How To Make Cookie Cutter Sandwiches

Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read  

how to make cookie cutter sandwiches

How To Make Cookie Cutter Sandwiches

When I was in elementary and middle school, I had a best friend that had one of the most creative moms I ever met. My friend’s mom baked, cooked, danced, and was so sweet to me any time I came over. I learned how to ice and decorate sugar cookies from her and how to make cookie cutter sandwiches.

She would make my friend’s lunch sandwiches into shapes that went along with holiday themes, love themes and more. I don’t think my friend ever had a square sandwich in her lunch. If it wasn’t shaped like anything, it was cut into beautifully perfect triangles or finger sized sandwiches. She didn’t care for the crust, so her mom found fun ways to remove it, including using a cookie cutter.

My husband happily ate his heart shaped sandwich and the leftovers!

I always looked forward to seeing my friend’s sandwich shapes and what kind of sandwich she had. I always asked my parental figures for certain things in my lunches but always got either crunchy peanut butter and jelly (I asked for creamy) or bologna or ham (and I truly didn’t like those either). I was always told “you get what you get, don’t throw a fit”. Gheesh…

My friend would kindly share her lunch with me sometimes (especially when I just couldn’t stomach another warm processed meat sandwich…I tried though…I always tried) and that’s how I got to try new things like Benedictine, pimento cheese and more. Her mom really paid attention to what she liked and I thought that was very cool.

If you don’t like crust, this is the perfect solution!

Her mom also often included an encouraging note in her lunch that said something like “I love you” or “You are special”. It’s wonderful how I remember these little things. I believe these sweet moments that say “I love you” are why I love to send little notes to people I love and do small, kind things for people as an adult. Those moments matter and they definitely affected me in a good way.

Little budget-friendly things I love to give to people to tell them I care:

See how to make my lemon sugar scrub below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

The gifts you give to people you care about don’t have to cost a lot of money. Some things, like making a fancy-ish sandwich, costs little money but the gesture can go a long way. If you are looking for little ways to tell your kids, grandkids, spouse, partner or friend that you love them, try making them a cookie cutter sandwich. It’s really an easy thing to make, it can be delicious and it says “I love you” in a small, yet sweetly loud way. It’s also positively impactful.

 Here’s how to make a cookie cutter sandwich.

Crustless heart shaped sandwich

Things you need:

  • Two pieces of bread (large enough for the cookie cutter of your choice, I found sourdough worked really great, as it’s a firm bread)

  • Cookie cutter (I’ve found that large SIMPLE shaped cookie cutters like the grippy 3-4 inch Wilton cookie cutters work best…I tested smaller ones and they were more difficult to get a perfect cut)

  • Sandwich filling of your choice

Cookie cutter that I like for cookie cutter sandwiches (work for most size breads):

Watch the cookie cutter sandwich creation in our one minute video below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

These sandwiches can be stored in sandwich bags, but to fully keep their shape, it’s nice to keep them in something like a glass or plastic sandwich container. These containers have great reviews on Amazon.

Mini Cookie Cutter Sandwich Idea for Parties:

I’ve also made tiny heart shaped sandwiches and this can work too if you want to make smaller versions for parties. I used a mini heart cookie cutter for this and served them as finger sandwiches, or “tea sandwiches”. I added a walnut blue cheese spread and apricot jam to the bread and cut them out with a small heart cookie cutter. They were delicious!

Directions for a large cookie cutter sandwich:

Lay out a piece of bread and place the sandwich filling of your choice on it. In my tests, I used Benedictine.

First add the sandwich filling

Place the other piece of bread on top of the filling.

I love the big Wilton comfort grip cookie cutters for this

Place the cookie cutter on top of the sandwich and press down firmly to cut the sandwich with the cookie cutter.

The heart shaped sandwich is almost done!

If the sandwich sticks inside the cookie cutter, gently press it out onto a plate.

Leftovers become finger sandwiches

I cut my “extra” leftover bread into finger sandwiches and ate them . Or, just eat the leftovers as is and give the shaped part to your loved one.

Eat and enjoy.

I love heart shaped sandwiches

Tips and Tricks:

  • Try this with a variety of sandwiches. If you do cheese, try making it grilled for a shaped grilled cheese sandwich!

  • Different bread types cut differently and different cookie cutters cut differently too. I tried this with a clover shaped cookie cutter and it didn’t work, so as I said above, larger and simple shaped cookie cutters work best.

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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.