A wise philosopher once said, “Happiness is a warm cookie.”
Another countered: “A day without a cookie is a day wasted.”
While these astute individuals could have been talking aboutchocolate chip cookiesoroatmeal raisin cookies, we’re guessing the cookie theyreallyhad in mind was the almighty sugar cookie — a mixture of simple ingredients that epitomizes everything we love about cookies, and that might just be the most delicious and satisfying old-school treat around.
Few foods are as basic and fundamental as the sugar cookie. These wondrous sweets are typically made from just a handful of ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, and a hint of vanilla or spice.
But the simplicity of the sugar cookie is also what ultimately makes it so delectable. Sugar cookies are rich and buttery, with just the right amount of vanilla-kissed sweetness. They’re soft and chewy, with crisp edges and a center that melts in your mouth as you bite into them. Moist and supple, with the slightest bit of crumble, a good sugar cookie is also as pleasing to the eye as it is to the taste buds: elegant yet unassuming, with an inviting classic golden hue, plus a bit of sparkle, thanks to that delicate sprinkle of crystalized sugar on the surface. It truly is the perfect snack or dessert for almost any occasion.
Cookies started out in the 17th century as a byproduct of baking. In the Victorian era of the 1800s, when industrialization in the kitchen (and everywhere) was king, bakers were obsessed with large,fancy cakesthat were made to impress. But people also needed quick and easy things they could cook to feed their families, and cookies fit the bill. Extra butter and sugar were added to the recipe to make the cookies tastier, and bakers started to mix other ingredients into the batter to make the cookies more nutritious as well. The term “sugar cookie” was coined as a way to help differentiate plain, sugar-based cookies from thepeanut butterand oatmeal-flavored cookies, which had also begun to spring up at the time.
The “sugar cookie” recipe continued to evolve over the subsequent years. By the 1920s, society’s attitude toward eating was changing, with a greater emphasis placed on enjoying food versus simply eating for sustenance. Because of this, sugar cookies became more moist and chewy, and as their recipe evolved, their popularity grew as well.
In the 1950s, shortening overtook butter as the fat of choice in baking. As a result, sugar cookies became even softer and more delicate, but were less rich and crumbly. But with the comeback of butter in the early 1980s, everything clicked, and we finally ended up with a sugar cookie that most closely resembles the delicate, satisfying snack and dessert we know today.
A world of options
With their recipe finally perfected, sugar cookies have continued to grow and expand in countless ways over the past 20 to 30 years. We got new shapes and varieties, as well as permutations that blur the line, making it harder to tell one type of cookie from another. There are the classic round, puffy,“old-fashioned” sugar cookiesmade by rolling a ball of dough in sugar and then pressing it down on a baking sheet. There are alsocut-out, shaped sugar cookies, perfect for celebrating any occasion.
One of the most appealing traits of sugar cookies is that they are a perfect blank canvas for decorating. Some sugar cookies can betopped with buttercream frosting; others can be pressed into beautifulsandwiches, filled with frosting and sweetness. Spritz cookies are sugar cookies shaped with a cookie press. Add a bit of lemon or lime, and you getcitrus-flavored sugar cookies.Snickerdoodlesare essentially just a fancy sugar cookie, too — although they are rolled in a mixture of sugar plus cinnamon and also typically contain some added spices, plus a bit of cream of tartar in their dough for added tanginess.
Shortbreadand butter cookies are also distant relatives of the sugar cookie but with a slightly different ratio of ingredients. Shortbread cookies contain more butter and little to no egg, whereas butter cookies have more butter and tend to be piped onto a baking sheet instead of being rolled out.
Yes, sugar cookies in all their forms have definitely come a long way. There’s even anational dayto celebrate them every summer!
The sugar cookie is believed to have originated in the mid-1700s in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. German Protestant settlers created a round, crumbly and buttery cookie that came to be known as the Nazareth cookie. Jumbles are the earliest form of sugar cookies.
The long history of manufacturing sugar cookies dates back to the 7th century in Persia. However, sugar cookies as known today were first made by Protestan settlers in the Nazareth colony in Pennsylvania in the 17th century. They were baked in the shape of the state symbol, a keystone.
The modern sugar cookie was originally called the Nazareth Sugar Cookie, after German Protestants who settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and improved the recipe. When forming the dough, they made the cookies resemble the state's keystone emblem.
Along with gingerbread, simple sugar cookies are another staple on Christmas dessert trays. This tradition started in the 1700s, when German settlers in Pennsylvania brought over the traditional unleavened, easy-to-store treat from Europe.
Cookies appear to have their origins in 7th century AD Persia, shortly after the use of sugar became relatively common in the region. They spread to Europe through the Muslim conquest of Spain. By the 14th century, they were common in all levels of society throughout Europe, from royal cuisine to street vendors.
What makes a sugar cookie a sugar cookie? A sugar cookie is a cookie that only uses granulated sugar to sweeten the cookie. Frequently, sugar cookies are also rolled out with a rolling pin and cut into shapes using cookie cutters prior to baking.
As trade routes began to broaden, these sweet confections made their way from the Middle East to all parts of Europe. Historians believe that the recipe migrated to Mexico by way of European nuns or Spanish conquistadors in the Americas in the 16th century.
But the simplicity of the sugar cookie is also what ultimately makes it so delectable. Sugar cookies are rich and buttery, with just the right amount of vanilla-kissed sweetness. They're soft and chewy, with crisp edges and a center that melts in your mouth as you bite into them.
Liking sugar cookies indicates that you are honest, genuine and adaptable. You have a practical nature and are highly cooperative. Everyone loves getting to know you and hanging around you. You are what others call simple and sophisticated.
Over a lifetime, the average American eats 35,000 cookies (we think we can beat that!). Santa Clause eats an estimated 336 million cookies on Christmas Eve. Americans spend $550 million on Oreos each year—it was the best-selling cookie of the 20th century, and it's still going strong!
Christmas cookies or Christmas biscuits are traditionally sugar cookies or biscuits (though other flavours may be used based on family traditions and individual preferences) cut into various shapes related to Christmas.
At a time when most families were not that well off, people started making cookies and sweets as a way to share gifts during the medieval Christmas season. Christmas in many cultures was a time of visiting friends and family.
In the more recent history of Christmas cookies, cut-out cookies are now almost universally associated with the holidays in the US. We can trace these cookies back to mumming, a Christmas tradition in colonial areas where the Church of England was influential.
The sugar cookie is believed to have originated in the mid-1700s in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. German Protestant settlers created a round, crumbly and buttery cookie that came to be known as the Nazareth cookie.
Pizzelles are the oldest known cookie and originated in the mid-section of Italy. They were made many years ago for the “Festival of the Snakes” also known as the “Feast Day of San Domenico”.
“Magic cookies” were used in Unix operating systems and the C programming language to pass small packets of data between communicating programs as early as 1979. It is here, that Montulli developed the idea to use them in web browsers. However, the origin of the “cookie” reference is still unknown.
McRaven describes the experience of Navy SEAL trainees who are subject — often randomly — to a punishment where they are directed to get wet and sandy on the beaches. By the time they are finished the trainees, covered in sand, look like “sugar cookies.”
That brings us to the history of the humble rose cookie. Although its exact origins are unclear, the achappam is said to have been brought to India by the Dutch, who first came to the subcontinent in 1605 for trade.
The Moravian spice cookie is a descendant of the German Lebkuchen cookie. Moravians brought the treat with them when they immigrated to central North Carolina in 1753, attracted by the region's fertile soil, plentiful water, and moderate climate.
Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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