick's Day is drawing near; that means that this is a seasonal item that you will only come across in retail stores for a month or so before it disappears or is relegated to the clearance bins. Likewise, this isn't a cookie cutter that is going to see a lot of use in the dead of winter or middle of summer unless you find some creative way to make it into something else before or after you bake it. The shape is clean and simple but it does require that you take a little extra time when pressing out the shape. If you don't you could end up with sloppy edges. When transferring them to the cookie sheet, use an oversized cookie shovel to move them, this helps keep the shape as close to the original as possible so you don’t end up with stretch or skewed shamrocks.
This is a metal cutter so you do have to be careful that the shape doesn’t get bent or warped. This is one of the downsides to having metal cutters but if you do get a bend, most of the time you can fix them with some needle nosed pliers. To get a clean cut tap the bottom of the cutter into some extra flour and remove the excess; this is something that you will have to do for each cookie if you want to get clean cuts into the dough as well as getting it out of the cutter. Because of the delicate leaves on the shamrock, it's better to invest the time into this process than to end up with crappy looking cookies. This is almost a half inch deep so it can be used for things other than cookies; you can use it on brownies, Rice Krispie treats [green of course!] and sandwiches. If you want to use this to make Jell-O Jigglers you are going to have to spend some time cutting away the excess gelatin but they are cute for a centerpiece or for a quick dessert. Top it off with some whipped topping and you are good to go.
To make the chunky shamrock cookies you need to have a stiff dough, I like shortbread because it doesn't spread that much but you can also go with a gingerbread if you aren't all that picky about the color. If you are, you can add some dark green sugar crystals to the tops of them before you bake them. I make the dough, roll it out to the thickness that I want then use the cutter to make the shape; I allow them to bake for seven to eight minutes then remove them from the oven and give them 90 seconds to cool off a little. Then I take the cutter and make another cut into the cookie, this removes any excess dough that may have spread so your end resulting cookie looks perfect. Yes, this does require a lot of patience and some extra work but the results are worth it.
To save some time decorating you can add some green tint to the dough; start with a small amount and add more until you reach the color you want. Remember that when the cookie bakes it is going to get a little darker than what you are seeing when it is raw so don't over do it with the tint or dye. Colored sugar crystals are also an easy way to go, they are added before the cookie bakes and there will be some that doesn’t end up sticking to the cookie. This is a great reason why you should bake on parchment paper; it makes for a quick clean up and catches the excess sugar crystals. Of course you can always use a royal icing on the cookies once they have cooled; they will look nicer but you will have to invest a little more time into the process. How you decorate them is up to you and all depends on the amount of time you have to spare and how many you are making at any given time.
The price of this? A slim fifty cents; you would pay more for one single cookie at the grocery store or bakery than you would for one of these cutters. In my opinion they are well made and the shape is undeniably a shamrock. Even though this might only get used a couple times a year it is something that can be used for a number of things when St. Patrick's Day arrives. From the obvious cutting of cookies to making shamrock shaped sandwiches, crafts to cutting out gelatin, the simplicity of the shape allows you to do a lot with it. Since this is a seasonal item you might not be able to find it in stores until about a month before the holiday but if you need one and can't find one locally, there are several online cookie cutter sites that sell this but you will have to pay about twice as much for it and that's not including shipping and handling.
The Bottom Line
While this doesn’t get used outside of St. Patrick's Day I am glad that I got it when I had the chance to. It's one of the best shamrock shapes I have come across in a metal cutter and the almost three inch size means that I can have larger than normal cookies for treats, baskets or centerpieces. Given that this only costs fifty cents it's an awesome cutter to pick up if you come across it. It's something that comes in handy when you need to make those last minute treats for school or fundraising and it's a lot more cost effective than going to a bakery and paying an arm and a leg for them. Moreover, you know exactly what is in them and when they were made!
As always, thanks for the visit…
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2007 Freak369
More Fox Run cookie cutters
Dreidel, Round, Dog Bone, Pumpkin, Heart Shaped Crinkle, Momma Bear, Maple Leaf, Chick, Pig, Bunny, Angel, Shark, Mini Star, Turkey, Apple, Airplane, Mini Bear
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): .50 cents
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