Dog Bone

The classic dog-biscuit outline — the two-lobed bone every cartoon dog has ever carried in its jaws — cut down into a baking tool. It is the shape people reach for when the treats are for the dog itself, using the oat, peanut butter and pumpkin recipes that come out of the oven hard rather than soft. It works just as happily on biscuits meant for humans, at a puppy party or a dog-themed birthday, and rescue centres and training clubs use the shape constantly for bake sales and fundraisers. Beyond dough it earns its keep in fondant, in salt dough for gift tags and hanging ornaments, and in modelling clay with children. One file, one cutter, and a shape that stays legible even to a toddler — which is more than can be said for most novelty cutters once the dough has spread.