This is an ode to the cookie, the delectable little treat that bakes in several shapes and sizes decorated with flavor filled goodness of your choosing. Growing up, I can remember staring into the oven, watching the cookies rise and waiting rather impatiently to take one off the cooling rack. The beautiful art piece we have hanging in our Berkeley bakery, “Waiting for Good Dough,” by Laurie Zeszut brings me back to those times and lovely sweet smelling memories.
So when did cookies become a staple of our childhood memories as well as memories past? According to culinary historians, cookies were derived from the batter bakers would place in ovens used as test batches for regulating temperature. The batter used was actually cake batter, and so along came the cookie thanks to someone who needed to get their oven temperature just right. If I could go back in time, I would give that person a resounding thank you and high-five! Thank goodness for our fore mother’s and father’s for importing these delightful confections over to the United States from countries in the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, France and more.
People all around the world love cookies!
Here are the names of cookies in different countries:
Australia and England: Bisquits
Dutch: Koekje
France: Gateau
Germany: Platzchen or Keks
Irish: Fianan
Italy: Biscotti
Mexico and Spain: Galletas
Polish: Ciastko
Portuguese: Biscoito
Russia: печенье (pechen’ye)
United States: Cookies
I often think that any time is a great time to enjoy a cookie. I’ve even convinced myself that it’s perfectly fine to substitute my regular maple and brown sugar oatmeal for a warm oatmeal cookie. In the UK, crisp little biscuits are dunked twice a day into a lovely cup of Earl Grey tea. This is something that should probably be adopted into American society, for the better of our country of course. Cookies come in all different shapes and sizes from all over the world. That’s the beauty about variety, and as they say, variety is the spice of life, or for this conversation, a cookie by any other name, would smell as sweet.