The aroma of freshly baked cookies invites childhood memories to flood the mind. Inviting, enticing and comforting, cookies have a long and beloved history in the United States. But where do cookies come from? Does the cookie have a birthplace?
Cookie History 101
Early English and Dutch immigrants first introduced the cookie to America in the 1600s. While the English primarily referred to cookies as small cakes, seed biscuits, or tea cakes, or by specific names, such as jumbal or macaroon, the Dutch called the koekjes, a diminutive of koek (cake)…Etymologists note that by the early 1700s, koekje had been Anglicized into “cookie” or “cookey,” and the word clearly had become part of the American vernacular. Following the American Revolution, people from other parts of the country became familiar with the cookie when visiting New York City, the nation’s first capitol, a factor that resulted in widespread use of the term.”
Cookie Classifications
- Drop cookies are made from a relatively soft dough that is dropped by spoonfuls onto the baking sheet.
- Refrigerator cookies (also known as icebox cookies) are made from a stiff dough that is refrigerated to become even stiffer.
- Molded cookies are also made from a stiffer dough that is molded into balls or cookie shapes by hand before baking.
- Rolled cookies are made from a stiffer dough that is rolled out and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter.
- Pressed cookies are made from a soft dough that is extruded from a cookie press into various decorative shapes before baking.
Bar cookies consist of batter or other ingredients that are poured or pressed into a pan (sometimes in multiple layers), and cut into cookie-sized pieces after baking. - Sandwich cookies are rolled or pressed cookies that are assembled as a sandwich with a sweet filling.
Take the Amelia Island Inns Cookie Tour
This year the Amelia Island Bed & Breakfast Association invites you to take a delightful self-guided cookie tour on Saturday, November 19th, from noon to 5pm to visits the beautiful inns around Fernandina and to sample their cookies, many from heirloom recipes. Some of the proceeds from the sale of tickets will go to benefit the Barnabas Center, an organization which helps those in need in Nassau County. Tickets are available here and are $25 per person.