Original Content from Wikipedia

Cookie
 A cookie is a baked or cooked good that is small, flat and sweet. It usually
contains flour, sugar and some type of oil or fat. It may include other ingredients such
as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.
 In most English-speaking countries except for the US and Canada, crisp cookies are
called biscuits. Chewier biscuits are sometimes called cookies even in the UK. Some
cookies may also be named by their shape, such as date squares or bars.
 Cookies or biscuits may be mass-produced in factories, made in small bakeries or home-
made. Biscuit or cookie variants include sandwich biscuits, such as Custard creams, Jammie
Dodgers, Bourbons and Oreos, with marshmallow or jam filling and sometimes dipped in
chocolate or another sweet coating. Cookies are often served with beverages such
as milk, coffee or tea. Factory-made cookies are sold in grocery stores, convenience
stores and vending machines. Fresh-baked cookies are sold at bakeries and coffeehouses,
with the latter ranging from small business-sized establishments to multinational corporations
such as Starbucks.
Terminology
 In most English-speaking countries outside North America, including the United Kingdom,
the most common word for a crisp cookie is biscuit. The term cookie is normally used to
describe chewier ones. However, in many regions both terms are used.
 In Scotland the term cookie is sometimes used to describe a plain bun.
 Cookies that are baked as a solid layer on a sheet pan and then cut, rather than being baked
as individual pieces, are called bar cookies or traybakes.
Etymology
 Its American name derives from the Dutch word koekje or more precisely its informal, dialect
variant koekie which means little cake, and arrived in American English with the Dutch
settlement of New Netherland, in the early 1600s.
 According to the Scottish National Dictionary, its Scottish name derives from the diminutive
form (+ suffix -ie) of the word cook, giving the Middle Scots cookie, cooky or cu(c)kie. It also
gives an alternative etymology, from the Dutch word koekje, the diminutive of koek, a cake.
There was much trade and cultural contact across the North Sea between the Low
Countries and Scotland during the Middle Ages, which can also be seen in the history of
curling and, perhaps, golf.

Description
 Cookies are most commonly baked until crisp or just long enough that they remain soft, but
some kinds of cookies are not baked at all. Cookies are made in a wide variety of styles,
using an array of ingredients including sugars, spices, chocolate, butter, peanut butter, nuts,
or dried fruits. The softness of the cookie may depend on how long it is baked.
 A general theory of cookies may be formulated this way. Despite its descent from cakes and
other sweetened breads, the cookie in almost all its forms has abandoned water as a
medium for cohesion. Water in cakes serves to make the base (in the case of cakes called
"batter") as thin as possible, which allows the bubbles – responsible for a cake's fluffiness –
to better form. In the cookie, the agent of cohesion has become some form of oil. Oils,
whether they be in the form of butter, vegetable oils, or lard, are much more viscous than
water and evaporate freely at a much higher temperature than water. Thus a cake made with
butter or eggs instead of water is far denser after removal from the oven.
  Oils in baked cakes do not behave as soda tends to in the finished result. Rather than
evaporating and thickening the mixture, they remain, saturating the bubbles of escaped
gases from what little water there might have been in the eggs, if added, and the carbon
dioxide released by heating the baking powder. This saturation produces the most texturally
attractive feature of the cookie, and indeed all fried foods: crispness saturated with a
moisture (namely oil) that does not sink into it.

History
 Cookie-like hard wafers have existed for as long as baking is documented, in part because
they deal with travel very well, but they were usually not sweet enough to be considered
cookies by modern standards.
 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.
 With global travel becoming widespread at that time, cookies made a natural travel
companion, a modernized equivalent of the travel cakes used throughout history. One of the
most popular early cookies, which traveled especially well and became known on every
continent by similar names, was the jumble, a relatively hard cookie made largely from nuts,
sweetener, and water.
 Cookies came to America through the Dutch in New Amsterdam in the late 1620s. The Dutch
word "koekje" was Anglicized to "cookie" or cooky. The earliest reference to cookies in
America is in 1703, when "The Dutch in New York provided...'in 1703...at a funeral 800
cookies...'"
 The most common modern cookie, given its style by the creaming of butter and sugar, was
not common until the 18th century.

Classification
Cookies are broadly classified according to how they are formed, including at least these categories:

 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. In British English,
bar cookies are known as "tray bakes".[2] Examples include brownies, fruit squares, and bars
such as date squares.
 Drop cookies are made from a relatively soft dough that is dropped by spoonfuls onto the baking
sheet. During baking, the mounds of dough spread and flatten. Chocolate chip cookies (Toll
House cookies), oatmeal (or oatmeal raisin) cookies, and rock cakes are popular examples of
drop cookies. This may also include thumbprint cookies, for which a small central depression is
created with a thumb or small spoon before baking to contain a filling, such as jam or
a chocolate chip.[9] In the UK, the term "cookie" often refers only to this particular type of product.
 Filled cookies are made from a rolled cookie dough filled with a fruit or confectionery filling
before baking. Hamantash are a filled cookie.
 Molded cookies are also made from a stiffer dough that is molded into balls or cookie shapes by
hand before baking. Snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies are examples of molded cookies.
Some cookies, such as hermits or biscotti, are molded into large flattened loaves that are later
cut into smaller cookies.
 No-bake cookies are made by mixing a filler, such as cereal or nuts, into a melted confectionery
binder, shaping into cookies or bars, and allowing to cool or harden. Oatmeal clusters and Rum
balls are no-bake cookies.
 Pressed cookies are made from a soft dough that is extruded from a cookie press into various
decorative shapes before baking. Spritzgebäck are an example of a pressed cookie.
 Refrigerator cookies (also known as icebox cookies) are made from a stiff dough that is
refrigerated to make the raw dough even stiffer before cutting and baking. The dough is typically
shaped into cylinders which are sliced into round cookies before baking. Pinwheel cookies and
those made by Pillsbury are representative.
 Rolled cookies are made from a stiffer dough that is rolled out and cut into shapes with a cookie
cutter. Gingerbread men are an example.
 Sandwich cookies are rolled or pressed cookies that are assembled as a sandwich with a sweet
filling. Fillings include marshmallow, jam, and icing. The Oreo cookie, made of two chocolate
cookies with a vanilla icing filling, is an example.
Cookies also may be decorated with an icing, especially chocolate, and closely resemble a type
of confectionery.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookie]
Original Content from Foodista.com
Foodista.com — A Creative Commons structured wiki about foods, recipes, and other culinary
information. Also as a reference for food and cooking.
Cookies
About
In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat-baked treat, containing milk, flour, eggs,
and sugar, etc. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word
for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have different
meanings—a cookie is a plain bun in Scotland, while in the United States a biscuit is a kind of quick
bread similar to a scone.

