Butter Biscuit Box - the Cookie Monster Safe

This project was part of the Collaboration Build were a bunch of other Woodworker from Europe came together to create something presenting or serving a local product or food speciality and show the build in a video on Youtube. I decided to create a box for butter biscuits made by Bahlsen, a local cookie producer since 1889.

Please also watch the video on YouTube about this build and subscribe to my channel!

Step 1: Stock Preparation

I bought some laminated spruce boards for this project. First I searched the wood for imperfections, lay outed the dimensions of the box roughly and decided which part will be the top, which the middle and which the bottom.

Step 2: Center Cutout

On the middle board I lay out a rectangle where the cookies will be put later. I cut it out on my scroll saw.

Step 3: Top Recess

Now clamp the middle part under the top and use it as a router template to create a recess in the bottom of the top using a template bit. I forgot this step and had to create another template because I already glued the middle part to the bottom part.

Step 4: Glue Up

Then I glued the middle and bottom part together.

Step 5: Bottom Recess

I used the middle part to guide my router so that I could extend the depth of the recess. Because I already glued the “template” to the bottom I had to create another template for the lid but if you follow my advice you should not have this trouble. After all I squared the round corners with a chisel.

Step 6: Hardware

I used a marking knife and chisels to install the hinges and a lock.

Step 7: Shaping

I used a hand plane to give the lid a curve and attached a template for the butter biscuit shape.

With the band saw I rough cut the "teeth" and a file, chisels and sandpaper to refine the shape.

Step 8: Finish

In the end I finished the outside with boiled linseed oil and the inside with a mineral oil beeswax mixture. To give the cookies a place, I cut an insert.

Step 9: Result

Step 10: Some Background Information

In 1889 Hermann Bahlsen aquired a small cake and biscuit shop in
Hannover. Two years later he came up with his first own product, the butter biscuit. He named his creation after a famous son of city, the mathematician and philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716). The Leibniz Butter Biscuit with his 52 teeth was born. To increase the productivity Bahlsen introduced the first band-conveyer in Europe in 1905 and in 1911 he expanded and build a new factory. Hermann Bahlsen died in 1919 and his descendants kept the road to success. After World War 2 and the rebuild they started exporting their products to the US. Because of space issues in the late 80s the production was sourced out to Barsinghausen, a city near Hannover.

The factory in Hannover is now the head office of Bahlsen and there are
many offices of other companies in the old factory building. But there are still some blasts of the past around like an old steam engine and of course the outer appearance including the old chimney.

Step 11: A Little Fun Story

In January 2013 the 20 kilogram heavy bicuit sign made of gold-plated
brass was stolen. A short time later a local newspaper received a blackmail letter with a photo of a person in a cockiemonster constume holding the missing golden biscuit.

“Me have the cookie!” was written in the letter, “You want it back and therefore you want give biscuits to all children in the children hospital. But those with milk chocolate on it. If you do not, me put the cookie to Oscar into the trash bin”. The real cookie monster has denied any involvement via twitter. In February the Golden Biscuit was found tied around the neck of the lower saxony horse statue in front of the university of Hannover. Although Bahlsen had the cookie back they still wanted to donate 52.000 cookies to 52 social facilities.

The state office of criminal investigation searched for finger prints and DNA traces but in May they stop proceeding because the offender could not be found.