Embossed cookies date back over 600 years.
Springerle, buttery German cookies typically made for Christmas, have been stamped or printed by hand with traditional motifs since the 15th century, depicting themes ranging from royalty to familial bliss to new technology. The embossed rolling pin used to decorate cookies may be traceable back to this holiday tradition, even though rolling pins are used for a range of occasions and confections now.