Its name derives from the Dutch word koekje or (informal) koekie which means little cake, and
arrived in the English language through the Dutch in North America.

Cookies are most commonly baked until crisp or just long enough that they remain soft, but some
kinds of cookies are not baked at all. Cookies are made in a wide variety of styles, using an array of
ingredients including sugars, spices, chocolate, butter, peanut butter, nuts or dried fruits. The
softness of the cookie may depend on how long it is baked.

Cookie-like hard wafers have existed for as long as baking is documented, in part because they deal
with travel very well, but they were usually not sweet enough to be considered cookies, by modern
standards.

Information
Other names: Biscuits
Translations: Cepumi, Sausainiai, Cookie-urile, Koekjes, कककककक, Bolinhos, Печенье, Μπισκότα,
‫الكوكيز‬, 쿠키, Sušenky, Cookie, 饼干, Galetes, Piškotki, Sušienky, Biscotti, ‫עוגיות‬, Колачићи, クッキー,
Kekse, Småkager, Galletas, Печиво, Evästeet

Physical Description
Cookies can be any shape, size, color and flavor. Cookies are broadly classified according to how
they are formed, including at least these categories:

* Drop cookies are made from a relatively soft dough that is dropped by spoonfuls onto the baking
sheet. During baking, the mounds of dough spread and flatten. Chocolate chip cookies (Toll House
cookies), oatmeal (or oatmeal raisin) cookies and rock cakes are popular examples of drop cookies.

* Refrigerator cookies are made from a stiff dough that is refrigerated to become even stiffer. The
dough is typically shaped into cylinders which are sliced into round cookies before baking.

* Molded cookies are also made from a stiffer dough that is molded into balls or cookie shapes by
hand before baking. Snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies are examples of molded cookies.

* Rolled cookies are made from a stiffer dough that is rolled out and cut into shapes with a cookie
cutter. Gingerbread men are an example.
* Pressed cookies are made from a soft dough that is extruded from a cookie press into various
decorative shapes before baking. Spritzgebäck are an example of a pressed cookie.

* 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. Brownies are an example of a
batter-type bar cookie, while Rice Krispie treats are a bar cookie that doesn't require baking, perhaps
similar to a cereal bar. In British English, bar cookies are known as "tray bakes".

* Sandwich cookies are rolled or pressed cookies that are assembled as a sandwich with a sweet
filling. Fillings may be with marshmallow, jam, or icing. The Oreo cookie, made of two chocolate
cookies with a vanilla icing filling is an example.

* Cookies also may be decorated with an icing, especially chocolate, and closely resemble a type of
confectionery.

Colors: generally golden brown

Tasting Notes
Flavors: sweet, savory
Mouthfeel: Crunchy, Crisp, Sweet, Savory
Food complements: Fruit, Desserts, Jello, Chives, Pineapple, Lasagna
Wine complements: Red wine, Cabernet savignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, White wine
Beverage complements: Milk, Coffee, Hot chocolate
Substitutes: Cake, Crackers

Select Buying
Seasonality: january, february, march, april, may, june, july, august, september, opctober,
november, december
Peak: november, december
Choosing: Choose a cookie whose flavor sparks your interest.
Buying: Cookies should be made in your home not purchased somewhere else. The only
exceptions are the cookies sold at farmer's markets that were made in someone elses home. Store
bought cookies are full of bad things.

Preparation and Use

Cleaning: Not necessary.

Conserving and Storing

Store in an airtight container.

Store/Political
Cookies can range in size, shape and flavor, however every region and country has cookies that
features the flavors and texture that are specific to it's culture and people.
History: 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.

With global travel becoming widespread at that time, cookies made a natural travel companion, a
modernized equivalent of the travel cakes used throughout history. One of the most popular early
cookies, which traveled especially well and became known on every continent by similar names, was
the jumble, a relatively hard cookie made largely from nuts, sweetener, and water.

Cookies came to America in the early English settlement (the 1600s), although the name "koekje"
arrived with the Dutch. This became Anglicized to "cookie" or cooky. Among the popular early
American cookies were the macaroon, gingerbread cookies, and of course jumbles of various types.

The most common modern cookie, given its style by the creaming of butter and sugar, was not
common until the 18th century.

Author
Chap James Day

From [http://www.foodista.com/food/KMP3DRN3/cookies]