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Printed Cookies – Creating Edible Masterpieces with Your Family and Friends
By THL Johnnae llyn Lewis, Middle Kingdom
Looking for an authentic fun culinary activity that children and young adults can participate in? Why not try printed or molded cookies? These cookies, in contrast to their modern free form, dropped or spooned counterparts, are created using specially carved molds or replica molds made of resins, wood, ceramic or even Corian. The cookies receive an embossed or pressed image, created by pressing the raw dough into a carved mold. An alternative method runs a special rolling pin with carved images over the rolled dough.
Today the most famous of these molded cookies are the intricate pure white anise Christmas cookies known as springerle. Of course, a number of other cookies can be molded, and according to food historian Sharon Hudgins, this has been happening for centuries. Hudgins traces shaped and stamped cookies and their molds back to the original Julfests of the early Germanic tribes. Sarah Kelly notes the wooden molds were “Known as early as the 16th century, these intricately hand-carved molds were originally used on Lebkuchen (honey cake) which was stamped by the mold to produce an elaborate relief.” (p. 154) Their popularity continued through the medieval period, Renaissance, and Baroque periods right up until today where the festive cookies still appear as part of the traditional European (German, Austrian, Swiss, Dutch, Slovenian, Czech, etc.) holiday tables and Christmas fairs.
Molds
To get started your family will need to acquire at least one mold. Replica or reproduction molds are readily available today and can be used to produce a number of these traditional and authentic cookies and small cakes. A number of these molds are replicas based on antique or historical molds found in museums and private collections. These molds allow the 21st century Society cook to reproduce cookies, which look like the cookies of centuries ago. Quality replica molds are not inexpensive, and prices of the lovely imported molds will vary with the rise and fall of the dollar versus the euro. With care the molds can last long enough to be passed down from generation to generation. Or one can invest in a hand carved wooden mold, suitable for an original heirloom, but those in pearwood may run as much as $150 and require special care. If working with younger children, a mold with animals or St. Nicholas/Santa, for instance, may be more appealing than a more accurately historical or ecclesiastical reproduction.
Most surviving original molds of stone, metal, pearwood, or clay for cookies date to as early as the 16th century. (Some illustrations date earlier.) Switzerland’s Änis-Paradies sells replica molds dating back to as early as 1530. Others, including a number of nativities, may be early to mid 17th century. The reproduction molds are often dated broadly, meaning that they will be sold as 17th century, and one often can’t easily determine if that’s 1601, 1650, or 1698. Be aware also the motifs were copied and recopied over the centuries. Molds used in bakeries didn’t last and were replaced. One baroque lion looks very seventeenth century to my eye, but the surviving mold is dated as 1800. Linus Feller’s website, catalog, and book help to date some of the molds, and with investigation and research one can sometimes date certain others.
Recipes
Gingerbread, gebildegeback, springerle, speculaas, shortbread, tirggel, bildlebkuchen, lebkuchen, leckerli, honiglebkuchen, aniseed biscuits, and honey cakes are some of the cookies, which lend themselves to being molded or printed. Some are also suitable for marzipan and sugar paste molding. Sources for appropriate and historical recipes are listed at the end of the article. Recipes vary. Instructions may call for some of these cookies to be baked in very hot ovens; others call for very low ovens. Some recipes call for special ingredients like hartshorn. Often it is suggested that sheets of the raw cookies be dried overnight before baking; drying allows the details to firm and set. Most recipes also call for or should require parchment paper for baking. (Using silicon baking mats/sheets is not recommended.)
Each type of cookie and mold requires attention to detail, but with some experimentation and some practice, one can find a recipe, come up with “a workable” dough, and create something special. Yes, certain recipes, especially the historical ones with honey, may
stick to the intricate molds. Amounts of eggs and flour needed may vary from the stated measures of the recipe. Humidity can cause problems with drying. It takes practice. You may need to oil or flour the molds in order to get them to release the dough; some molds work better with certain recipes rather than others. Read the instructions (and even check the web) for tips and techniques for each type of mold. (Wood is handled differently than resin; each type of material requires different cleaning and storage techniques.) A cookie stamp handles differently from the large twelve-inch resin molds. Employ patience and keep trying. I will mention the shallow molds, often sold as speculaas or speculoos molds, require a different approach than the deep molds. Likewise, tiny “tragant” molds (used originally with sugarpaste) may require special handling.
