What German anise-flavored cookie is made using a wooden mold?

The German anise-flavored cookie made using a wooden mold is the springerle. Its defining feature is not just the anise flavor but the sharply embossed picture or pattern impressed into the dough.

Springerle originated in southwestern Germany, especially Swabia, and the tradition reaches back at least to the 14th century. Wooden molds were carved with religious scenes, animals, heraldic designs, wedding imagery, and everyday subjects. Pear wood became prized because it is dense and durable enough to preserve fine details.

The dough is pressed with a mold or carved rolling pin, then commonly left to dry for about a day before baking. That drying step helps the surface design hold its shape. Traditional recipes may use hartshorn salt, or ammonium carbonate, which helps the cookie rise and form a characteristic raised “foot” around its edge.

Springerle is often associated with Christmas, but historic molds show it was also made for religious holidays and secular celebrations. Zimtsterne are another German holiday cookie, but they are cinnamon stars rather than molded anise biscuits.