Cookie Cutter Generator › Christmas cookie cutters › Nutcracker
About this nutcracker cookie cutter
Wooden nutcracker soldiers – the toy made famous by Tchaikovsky’s ballet – are a favourite Christmas decoration, and the tall, blocky figure translates well into a cookie. This outline has a tall flat-topped hat with a brim, a square head, a jacket with arms held at the sides, two straight legs and boots. At the default 100 mm he is 100 mm tall and about 54 mm wide.
The figure is made of straight-sided blocks with rounded corners, so the cutter is sturdy and the cookie has no thin parts: the hat is about 26 mm wide, and the arms and legs are about 12 mm wide each. The gap between the legs is about 6.5 mm, wide enough for dough to drop out. The shape works best at 90 mm or more because the legs get narrow when smaller.
Nutcrackers are a great decorating project for older children and adults, because the blocks naturally divide the cookie into areas of colour: hat, face, jacket, belt, trousers and boots. A row of nutcracker soldiers in different uniforms looks fantastic on a long platter.
Size guide
The Size setting is the cookie’s longest side. This is how big the nutcracker cookie comes out at a few common sizes – the generator shows the exact numbers for any size from 30 to 200 mm.
| Size setting | Cookie (width × height) | Blade | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 mm | 32 × 60 mm | 1.0 mm | Bite-size cookies, cupcake and drink toppers |
| 100 mm | 54 × 100 mm | 1.0 mm | Default – a standard cookie, fits most gift boxes |
| 120 mm | 65 × 120 mm | 1.0 mm | Large gift cookies and centrepieces |
Dough and baking tips
A firm sugar cookie dough with little or no baking powder keeps the straight edges crisp and the legs separate. Roll to 5–6 mm and chill the cut cookies for 15 minutes. Lift each one with a spatula under the jacket rather than by the hat.
Decorating ideas
- Flood the hat black, the jacket red, the trousers white and the boots black, with a pale face in between.
- Pipe gold buttons, a belt and epaulettes on the shoulders, then add a white moustache and beard.
- Give each soldier a different uniform colour – blue, green, red – for a whole regiment.
Printing this cutter
- Material: PLA or PETG, ideally a filament sold as suitable for food contact
- Settings: 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.2 mm layers, 2–3 walls, no supports – the STL is already rim-down
- Blade: 1.0 mm thick and 15 mm tall by default; use 1.2 mm above 120 mm
- Print time: roughly 25–40 minutes at the default size
This template is part of the free Christmas cookie cutters collection – see the collection page for set ideas, sizes and print settings. Want a different shape? The cookie cutter generator turns any image or name into a cutter.