Suggestions for Use in the Society
To start, the larger historical resin molds produce splendid pieces of food art that can readily serve as subtleties or presentation pieces at Society feasts. Consider using them as prizes for contests or as gifts for children. (I’ve had gentles beg to be gifted with one or two at the end of a feast.) The cookies can be colored with food safe colors, dusted with edible gold dust, or gilded with silver or gold. (I am really fond of the gold or silver dusts; they create rather splendid and festive items. The application of the dusts moreover can be a quick matter of applying the edible dust with a brush.)
Besides cookies, butter, marzipan, sugarpaste, fondant, and fruit pastes can also be molded. Non-food activities using the molds include paper casting or casting with softened beeswax to make holiday tree ornaments or tokens for Easter baskets, weddings or head table favors.
Additional Hints for Success
As already detailed above, using replica molds and achieving success will take time and practice as learning to mold or print springerle, other cookies, sugarpaste, or marzipan is an art. There are now a variety of videos and blogs on the web, which offer helpful instructions that will help guide the novice baker. The various groups on Facebook like the Springerle Cookie Appreciation Group offers assistance and recipes to members having problems. After you have mastered the baking, you may want to try painting or coloring the cookies which will require a fine brush, quality food safe colors in the paste foam, thick liquid, or dusts with vodka to thin if needed.
Warning– Reviews are mixed on the laser or router engraved rolling pins which are being offered on Amazon and Etsy. Reports are that some inexpensive imported pins do not produce suitable images, because the images aren’t deep enough to imprint in the cookie dough. Proceed with care when purchasing these.
In Conclusion
Learning to use the replica molds can be a rewarding, fun, and even an addictive activity. Collecting the molds themselves is also addictive. My advice is to start with one or two and see if you like the cookie making and baking. The molds when not in use can be hung on walls where they provide decorative inspiration. The molds as well as the molded or printed cookies make great gifts and grand presentation items for family and society occasions.
Sources for Molds
There has been a lot of turmoil in the replica springerle or printen cookie mold business in the past three years. Below are the current sources for replica molds and stamps. For Christmas, 12th Night, or a special event, I would advise ordering any special or desired molds sooner rather than later. Many companies sell out of the holiday items or dated holiday issues. So please order early! Don’t wait!
United States and Canada
House on the Hill,
Elmhurst, Illinois, 60126. Large selection of molds, but now only sells through the commercial accounts listed on website. No sales to individuals. Still offers a newsletter & blog with helpful hints as well as recipes. http://www.houseonthehill.net/ Fancy Flours offers more than 150 styles of House on the Hill Cookie Molds http://www.fancyflours.com/category/springerle-molds
Springerle Joy,
Pittsburgh, PA Business ceased April 2018 and is now part of Gingerhaus. https://www.springerlejoy.com/
Gene Wilson P O Box 25, Belleville, IL 62222-0025 offered hand carved and highly collectable wooden cookie molds. Gene is retiring at the end of 2020. The business will remain within the family but the molds will be different.
http://www.cookiemold.com/CookieMoldsforGINGERBREADfigures.html
He defines the types of molds here:
http://www.cookiemold.com/Types-of–Wooden-Cookie-Molds-.html
Wandering Wood Products (rgreen105@aol.com) offers SCA oriented cookie stamps. See https://www.facebook.com/WanderingWoodProducts
King Arthur Flour, Williams-Sonoma, and Sur la Table also often carry molds around the holidays. If they don’t sell out, these often get offered for sale after the holidays at sometimes greatly reduced prices.
Ordering from Switzerland directly can be problematic, and the mailing costs are very high for small orders, but the great news is Änis-Paradies molds are carried by some US vendors. If you find a mold on the Änis-Paradies website, I suggest you write to the dealers here and ask if they carry it or if they can order it.
Jen at KitchenVixenGiftware [Springerle Molds imported from Switzerland] on Etsy now carries Änis-Paradies molds. She is located in Georgia. https://www.etsy.com/shop/KitchenVixenGiftWare
Gingerhaus, LLC in Texas also carries the Änis-Paradies molds. https://www.springerlecookiemold.com/springerle
Gail at Springerle Traditions https://springerletraditions.com carries the Änis-Paradies molds and can order the molds as well as the books. She’s located in Michigan. Plans are to carry Ann Carver cookie cutters and LorAnn oils.
As of March 2019, Springerle Emporium http://www.springerleemp.com was pleased to announce their reseller partnership with Anis-Paradies of Switzerland. “Happy to special order any mold(s) for you.”
