Cookies, maybe the first thing you think of its chocolate chip but there are way more than that that are worth trying. The beloved dessert has a ton of variation across cultures. Let’s take a look at what cookies look like around the world:
United States
Chocolate chip cookies were actually invented by mistake in the 1930s, when the Ruth Graves Wakefield and her husband were running the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts. Ruth was trying to make chocolate butter drop cookies but ran out of baker’s chocolate she used some semisweet chocolate, thinking it would melt and disperse in the cookie but, it held its shape. Now this accidental cookie is one of America’s most loved desserts.
Mexico
Despite the name, Mexican wedding cakes are actually cookies that are light and buttery with a nutty flavor. Food historians believe the cookie might have originated in the Middle East during medieval times before they became popular in Mexico. These cookies are formed into balls and coated with powdered sugar.
Argentina
Alfajores de maicena are delicate, crumbly cookie sandwiches made from cornstarch. These cookies are filled with dulce de leche and often rolled in coconut. They can be traced back to Spain but are popular in a few South-American countries including Argentina, Uruguay and Peru.
France
Macarons are meringue-based cookie sandwiches that are usually held together by buttercream, ganache or jam. The elegant treat is usually associated with France but it was likely brought over from Italy in the 16th century.
Netherlands
Speculaas also known as Dutch windmill cookies, speculaas are spiced short-crust biscuits that are thin, crunchy and have an imaged stamp on the front before being baked. They are especially popular around Christmas time in the Netherlands, Belgium and parts of Germany.
Iran
Reshteh Khoshkar it is a popular Iranian cookie made of rice flour it’s filled with sugar, ground nuts, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon and then fried in oil. The traditional dessert is often eaten during Ramadan for Iftar.
Which of these would you like?
Cookies are a lovable dessert no matter where you’re from. They can be soft or crunchy, and sometimes they’re stuffed with nuts, chocolate, or fruity jams. Different cultures across the world make their own kinds of cookies.
