In the tradition of the early German and Dutch wooden cookie molds, our wood molds are carved with intricate designs and patterns that reflect a bygone era. Artisans Boutique cookie molds will allow you to bake cookies that are reminiscent of history, traditions, culture and family. Many of the original cookie boards are in museums and private collections, and are as old as 500 years. The "picture" cookies cast from these molds were used to tell stories visually when most people were unable to read or write. They celebrate holidays, weddings, victories , and births. Today, contemporary methods have enabled us to replicate the historic molds. Artisans Boutique cookie molds are made of machine carved solid Cherry wood in the tradition of antique carvings, some dating back as far as the 1600’s. Included with each mold are recipes for German Springerle and Spekulatius cookies. “Springerle” is said by some to be derived from a German dialect meaning “small jumping horse.” More likely the word simply refers to the cake (cookie) rising when baked - as from the German verb spring. “Speculaas" (Dutch) and “Spekulatius” (German) are a type of spiced shortbread cookies , traditionally baked for eating on or just before St. Nicholas’ Day in the Netherlands (5 Dec) and (6 Dec) in Germany. Speculaas are thin, very crunchy, caramelized, slightly browned, and most significantly, have some figure (often from some traditional stories about St. Nicholas) stamped on the front side before baking. There are many recipes for these cookies. Our recipes work very well and are included with each cookie board purchase. Adjust the spices to your own taste.