Reindeer, polar bear & penguin

A Christmas full of animals: reindeer cookie cutters – standing, leaping or as an embossed head – let you bake Rudolph and friends. Add polar bear, moose and penguin cutters, some with plungers, for a charming cookie platter. The residents of the Arctic, the Antarctic and the snowy forest are especially popular with children and bring a cheerful, playful touch to classic Christmas baking. Whether it’s a penguin mum with her baby, a little bear in a ring or a proud moose, these animal Christmas cookie cutters create cookies that make people smile and are perfect for decorating together as a family.

Ideas for animal Christmas cookies

Animal shapes leave plenty of room for imagination and colour. With these ideas your cookie platter becomes a little winter zoo that delights young and old alike:

• Rudolph with his red nose: bake reindeer from chocolate dough and add the famous glowing nose with a red sugar pearl or a dot of red royal icing. The 7.5 cm embossed reindeer head shows antlers and face even before decorating.
• Leaping reindeer: the leaping reindeer looks especially dynamic – lined up on a plate they look like a sleigh team flying through the night.
• Penguin family: with the penguin mum and baby set you can bake parent and child. Black and white icing, an orange beak and perhaps a tiny fondant scarf – and the sweet family from the South Pole is ready.
• Polar bears in the snow: coat polar bear cookies with white icing and roll them in desiccated coconut so they look as fluffy as a real winter coat.
• Stencil patterns: the reindeer and figure cutter set with stencils lets you create delicate powdered sugar patterns on the cookies – no piping bag required.
• Animal Advent gift: a moose, a polar bear and a penguin together in a little bag make a lovely present for godparents or teachers.

Tips: animal shapes full of character

Animals often have fine details such as antlers, legs or beaks. To make sure they come out of the oven intact and keep their charm, a few tricks help:

• Don’t roll the dough too thin – around 4 to 5 mm – so antlers and legs stay sturdy.
• Use plunger models: the polar bear or the penguin with plunger and embossing release cleanly from the cutter without tearing fine parts.
• Chill the cut-out figures briefly before baking to keep the outlines sharp.
• Mix royal icing in different consistencies: thick for outlines, thinner for flooding.
• Add candy eyes or a dot of dark chocolate – it instantly gives each animal personality.
• With children, choose larger, compact shapes; they offer more surface for painting.

Combinations: polar animals on a plate

Animals feel most at home in company. Reindeer naturally belong with Santa – combine them with figures from the Santa Claus & elves category and tell a whole Christmas story with your cookies. Polar bears and penguins go wonderfully with snowflakes and ice crystals, while the moose looks as if it is wandering between snowy fir trees. For a colourful children’s platter, mix animal figures with simple stars and hearts that are quick to decorate. That way there is still time for a big batch of cookies alongside the more elaborate figures.

Buying guide: what to look for

With animal cutters, size, level of detail and ease of use matter most:

• Size: shapes of around 6 cm, like the Christmas penguin, are ideal for the cookie platter; reindeer with antlers leave room for creative decorating.
• Embossing: embossing cutters such as the reindeer head outline faces and details – perfect when you are short on time or children are helping.
• Plunger: it makes releasing fine shapes easier and protects delicate legs and antlers.
• Mini shapes: the mini bear in a ring is great for small cookies, filled Linzer cookies or as a cupcake decoration.

FAQ about reindeer, polar bear and penguin cutters

How do I stop reindeer antlers from breaking?

Chill the dough well, don’t roll it too thin and let the cookies cool on the tray for a while before lifting them off.

Which animals are easiest to decorate?

Polar bear and penguin: the bear only needs white icing and desiccated coconut, the penguin black, white and an orange beak. Reindeer and moose with their antlers take a little more patience.

What’s the easiest way to decorate penguins?

Dip the body in dark chocolate, fill the belly with white royal icing and paint beak and feet with orange icing.

What is the difference between reindeer and moose?

The reindeer has slender, branched antlers and comes standing, leaping or as a head; the moose is sturdier and carries broad, flat antlers. Together they make a varied winter forest.

Which colours do I need for animal cookies?

White, black, brown plus a little orange and red cover polar bear, penguin, reindeer and moose – royal icing can be tinted with just a few food colourings.

Find more shapes in the Christmas cookie cutters overview and everything for the holidays in our Christmas category. For recipes, browse our Christmas cookie recipes.