Chances are good you may have a large stash of cookie cutters hidden in the back of a kitchen cupboard only to see the light of day once a year for holiday baking. But cookie cutters can be used for many tasks other than shaping cookies.

When you’re surveying cookie cutters at the store, there’s a wide variety to choose from. You can buy them in theme packs, like zoo animals, Halloween or Christmas, or you can purchase them individually. Entire stores exist merely for cookie cutters.

You’ll find plastic outline shapes, plastic with a surface of imprintable details like facial features, lettering, etc.; and metal shapes of tin, aluminum or copper. Some shapes are open, others are closed with an upper surface handle. Cookie cutters can also come in multiple sizes of the same shape — like stars from 2 to 6 inches across that stack inside each other for storage.

Take note of the thickness of cookie cutters, as some are shallow while others are deeper, as that will affect what they can cut through as you look at alternative uses.

Much as we all love cookies, there are many other uses for these fun shapes, some food related and some craft related.

Food fun

How fun would it be to serve small cheese stars for your next party? Cookie cutters are great for cutting sliced cheese into shapes of all kinds.

Cutters are also great for cutting potatoes or tortillas either to make baked or fried chips. Season them to your liking before cooking.

Nothing’s more fun for picky eaters than making food fun, and cookie cutters are a great way to shape sandwiches. Just layer up the fixins and cut through all the layers with a sharp metal cutter in the desired shapes. The scraps can be eaten by the sandwich maker or the family pet, depending on the contents.

A peek-a-boo sandwich is another way to add fun to lunchtime. Use a cookie cutter to remove a shape from one slice of bread, add the filling to the uncut slice, then top with the decorative piece.

The filling, be it a colorful jelly or speckled cheese, will show through the cut-out.

For a lunchbox treat, use cutters to create shapes from melon slices or cucumbers. Or how about some radish mini-stars?

Follow that same principle to cut a hole in a bread slice and place it in a lightly greased skillet. Crack an egg into the opening and cook to perfection.

Looking for a fun way to create individual pizza bites? Use a cookie cutter to shape the dough before adding personalized toppings.

For a quick dessert, fill metal shapes with ice cream and freeze on a flat pan.

And don’t forget your four-legged friends in the cookie cutter quest. Many companies make bone, hydrant, fish and mouse shaped cutters perfect for making animal treats.

Use small cutters to repurpose stale bread into fun shaped croutons. Use the scraps for breadcrumbs whirred in the food processor and toasted.

If you’re into cake decorating, cookie cutters are ideal for cutting fondant embellishments.

Cookie cutters are also perfect for cutting pie crust shapes to decorate the top of your favorite fruit pie.

For some weekend breakfast fun, cookie cutters can be used to shape pancakes. Place the lightly greased metal cutter into the preheated pan, then fill with batter. Once it’s cooked on the initial side, carefully remove the cutter and flip to complete cooking.

Crafty cues

Cookie cutters are great to string together for festive garlands. Whether you’re decorating for a baby shower — think bottles and onesie shapes — or for any holiday, there’s a cookie cutter for that very purpose. Tie them together with ribbons or cord, or glue to colorful swags of yarn or festive greenery. Note that the cutters can also be easily spray painted or wrapped with yarn, Washi tape or ribbon to add color if needed.

Need a little light? Use a deep metal cutter and fill with melted wax, then insert a wick in the center for a cute candle.

Metal cookie cutters are great for recycling short pieces of crayons — just melt them down and pour into the shape. Once hard, remove the cutter and you have a new usable crayon in a custom color. To help with easy removal, spray the inside of the shape with non-stick spray before filling.

Clay and Play-Doh can both be rolled out thinly and cut with cookie cutters. The plastic ones with letters or design panels work great for etching the surface details. Quick-set clay makes fun and reusable gift tags or ornaments. Use a straw to poke a hole for hanging or attaching.

If you love the smell of cinnamon any time of the year, make some cinnamon dough and cut into seasonal shapes for garlands or hanging air fresheners. Note that this dough isn’t edible, and it’s for fragrance only.

Who wants to carve a pumpkin with an ordinary knife, when your jack-o’-lantern could have star shaped eyes? Use a metal cookie cutter to press into the pumpkin skin and a soft hammer to push it through the thickness for fun shaped features.

Take your open cookie cutters to the dining room table to make some fun napkin rings. Just roll the napkin and slide it through the shape. They’re party-perfect and much less expensive than real napkin holders.

Got a small photo needing a frame? Cookie cutter shapes to the rescue. Center the image in the shape and trim to size, then just add a bead of glue on the lower cutter surface and press in place. Allow it to dry before moving.

Cookie cutters even have a fun function in a sewing or craft room. Use them as a pincushion frame. Glue to a felt base, then fill with polyester stuffing and top with fabric. Tuck the fabric edges inside the cookie cutter outline and glue in place.

For holiday decorating, consider making a wreath from colorful cookie cutters. Simply glue them together around a wire frame, or framelessly by securing flat edges together. This works great for Halloween shapes, fall leaves, and of course Christmas shapes. Add a bow to the top to finish it off.

— Reporter: gwizdesigns@aol.com