Ken Hamilton, North Carolina http://www.thespringerlebaker.com/ and http://cookiemolds.wordpress.com/molds/gingerbread-molds/
Marvelous selection of unusual and easy to use resin molds, many one of a kind from family collections. Offers sales. Check his links section for other info and recipes. See also:
https://www.facebook.com/TheSpringerleBaker
The Canadian dealer ITC no longer exists.
Europe
Änis-Paradies remains the really big Swiss source for over 1000 molds plus books, cutters, ingredients, etc. The website is offered in German, French, and English. May take a bit of looking around. http://www.springerle.com/aktuelles.html or in English at: http://www.springerle.com/en_home.html
Änis-Paradies is the company which offers molds dating to 1530! Replicas of the 1530 Verkunelegung, 1570 Adam and Eve, 1570 Daniel in the lions’ den, and 1550 Jacob may be purchased from them. Also there’s a circa 1600 Nativity plus some others dated 17th century. My huge Noah’s Ark came from them.
Australia
Contact Michelle Bowles at the Cookie Cutter Shop in Springfield. QLD 4300. https://cookiecuttershop.com.au/search?type=product&q=springerle
Those on Facebook should explore the Springerle Cookie Appreciation Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/89641444456/
Molded Cookies of the World- Artisan Bakers and Confections https://www.facebook.com/groups/2205440759739179/
SCA Subtleties, Confections, Entremets, and Sweets talks about molds a lot! Join us at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1536942346419667/
Recipes
Traditional and modern recipes may be found in the websites listed above or by searching in the various books listed below. [It should be noted the more modern but still traditional recipes may be easier to use for those just starting out in exploring this activity.] Many historical recipes may be located by using the online search function to browse through the various early cookbooks, which are indexed at MedievalCookery.com. http://medievalcookery.com/search/search.html or contact the FB SCA Subtleties, Confections, Entremets, and Sweets group for help.
Delightes for Ladies (1609) offers recipes for gingerbread, sugarpaste, and marchpane.
Das Kuchbuch der Sabina Welserin offers several lebkuchen recipes.
Also consider searching the files at Stefan’s Florilegium. http://www.florilegium.org
Also see
Gloning, Thomas. “Letter on Springerle.” 27 January 2000. Food-Germany File. Stefan’s Florilegium. http://www.florilegium.org [Earliest printed recipe for springerle dating from 17th century. Appears in the earliest cookery book printed in Austria.]
Holloway, Johnna. “Shortbread: Another Look.” Tournaments Illuminated. Fourth Quarter 2009 #172 pp. 21-24.
Muusers, Christianne. “Speculass with rich almond stuffing.” Coquinaria. Web. 21 July 2014. http://www.coquinaria.nl/english/recipes/speculaas.htm
Articles
“The Art of Molded Cookies.” Early American Life. Christmas, 2019. Pp. 28-35.
Day, Ivan. “Lady Barbara Fleming’s Gingerbreads 1673.” And “Quince Recipes.” Historic Food. Web. Excellent articles on molded gingerbreads and quince pastes. Also check out the section on “Culinary Moulds.”
http://www.historicfood.com/moulds.htm
http://www.historicfood.com/Quinces%20Recipe.htm
http://www.historicfood.com/Gingerbread%20Recipe.htm
Hudgins, Sharon. “Edible Art: Springerle Cookies.” Gastronomica. IV, no.4, 2004. pp. 66-71. Provides interesting reading & a list of sources for those desiring more information on molds. Online through Jstor.
Kelly, Sarah. “Specialty Baking in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.” National & Regional Styles of Cookery. [Proceedings: Oxford Symposium, 1981.] Edited By Alan Davidson. Pp. 148- Available through Google Books.
Ross, Alice. “A Gingerbread Tradition.” Journal of Antiques Collectables. December, 2000. http://www.journalofantiques.com/hearthdec.htm
Select Books featuring recipes and/or information on cookie molds
Brears, Peter. All the King’s Cooks. The Tudor Kitchens of King Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace. London: Souvenir Press, 1999. Paperback, 2011. Use of molds at the Tudor court.
Brears, Peter. Cooking and Dining In Tudor and Early Stuart England. London: Prospect Books, 2015. Use of molds in Tudor and Stuart England.
The Edible Mass Medium: Traditional European cookie molds of the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries. Edited by Anneliese Harding. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University and Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1975. [Rare item. Catalogue of an exhibit of cookie molds from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. 28 pp.]
