Last molds from Otto's garage workshop • In 11 active carts • 17 left
Otto's Hand-Carved Cookie Molds
Otto's Hand-Carved Cookie Molds
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Otto's Hand-Carved Cookie Molds
Carved in a Minnesota garage for 45 winters
Otto Kreuzer, 76, has carved cookie molds from beech wood in New Ulm, Minnesota, since 1981 — about 2,600 of them. Arthritis in his right thumb has stopped the fine cuts. These are his last 212.
“Grandma carried that bird across an ocean in her apron. I broke it in one afternoon. A mold on a shelf is just a piece of wood. A mold with flour on it is a family.”
Otto Kreuzer · New Ulm, Minnesota
What you get
In the design you choose, ready to bake with
Dried three winters before it is carved
About 3½ × 4 in, ¾ in thick
Cookies, gingerbread, shortbread, marzipan, fondant
What makes Otto’s molds different
The boards dry three years under his roof before he cuts them. So the mold stays flat and doesn’t crack in a warm kitchen.
The picture is carved deep into the block. Your cookie comes out raised, with every feather and scale, not as a flat stamp.
The walls are cut at a slight slant. Dust with flour, press in the dough, tap once on the table and it drops out clean.
No varnish, no stain, no plastic. The wood soaks up a little flour and butter and works better every Christmas.
The flower bird is a copy of the mold his grandmother Rosina brought from Germany in 1923. The tradition goes back much further.
A real piece of wood with a story. A gift that gets used every December and handed down.
“Carved wooden cookie molds came to America with German families in the 1800s, and in towns like New Ulm they never quite went away. The difference you notice right away is the depth. A deep, clean cut gives you a cookie that keeps its picture in the oven. Shallow molds give you a blur. These are cut the old way, and they release the way a good mold should.”
Ilse Vogtmann · Springerle baker and baking teacher · Hermann, Missouri
Choose your design
Perfect for
Why Otto’s molds last
- Solid wood. One block of beech, not glued layers or plastic.
- Deep carving. The picture stays sharp on the cookie, even after baking.
- Clean release. Slanted walls, so the dough lets go without tearing.
- Nothing to peel. No varnish or paint that could flake into the dough.
- Made to be used. Otto’s first mold from 1981 is still in use in his kitchen every December.
Bake with it for a month. If it isn’t right for your kitchen, one email to info@backroad-goods.com is enough. Otto would rather have it back than have it sit in a drawer.
Tip from Otto: Dust the mold with flour before every cookie and tap out the extra. Press the dough in firmly, then tap the edge once on the table. Wipe with a dry brush, never put it in water or the dishwasher. Every mold is wood, so grain and color differ a little from piece to piece.
Product details
| Contents | 1 carved cookie mold in the design you choose |
| Material | Solid beech wood, unfinished |
| Designs | Owl · Flower Bird · Starfish & Shell · Butterfly Love · Squirrel (Little) · Squirrel (Fox) · Carp · Goldfish |
| Size | About 3½ × 4 in (9 × 10 cm), ¾ in (2 cm) thick — Starfish & Shell about 5 × 2¾ in |
| Use for | Cookies, gingerbread, Springerle, shortbread, marzipan, fondant, butter |
| Care | Brush clean when dry, no water, no dishwasher |
| Made by | Otto Kreuzer, New Ulm, Minnesota — last carving, 212 remaining |
| Made so far | About 2,600 since 1981 |
The Last Carving
The Last Carving
A note from Otto's garage workshop:
In 1923 Otto Kreuzer's grandmother Rosina brought one carved cookie mold from Germany to Minnesota, wrapped in her apron. In 1979 Otto dropped it and it broke in two. He glued it, and in the winter of 1981 he carved a new one so the family could bake again. Since then he has carved about 2,600 molds from beech wood in the garage behind his house in New Ulm, Minnesota. Since June 2026 arthritis in his right thumb has stopped the fine cuts. 17 molds are left, all eight designs together. When they are gone, there will be no more.
Free US Shipping
Free US Shipping
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 3–5 business days
- Every mold is hand-packed and ships from the US
- Size about 3½ × 4 in (9 × 10 cm), ¾ in (2 cm) thick · Starfish & Shell about 5 × 2¾ in
- Solid beech wood, unfinished · brush clean, no water, no dishwasher
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@backroad-goods.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@backroad-goods.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET). Whether it’s about your order, which design to pick, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Bake with it for a week, and if it isn’t right for your kitchen, email info@backroad-goods.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and US shipping is free.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Otto lets the beech boards dry for three winters under his roof before he cuts them. Then he draws the design on the block and carves it by hand with small gouges, deep enough that the cookie comes out raised. The walls of each picture are cut at a slight slant, so the dough drops out with one tap. No varnish, no stain: just bare wood that gets better with every Christmas. Small differences in grain and color from piece to piece are part of it.