In Honor of National Cookie Day

Cookies are a beloved staple in every household. From the crucial chocolate chip cookie to more advanced cookies like macaroons - the smell of freshly baked cookies in the oven brings joy to people all around the world. In England or Australia they are known as “biscuits,” in Spain they are “galletas,” Germans call them “keks,” whereas Italians call them in various forms such as “amaretti” and “biscottis”. We know them simply as “cookies,” derived from the Dutch word “koekje,” meaning “little cake.” The first known historical appearance of cookies was actually an attempt to test cakes; tiny portions of cake batter were baked to test necessary oven temperatures.

The earliest appearance of cookie-style cakes was around 7th century Persia CE, a bit after sugar became more accessible in the area. Extravagant cakes and pastries were already a well-known indulgence for the wealthy citizens of Persia. As the use and availability of sugar became more accessible across the globe, so did Persian cooking techniques. Towards the end of the 14th century, cookies became a prevailing dish in European cities as well. The earliest cooking books of the Renaissance were filled to the brim with cookie recipes. In Elizabethan England, a popular cookie was a short cookie consisting of spices and egg yolks, baked on parchment paper.

In Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, baking was a meticulously handled occupation, led by Guilds. These guilds were professional associations of craftsmen, merchants, or even bakers created to advance the economic interests of the members, and additionally supplied members with protection and mutual support. Bakers who joined the bakers guild received many benefits. For example, bakers who delivered bread to hospitals received free health care. Through the use of the guilds, Authorities could easily manage the amount and quality of baked goods through these guilds. Becoming a baker required years of hard work trying to complete an apprenticeship, pushing through several ranks to become a baker. After the Industrial Revolution, bakers gained the ability to make a substantial variety of biscuits for commercial consumption. More varieties of biscuits became available, but the ingredients - consisting of ‘soft’ wheat flour, sugar, and fats, such as oil or butter - stayed relatively the same.

As voyagers began to travel the Earth, biscuits began to be the staple traveling food since they remain fresh for extended periods of time. Immigrants of English, Dutch, or Scottish descent brought the first cookies to the United States. English tea cakes and Scottish shortbread are most similar to today’s simple butter cookies. Cookies were quite popular with Southern colonial housewives, usually called by the name tea cakes. These tea cakes were usually just made with the highest quality of butter, and some droplets of rose water. In earlier American cookbooks, cookies were usually found at the end of the cake section, under such quaint names such as Jumbles, Cry Babies, and Plunketts.

Following the times in America, cookie recipes began to develop based on geographical developments. After the railroad was expanded in the 1800s, bakers had access to coconuts from the South. Later in the 1800s, oranges from the West were found in many recipes. Later, corn flakes were added to cookie recipes after the Kellogg brothers invented the cereal in Michigan in 1894. After the invention of electric refrigerators in the 1930s, icebox cookies’ popularity had soared. Today, there are hundreds of cookie recipes that would not even be able to fit in a single cookbook.

National Cookie Day, a minor holiday celebrated on December 4th, was established by Matt Nader of the Blue Chip Cookie Company in 1987. Some ways to observe this holiday include: trying out a new cookie recipe, making a family cookie recipe, hosting a cookie exchange, baking for charity, having a cookie decorating contest, or making a gingerbread house.

Many businesses and corporations observe this holiday by providing special promotions and freebies. Subway, for example, opened a pop-up location in New York under the name “Cookieway,” from December 2 to 5, 2021. The special included a special menu consisting of Subway fan-favorite cookies, and some “Cookieway only” flavors. Some fan favorites included: Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Raspberry Cheesecake, and White Chip Macadamia Nut, whereas Cookieway's only flavors were: Caramel Apple, S’mores, Caramel Brownie, M&M, and Double Chocolate. Subway also offered customers the possibility of making a donation to Make-A-Wish, and those who do will receive a sample cookie pack.