Feller, Linus. Anismodel: Geschichte, Brauchtum, Symbolik : die Freude am Weiterleben einer Volkskunst. Olten: Paradies Verlag, 1998. In German. This can be ordered from some of the shops that sell molds. Springerle Joy offered Patrice Romzick’s English translation to accompany the German text.
Grohmann, Almute. Backen mit Modeln. Kultgeback wiederentdecki. Reczepte Modelbastein. [Privately published. Almute Grohmann-Sinz, 2011. Worldcat indicates: Berlin Selbstverl. 2011] www.modelbacken.de ISBN: 978-3-00-033165-7. In German. Contains “rezepte und modelbastein.”
Grohmann, Almute. Neue Beitrage zur Modelbackunst. [Privately published. Almute Grohmann-Sinz, 2013. Worldcat indicates: Berlin Selbstverl. 2013] www.modelbacken.de ISBN: 978-3-00-0422339-0.
Hansen, Hans Jurgen, et al. Kunstgeschichte des Backwerks; Geschichte und Entwicklung der Gebäckarten und ihrer Formen. Oldenburg/Hamburg: Gerhard Stalling Verlag, 1968. German work on baked items, including breads, springerle and gingerbreads.
Holzmodel aus Hohenlohe. Ed.: Barbel Frenz et al. Mahl Schwäbisch Hall, 1983. [Worldcat indicates: Katalog zur Ausstellung Holzmodel aus Hohenlohe, 1.12.1983-31.1.1984, Hohenloher Freilandmuseum, Schwäbisch Hall-Wackershofen, Ausstellungszentrum Weidnerhof.] Papers on carved molds. In German. Illustrated.
Horandner, Edith. Model. Geschnitzte Formen für Lebkuchen, Spekulatius und Springerle. Munchen: Callway Verlag, 1982. [ Title:“Model. Carved shapes for gingerbread, cookies and Springerle.” In German. Comprehensive history of molds. Contains hundreds of photos of historical molds.]
Iaia, Sarah Kelly. Festive Baking. Holiday Classics in the Swiss, German, and Austrian Traditions. NY: Doubleday, 1988. All the traditional cookies in an English language text.
Jones, Malcolm. “Love, Death and Biscuits.” In The Secret Middle Ages. Stroud, [Gloucestershire] UK: Sutton, 2004. pp 1-12. [Discusses medieval molds.]
Knittel, Elke and Rolf Mauer. Springerles-Back-Lust. Tübingen: Silberburg-Verlag, 2004, 2005. Lahr/Schwarzwald, 2011. History with recipes. In German.
The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Edited by Darra Goldstein. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. Offers numerous articles on numerous cookies and even cookie molds. Highly recommended for background information. See my review: http://commonplaceboke.blogspot.com/2015/04/subtleties-oxford-companion-to-sugar.html
Schilstra, J[ohannes] J[ouke]. Koekplanken. Bussum: Van Dishoeck, 1974. Reprint of a 1961 volume. Dutch work on carved molds or cookie boards. B/w line illustrations.
Schilstra, J. J. Prenten in hout. Speculaas-, taai- en dragantvormen in Nederland. Lochem: De Tijdstroom, 1985. More comprehensive Dutch work on molds and cookies in the Netherlands.
Stahell, Cornelia and Hans-Peter Widmer. Honig den Armen, Marzipan den Reichen Schweizer Gebackmodel des 16. un 17. Jahrhunderts. Zurich: Chronis, 2020. [Honey to the poor, marzipan to the rich. Swiss pastry models of the 16th and 17th centuries. 2020. 176 pp , 410 illustrations in color and black and white. ISBN 978-3-0340-1556-1] Not yet seen.
Watson, Anne L. Baking with Cookie Molds. Secrets and Recipes for making amazing handcrafted cookies for your Christmas, holiday, wedding, party, swap, exchange, or everyday treat. Friday Harbor, WA.: Shepard Publications, 2010. New edition in color, 2015. The first edition was inexpensive and full of recipes and great tips for baking success. Available through Amazon and also on Kindle. Described on her website here:
http://www.annelwatson.com/books/CookieMolds.html
http://www.annelwatson.com/cookiemolds/index.html
Watson, Anne L. Cookie Molds Around the Year from 2016/2017 is the companion volume to the work above.
