Bake Cookies Day Date in the current year: December 18, 2024

Cookies (or biscuits, as they are called across the pond) are small, flat, and sweet foods whose principal ingredients are flour, sugar, eggs, and some type of butter, fat, or oil. They are usually baked, but no-bake cookies also exist. No-bake cookies are usually made without eggs because eating raw eggs poses a risk of salmonella.

Baked treats resembling cookies have been around for as long as baking is documented, but early cookie-like treats were not cookies in the modern sense of the word because they were not sweet enough. The history of modern cookies is believed to have started in the Middle East in the 7th century AD, when sugar became a relatively common product in the Persian Empire.

Cookies were brought to Europe during the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. By the 14th century, they were common throughout the continent. The Dutch brought cookies to the New World in the first half of the 17th century. By the way, this is why these sweet treats are called cookies rather than biscuits in American English: the word “cookie” is the Anglicized version of the Dutch word koekje, “little cake”.

Cookies have been a popular Christmas treat since approximately the late Middle Ages, when many of the common Christmas cookie ingredients (almonds, black pepper, cinnamon, dried fruit, ginger, nutmeg, etc.) were introduced to Europe. Gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies are among the most popular kinds of Christmas cookies in many countries because they are easy to cut into shapes and then decorate.

Besides the widely popular gingerbread and sugar cookies, many countries and regions have their signature Christmas cookies: bredele in the Alsace region of France, kerstkransjes in the Netherlands, pfeffernüsse (pebernødder) in Germany and Denmark, sandbakelse in Norway, springerle in Austria and South Germany, and many more.

The origins of Bake Cookies Day are unclear, but it is believed to have been around since the mid-1980s. If you want to celebrate this amazing holiday, here are a few ideas for you:

• Bake a batch of your favorite cookies and share them with your family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers (but be mindful of possible allergies).
• Try new cookie recipes: today is a great day to perfect them just in time for Christmas!
• Host a cookie decorating party or a cookie exchange.
• Mail some cookies to your loved ones who live out of state; there’s still time for them to arrive before Christmas if you do it today.
• Share your favorite cookie recipes on social media with the hashtag #BakeCookiesDay to spread the word about the holiday.

By the way, Bake Cookies Day is not the only holiday celebrating baking and homemade cookies. Baking enthusiasts across the nation also celebrate National Homemade Cookies Day on October 1, National Cookie Cutter Day on December 1, and National Cookie Exchange Day on December 22.