Target's Cookie-Stamp Set Delivers a Pro Baker Aesthetic Without the Fuss

As any one of my friends or family members will tell you, baking has become a love language of sorts for me. I don't necessarily need to receive handfuls of desserts and sweets from people to feel loved (though it's certainly always welcomed), but the hobby has become an outlet for me to show the people I care about just how much they mean to me, regardless of the season or occasion.

While I love whipping up decadent, new creations for my loved ones, I'm usually far less keen on the increased kitchen time that comes with it — particularly during the holiday season when my availability is already so slim to begin with. I'm always looking for new cooking products and gadgets that can help to simplify my baking process and cut down on all of the hours I dedicate to aimlessly staring into an oven, eagerly watching as my bakes take shape. Naturally, when I came across the Hearth and Hand With Magnolia Winter Snowflake Metal & Wood Cookie Stamp Set ($17) while scrolling through Target's holiday section, I knew my holiday baking would never be the same — and that I needed to test out the tools ASAP.

After spending a few days getting my treats baked and prepped for delivery to loved ones, I can confirm that out of all of my go-to baking tools, this cookie-stamp set has officially claimed the spot as my new favorite. Keep reading to see my honest review of this holiday baking essential.

More than anything, I like that this cookie-stamp set makes me seem like a much more capable baker than I actually am. I can't completely discredit my talents in the kitchen, because I've definitely worked to elevate my baking skills over the years. But I am by no means close to being a professional (despite my Ina Garten-inspired pipe dreams) and certainly don't have the patience to decorate cookies with their fullest design potential in mind — especially during the holiday season when my patience is already running much thinner than usual. But with these cookie stamps, I can simply whip up my go-to cookie recipe, press the stamp down onto the dough, pop them in the oven, and have stylish, put-together cookies that are ready to be put into a treat tin and delivered to all of my favorite people. The baking tool has already helped to free up so much time for me this season, giving me the freedom to spend more of my month doing what's really important: religiously watching movies like "The Family Stone" and "The Holiday" on repeat (kidding, but also not really) and enjoying quality time with family and friends.

I also have a habit of procrastinating my holiday baking dangerously close to my "treat deadlines" for holiday parties, family get-togethers, and cookie swaps with my girlfriends. If you, like me, are a notorious last-minute baker, you'll appreciate the ease with which you can put together mass batches of fully decorated cookies, all without having to spend hours on end in the kitchen. I made nearly 40 cookies, fully baked and stamped, in under an hour. We love that kind of holiday efficiency!

While these cookie stamps definitely helped to cut my usual holiday baking time in half, I'll admit that they weren't as easy to use as marketed on the box. With each batch of cookies that I made, I ran into the same problem of having my dough get stuck within the mold of the cookie stamp and often had to actually use my hands to gradually peel the cookie out of the product. This resulted in some distorted designs and, in the worst cases, me even having to reroll and stamp my cookie dough all over again.

To be fair, I prefer my cookies to be as moist as possible and ultimately opted for a different recipe than the one that was recommend on the box. This could have resulted in a stickier and looser mixture that was simply too thin and fluid to hold the cookie's shape correctly once stamped. But even with traditional decorating solutions like flour and the occasional spraying of olive oil on the innermost mold of the cookie stamps, the dough never managed to come out without a little coaxing on my end. This wouldn't deter me from purchasing the set again or recommending it to a friend — especially considering how much time I saved by simply not having to dress up the holiday treats with icing, frosting, or any other decorative element. But it's worth noting that when using this particular tool, drier cookie dough will likely yield much better results.

This cookie-stamp set is perfect for anyone who struggles to balance their holiday baking with all of the other demanding and time-consuming elements of the holiday season. Historically, I've had to set aside entire weekends dedicated to baking simply so that I had enough time to bring all of my treats to life and make them look totally professional, too (what can I say, I take a lot of pride in my baking). While I admittedly still spent a pretty decent amount of time in the kitchen this season, I also got to avoid the usual chaos of decorating cookies with messy icing bags, templates, and glitter sprinkles that I still can't manage to rid my home of even years after using — and all because these cookie stamps made my treats look totally photogenic with minimal effort on my end. If you are anticipating a busy month of last-minute holiday baking, are in a time crunch to whip up something quick for your next family get-together, or could just use a little extra help in the decorating department, this cookie-stamp set is such a worthwhile purchase.

The Hearth and Hand With Magnolia Winter Snowflake Cookie Stamp Set is available to shop exclusively at Target.

Rating:
★★★★☆