First shortbread mold I've ever bought! Used recipe in booklet that came with it. (BTW - the box shown in the photo DID come with it also.) It doesn't tell you in the booklet how to wash it, but I read on another site that sells the Brown Bag molds that you can wash it in hot, soapy water. It doesn't absorb anything. I washed it with hot, soapy water before the first use. Since it doesn't absorb, it dried really quickly. I used a toothbrush to get dough out of crevices after using it. I read reviews on other Brown Bag molds where people tell you to press, and press, and press (and press!) the dough into the mold in order for the raised designs to really show on the top. I thought I had pressed enough, but there were a couple of spots in the finished shortbread where you could tell it did not pick up the design in the mold. But overall, the shortbread looked great when it came out. Especially for my first try. It was tender and delicious. I could have probably taken it out of the oven a couple of minutes earlier. I also read TIPS for using these molds on the Emerson Creek Pottery site. You need to bake it in the UPPER third part of your oven! That way the top gets golden brown. (You DO cook it until it's golden brown on the top.) Note that the recipe book said to spray the mold with non-stick spray, but it doesn't mention flouring it. Maybe an oversight? Anyway, I did flour the mold also... This does not make a lot of shortbread! The cookies are not very thick. The 9 pieces I ended up cutting it into after removing from the mold were gone in a flash! So definitely not for bulk baking of shortbread cookies for the holidays.**** Follow up to my review above: the second time I used the mold I did NOT flour it. I only sprayed it with Pam, and used a paper towel to sop up the really runny Pam.