Cookie Day

Cookies. Silvia Rita / Pixabay.com / 2016 / CC0 1.0

December 4th is Cookie Day. If you can’t indulge and have a cookie today, then when can you?

Activities for Cookie Day

Cookie Day could be a good day to get together to make cookies with friends, or teach your children how to make cookies.

If time doesn’t allow for making cookies, you could give some cookies to a friend, or bring some into work for your co-workers. Consider perhaps trying to buy them from a local independent bakery near you.

Some stores will give out free cookies, some with a purchase, some without. In fact, for many people, the day has become “free cookie hunt” day, as more and more nationwide chains lean into the day and people scour social media announcements to see what’s on offer, where.

If you already know how to make cookies, and have the time, you may wish to up your game at decorating them. Here’s a video of what’s possible from Chatelaine Magazine in Canada:

Our English word “cookie” comes from the Dutch word “koekie” meaning little cake. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, they are called “biscuits”.

There are many different types of cookies, and different ways of making them, from rolled out cookies to drop cookies.

However you arrange it today, above all, be sure to have a cookie!

#NationalCookieDay

History of Cookie Day

Throughout the 1900s, various organizations such as schools, charitable organizations, veteran’s associations and church groups held “cookie days” throughout the year. Some held a regular “cookie day” each month.

In 1976, Sesame Street listed the 26th of November as “National Cookie Day” on its children’s calendar for that year. The character proposing it was the “Cookie Monster.”

Sesame Street calendar. Random House. 1976.

In August 1987, Matt Nader (died 1997), owner of a San Francisco chain of stores called “Blue Chip Cookies”, proposed the actual creation of “National Cookie Day.” At the time, he wasn’t sure of when it should be, but he was thinking of the Thanksgiving / Christmas season: “An exact date hasn’t been picked out yet, but Nader figures that sometime during the holidays would be ideal “because that’s when people indulge.” ^[1]Brooks, Nancy Rivera. ‘National Cookie Day’ Could Be Blue Chip Event. Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles Times. 30 August 1987.

Cookie Monster’s Famous Cookie Dough Recipe

In 1976, in the same year as the calendar mentioned above, Sesame Street published the recipe for the dough that the Cookie Monster used for his cookies. 

Cookie Monster’s Famous Cookie Dough

1. Put 3/4 cup of butter or margarine (that’s a stick and a half) into your mixing bowl.
2. Measure 1 cup of sugar.
3. Pour sugar over butter.
4. With a fork, squash butter and sugar together until they are blended.
5. Crack shells of 2 eggs and pour eggs over mixture in bowl.
6. Measure 1 teaspoon vanilla and pour over mixture.
7. With fork, blend everything in the bowl together.
8. Measure 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and pour over mixture in bowl.
9. Measure 1 teaspoon baking powder and sprinkle over flour.
10. Measure 1 teaspoon salt and sprinkle over flour and baking powder.
11. Mix everything together either with the fork or with your hands.
12. Put dough in icebox to chill (at least one hour).

They also gave these directions for using the dough to make alphabet cookies:

Cookie Monster’s Alphabet Cookies

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F [200 C].
2. Put cloth on table. Sprinkle with flour.
3. Roll out dough (Famous Cookie Dough, see above), about 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick.
4. Cut dough into strips.
5. Use strips of dough to make your FAVORITE letters.
6. Put cookie letters on ungreased cookie sheet.
7. O.K. Now comes the HARDEST part of all… Put in oven and WAIT six to eight minutes.

Source: Big Bird’s Busy Book (Random House.) Burlington, North Carolina: Burlington Daily Times News. 4 January 1976. Page 7C. Col. 2.

Sources

University of Lincoln-Nebraska Extension Service. December Food Calendar. Accessed November 2020 at https://food.unl.edu/december-food-calendar#cookieday

Bagley, Caitlin. How to celebrate National Cookie Day 2018.  Connecticut Post. 3 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.ctpost.com/living/article/How-to-celebrate-National-Cookie-Day-12403881.php

Bouscher, Dylan. Where to go for free cookies on National Cookie Day. San Jose, California: The Mercury News. 4 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/12/04/where-to-go-for-free-cookies-on-national-cookie-day/

Broida, Rick. National Cookie Day: The best places to score free cookies. cnet.com. 4 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.cnet.com/news/national-cookie-day-the-best-places-to-score-free-cookies/

Iceton, Tish. It’s National Cookie Day! Chatelaine Shows Us How To Decorate Like A Pro. Toronto, Canada: CHFI Radio. 4 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.chfi.com/2018/12/04/its-national-cookie-day-chatelaine-shows-us-how-to-decorate-like-a-pro/

Stampler, Laura. Where to Get Free Cookies on National Cookie Day 2018. Fortune Magazine. 4 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at http://fortune.com/2018/12/04/national-cookie-day-2018-freebies/

Tyko, Kelly. Where to find free cookies, sweet deals on National Cookie Day. USA Today. 4 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/12/04/national-cookie-day-2018-freebies-deals-dec-4/2169753002/

Wida, Erica Chayes. National Cookie Day 2019 deals. Today.com. 3 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.today.com/food/national-cookie-day-2018-deals-t144091