I have been working on a new idea my bakery that I'd like to share with you: collectible cookie cutter kits that double as seasonal DIY decorating fun. Think of it as “cookie meets keepsake”—a way to give customers not just delicious treats, but tools and memories they’ll want to hold onto.

DIY cookie kits are already a high-margin product since they strip away the most labor-intensive part (decorating dozens or hundreds of cookies) while still giving customers that interactive, hands-on joy. But lots of bakeries already offer them so custom cookie cutters can really help me stand out.

Instead of grabbing the same shapes everyone else is buying from cutter shops, you can design your own unique shapes with Cookie Design Lab (CDL). CDL turns any photo, image, or word into a cookie cutter file (STL) in minutes—no CAD or 3D printing experience needed. This opens the door to kits that feel one-of-a-kind, collectible, and totally different from what customers will see anywhere else. Plus, since cutter shops usually charge at least $5 a cutter plus shipping, the savings add up fast (you can even try CDL for a week for just $5).

Seasonal Kit Examples

Here are a few ways I might use this idea for upcoming holidays:

  • Halloween → A “Spooky Fun” set with a haunted house, a mini black cat, bubbling cauldron, and even a little spider to layer on a window.

  • Thanksgiving → A “Grateful Gathering” kit featuring a turkey with a chef’s hat, a pumpkin pie slice, or a plaque cookie with a pumpkin detail that they can use as place setting cookies.

  • Christmas → A “North Pole Nights” box with cozy cocoa mugs, a Santa hat, and a custom ornament shape personalized with a family name (I could even use the stamp feature to make a custom cutter help guide them with piping their names - for an extra fee of course!).

  • Hanukkah → A “Festival of Lights” collection with dreidels, menorahs, and star shapes that aren’t available in mainstream cutter shops.

Since CDL makes custom cutter design so approachable, I can offer shapes in these kits that are different from my cookie class designs—so I don’t risk competing with my own workshops.

What’s in a Collectible Cookie Kit?

Each kit could include:

  • 3-6 custom cookie cutters in unique shapes they won’t find in stores, perhaps even customized for their family.

  • Recipe cards for cookies + royal icing (you don’t need to share your bakery’s recipes—just pull them from AllRecipes, Ann Clark, or King Arthur).

  • Step-by-step decorating instructions OR an “inspo sheet” (this is what I already do for my kids’ birthday party packages, which give ideas without overwhelming them).

  • Royal icing in a few coordinating colors, at least 1.5 ounces each and I generally include twice as much icing as I would use for the same cookies - the added ingredient cost is minimal and you don’t want people looking at the bags and thinking “is this really enough icing?” when they’ve paid a premium.

  • A keepsake packaging element such as a seasonal storage tin, a printed canvas bag, or even just recipe cards on cardstock designed in Canva. The Target Dollar Spot, the Dollar Store, and even Amazon are great cost-efficient options. For more expensive options or one with a higher minimum, I also like BRP Box Shop, Miss Cookie Packaging, and Designer Cookies.

This kind of thoughtful detail transforms the kit from “just another DIY box” into something that feels special, collectible, and gift-worthy as we go into the holiday season.

Turn Kits Into a Subscription

One kit is great—but subscriptions are even better because they create predictable revenue. I have a few ideas on how to structure this:

  • Monthly - A new kit each month with a fresh theme.

  • Quarterly - One for each season (spring, summer, fall, winter).

  • Holiday-focused - Kits just for major holidays when cookies are most in demand such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Valentine’s Day. Maybe this subscription is for three holidays they get to choose.

Making It Extra Special

Some of the things to make these kits feel even more elevated include:

  • Design recipe cards in Canva that I’ll print at home on cardstock or order from FedEx/Kinko’s for a more polished look.

  • Add a “pro tips” section to my instructions that share little decorating tricks I teach in my classes like wet-on-wet technique or layering icing for dimension.

  • Include a surprise cutter for repeat buyers. I could see this bonus shape encouraging my customers to keep buying the kits every time I offer them, or even advertise this as a special addition just for subscription customers.

So, what do you think? Will you consider adding custom cookie cutter DIY kits to your bakery’s offerings? By blending high-margin DIY fun with the unique customization power of Cookie Design Lab, you can offer something that sets your bakery apart while building customer loyalty. For me, this is an exciting new way to share my love of cookies—helping others bake, decorate, and even collect memories along the way.

Not familiar with Cookie Design Lab? Welcome to our blog! Here we share examples of how I (the baker behind CDL) use CDL in my business and my husband Andrew (the techy behind CDL) shares information on new features. Cookie Design Lab was made because I was struggling to create the custom cutters I needed for my business, especially as I was trying to shift my bakery’s focus towards B2B. So, check out the blog, our FAQs, and our YouTube channel, and then email us at [email protected] for a free one week trial.