Are you baking special cookies for Valentine’s Day? If you are, then look no further for inspiration than to Ann Clark, America’s largest cookie cutter manufacturer, a family business with an amazing story.
Earlier in January, the brand unveiled its first-ever Vault Collection, a limited-edition series of re-released classic cookie cutter designs that celebrate 35 years of creativity and baking inspiration. Each month through May, Ann Clark will debut a surprise cookie cutter from its archives, perfectly timed to inspire seasonal baking projects. Future shapes will align with key moments on the calendar, such as Easter, Mother’s Day, and spring celebrations. The Vault Collection shapes will not be announced in advance, keeping the element of surprise alive for Ann Clark fans, who are encouraged to act quickly, as each shape is only available for a limited time while supplies last. Followers can stay updated by keeping an eye on Ann Clark’s social media channels, or subscribing to the company’s newsletter for exclusive product news and announcements.
The January debut featured the Pair of Hearts cookie cutter – ideal for Valentine’s Day baking 🙂
You may remember my collaboration with Ann Clark last spring, which I covered in my post here. Ann Clark sent me a new delightful package of their products, along with their pocket-size recipe booklet, which includes one of my favorite sugar cookie recipes of all-time 🙂
I used Ann Clark’s recipe and the limited edition Pair of Hearts cookie cutter to craft the treats below, which I decorated with a generous dusting of powdered freeze-dried raspberries.
I was also super excited to learn that Ann Clark offers Premium Strawberry Meringue Powder. Packed with the tempting flavor of real strawberries in powdered format, this gourmet product is perfect for quick meringue making, and its aroma is spectacular! I love dunking these treats into freshly made sour cherry sauce.
Ann Clark’s son & CEO of the company, Ben Clark, provided an exclusive interview to Chicago Loves Panini, which I am delighted to include below:
- The Vault Collection was launched “to honor the designs that have shaped Ann Clark’s journey.” Could you please tell us more about this collection? How did the idea come about?
The idea came about in a meeting where we were brainstorming new cookie cutter shapes. We have some fun new shapes on the horizon, but one of our marketing team members suggested also taking a look into the past to revisit some retired shapes as well – and to rediscover some forgotten favorites.
- How did you decide on the list of shapes to include in the Vault Collection? Did Mrs. Ann Clark participate in the decision-making process?
The decision was based on a couple of factors.
We wanted shapes that were timely with the seasons – for instance, we chose to release the Pair of Hearts before Valentine’s Day.
We also wanted shapes that were a joy to bake and create with. When we first got into the cookie cutter business, we sometimes designed shapes that were difficult for bakers. For example, our moose shape was a top-seller in gift shops, but didn’t do well in kitchen stores. It was only after speaking with professional cookie artists and bakers that we realized that this shape is difficult to bake – the legs were too thin, meaning they would cook faster and potentially burn.They may even break off while transferring the cookies from a baking sheet to the cooling rack. We internalized that information, and re-fabricated many of our dies based on the cookie artists’ recommendations. Going through our vault was a fun look back at all of the learning that we’ve accomplished over the years. For the Vault Collection, we chose shapes that we knew bakers and cookie decorators could use easily.
Ann was not directly involved in establishing the Vault Collection, but she is in the office pretty much daily and has shared in our excitement for the reissued shapes.
- Where will you publish updates on the shapes to be released each month?
On the first Thursday of each month we will announce a new shape from the Ann Clark Cookie Cutter Vault. People can learn about new shapes by subscribing to our email newsletter, on AnnClark.com, and on our social channels. We are at @annclarkcookiecutters on Instagram, and @annclarkltd on Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
- Do you have a favorite Vault Collection shape? Why is it your favorite?
It’s hard to choose a favorite! There are a couple coming out later this spring that I’m excited about – they offer a lot of space for folks to write messages. I’m excited to see how the creative individuals in the cookie decorating community use those.
Leave a Reply