How to Use Cookie Stamps

First, it’s important to note that there are different stamps for different uses. Some are intended to be a decorating guide for the cookier, some are intended to be baked into a blank cookie and left as such (maybe to allow someone else to do the decorating, for example), and some are intended to personalize a cookie. No matter the reason, the method of using these stamps will be almost the same. 

If your stamp design is intended to be on the bottom of the cookie, then you need to make the decision how you want them to be finished. Some cookiers choose to decorate the “bottoms” of their cookies (aka the side that bakes pressed to the cookie sheet), since it’s a flatter surface than the top of the cookie—effectively making the bottom now the top, and vice versa. And some cookiers use mesh baking mats that leave a beautiful and professional gridwork pattern on the bottoms of their cookies, which would be lost if the cookier chooses to decorate that side instead (I mean, it’s not illegal or anything, just sad to not get to admire the pattern after all your hard work!). 

For the sake of clarity, let’s assume you plan to bake on a mesh mat, and we’ll call the mesh-patterned side the bottom and the top…well, the top. 

If you want your finished cookies to say Thank You on the bottoms, and you plan to flood the tops, you’ll want to stamp your dough shape and then flip it upside down onto your mat for baking; if you press the stamp in firmly enough, the words will still be nice and clear after baking, even with the mesh pattern that develops during baking.

BUT if you plan to decorate the flatter bottoms, then just place your stamped dough face-up on the mat and bake like normal; you’ll just flip the cookie upside-down when it comes time to decorate.

Cookie stamps are and easy way to add some personalization to either side of your cookie! They're also a great way to let your youngest baker get involved in cookie making.  Whether you use cookie stamps for your own personal benefit, or if you use them to help your customers enjoy themselves even more, it's definitely a fun and easy way to kick your cookies up a notch. Tell us how you have incorporated stamps into your cookie process!