Weaver, William Woys. America Eats. Forms of Edible Folk Art. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1989. Includes material on carving biscuit (cookie) molds in America and funeral biscuits.
Weaver, William Woys. The Christmas Cook. Three Centuries of American Yuletide Sweets. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1990. Material and photos of American cookie molds.
Widmer, Hans Peter and Cornelia Staheli. Schaffhauser Tonmodel. Kleinkunst aus der Bossierer-Werkstatt Studlin in Lohn. [Katalog zur Sonderausstellung des Museums zu Allerheiligen Schaffhausen, 5. Dezember 1999 bis 27. Februar 2000.] Schaffhausen: Museum zu Allerheiligen, 1999. In German. Museum catalogue featuring clay models or molds.
Websites and Images for Documentation
For those that wish to view some images online of various and historical molds for purposes of documentation, these images are online:
1475-1500.
“Gingerbread Mold with Lovers” of earthenware with leadglaze. It’s dated ca. 1475-1500. German. Held by the Walters Museum in Baltimore. Or look at it through ArtStor. http://art.thewalters.org/detail/27099/gingerbread-mold-with-lovers/
1508
Woodcut. A gentleman presents either a carved mold or cookie to a table. “Geiler von Kaysersberg, Johannes / Otther, Jacob: Fragme[n]ta passionis d[omi]ni nostri Jesu Christi, [Straßburg], 1508.” http://tinyurl.com/95bhj5j
See Edith Horandner’s volume Model. She also includes another image of a noble/king serving a large printed cookie in the book. “Holzschnitt aus geiler von kaysersbergs.” It’s dated 1514.
1520
Lebküchner image. A gingerbread maker with his wares. “Hanns Buel. Gingerbread baker.” [[Ger.: Lebküchner.] 1520. Amb. 279.2° Folio 11 verso (Landauer I).] Nuremberg: Stadtbibliothek Nürnberg and Germanisches Nationalmuseum, 2007-2009.
http://www.nuernberger-hausbuecher.de/75-Amb-2-279-11-v
1530
Änis-Paradies offers a catalog, which lists molds dating to 1530! Replicas of the 1530 Verkundigung (Annunciation), 1570 Adam and Eve, 1570 Daniel in the lions’ den, and 1550 Jacob may be purchased. Check the Anis-Paradies website to see who is vending molds in the USA.
1598
Engraved Culinary Roller. Victoria and Albert Museum.
Carved Pearwood. # 746-1904 Germany. “Four bands of ornament separated by the inscription GOT.ALEIN.DIE. ER.1.5.9.8.” The bands are decorated with a variety of animals and birds. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O119391/culinary-roller-unknown/
Artstor (an academic database of images related to the arts and architecture) includes the Walters mold listed along with some later molds.
Thomas Collection Homepage. “Cookies and Cake Boards. Wooden Molds from the 17th to 20th Centuries.” 2008. An interesting but dated website devoted to molds. http://www.cookieboard.com/
Ken Hamilton offers a section on original molds with family connections. They date from as early as the 17th century. See http://www.thespringerlebaker.com/ken_springerle_molds_originals01.html
Feller, Linus. “Empfehlenswerte Internet-Angebote/Recommended Internet Sites.” has links to museums, etc. Änis-Paradies.
http://www.springerle.com/information_links.html
In Addition
The website Gode Cookery offers a section titled “Goode Cookys from Gode Cookery.” Part history and part shop for cookies. http://www.godecookery.com/cookies/designs.html
Turku Gingerbread is a blog about baking springerle, speculaas, gingerbread etc. http://turkugingerbread.blogspot.com/ The photos on flickr are also interesting http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldworldcookies/
Lots of instructional videos are now on YouTube and websites. For instance, painting or coloring instructions can be found there.
Article based in part on: Holloway, Johnna. “Reproduction Subtlety Molds” in Tournaments Illuminated Summer issue 2007 #163 pp 9-10
© Johnna Holloway 2013, 2015, 2019, 2020. Please do not reprint or publish elsewhere without my express written permission.
Johnnae llyn Lewis, (THL) joined the Society in 1973.
Autumn 2020 marks her forty-seventh anniversary since joining.
She answers reference questions on various Society email lists as well writing articles for numerous publications. Johnnae often makes appearances at various Society culinary conferences, including the West Coast Culinary Symposiums. A William Blackfox award winner, Johnnae was chosen as one of the notables honored in the Hall of 50 at the Society’s 50th Anniversary celebration. She also knits.