So, a while ago I thought that it’d be nice to have Steampunk food – you may have noticed my Steampunk bento earlier with cog shaped sausage cutouts. However, cog shaped biscuits/cookies sounded like a great idea – but I’d be darned if I was going to hand cut out all those cog teeth! But the internet was not going to oblige, and the few places that will make custom cookie cutters were all far away and more than I’d like to pay.

Today I made my own, temporary cog shaped cookie cutter!

It’s made from the cylinder of metal from a small tuna can, I cut the top and bottom off, (saved the tuna, because I wasn’t hungry right then and there), used a handsaw to cut it into one long strip. I then used standard pliers (with occasional help from some needlenosed pliers) to bend and flatten a ‘hem’ for the side my hand would be touching. Then, using the standard pliers as both bending tool and measurement device, I bent it into a castle parapet shape (or square wave, for you more technical types).

A bit more bending to get it into a circular shape, and then used a hole punch to make four small holes. Then, a hand-riveting tool that I bought today was put to good use and it was finished!

I’m looking forward to using it, despite the cog ‘teeth’ being dangerously thin (they will break off – I just know it). It is temporary, because I hate to think how nice a place for bacteria those riveted holes would be. Next time, I’ll make the teeth bigger, and the inner parts (tooth bases?) shorter to compensate. Fun to do though!

And here they are – all made up (cheatily) using a ready made mix of biscuit/cookie mix. Someone I know keeps thinking they look like little turtles (bah) but I quite like them. Room for improvement, of course, but they taste lovely. (I put some brown icing on too, but it’s still to dry).