About Cookies
History of cookies
A cookie is a flat, small, and baked treat. The ingredients of cookies are egg, flour, sugar, and cooking oil or butter. The cookies- like stiff wafers existed from when the baking is documented. However, this cookie like structure was not sweet as cookies that are found nowadays. It is believed that the origin of cookies was in 7th century AD in Persia.
Later, sugar usage in cookies started in the relative areas of Persia. After Persia, it spread over Europe by the Muslim Conquest of Spain. In the 14th century, it became common in all levels of society in Europe. It was then normally used by street vendors to Royal Cuisine.
One of the popular cookies was jumble cookies. This cake was made largely from sweeteners, water, and nuts. The Jumble cookie traveled well to different continents and became famous on every continent. In the 17th century, the cookies came to America. However, cookies were named as "koekje". "Koekje" was a Dutch name of cookies, as cookies reached America from Dutch the name remained as "koekje". The popular American cookies were gingerbread cookies and macaroon. America also had various types of jumbles.
The cookies found today that has creaming butter and sugar were not common until the 18th century.
Types of Cookies
There are many types of cookies with different flavors and different method of making.
- Bar cookies: It consists of batter and other ingredients that are pressed or poured into the pan and then are cut into different sizes of cookies when baked. Bar cookies are also known as "tray bakes".
- Drop cookies: They are made with soft dough that are dropped on the baking sheet with a spoon. The mound of dough flattens and spreads while baking. Well-known drop cookies are chocolate chip cookies, rock cakes, and oatmeal.
- Filled cookies: They are made with rolled dough. The dough is filled with confectionery filling and fruit before baking. The famous filled cookies are Hamantash.
- No-bake cookies: They are made by mixture of fillers such as nuts or cereal in confectionery binder that will shape them in shape of bars or cookies. Rum balls and oatmeal clusters are no-bake cookies.
