World best known and most famous cookies
Cookies, who does not love them? oatmeal raisin, chocolate chop, sugar, iced ones, sandwich with cream…and so many more ..
I love to bake, and cookies are such a gracious subject. I’m baking mine, just for a fun of baking, and all of my friends and coworkers are getting sweet treats.
Cookies are broadly classified according to how they are formed or made:
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 United Kingdom, bar cookies are known as “tray bakes” for Example: brownies, fruit squares, and bars such as date squares.
Drop cookies are made from a relatively soft dough that is dropped by spoonful onto the baking sheet. During baking, the mounds of dough spread and flatten. The most classic examples include: Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and rock cakes.
Filled cookies are made from a rolled cookie dough filled with a fruit, jam or confectionery filling before baking. Hamantaschen is one of the examples
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 the examples.
Pressed cookies are made from a soft dough that is extruded from a cookie press into various decorative shapes before baking. Spritz cookie is an excellent example.
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 the “slice and bake” are the examples.
Rolled cookies are made from a stiffer dough that is rolled out and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Gingerbread men are an ideal 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.
No matter which way you make your cookies, no matter did it come from the box, or was made by hand, which is always so much better, there is always one type that is your favorite.
Linzer cookies – this fancy looking cookies are named after a Linzer Torte, which was originated in City of Linz, Austria. The torte is traditionally filled with black currant jam and topped with a lattice crust. the same idea and flavors apply to the cookies. Cut into small rounds instead and sandwiched with the preserves. The cut out shape on top supposed to replicate the lattice crust!
White and black cookie – round cookie iced or frosted on one half with vanilla and on the other with chocolate. In the German language they are called Amerikaner. In NYC the cake base is little much denser, than in the other parts of the country.
Gingerbread – Gingerbread refers to a broad category of baked goods, typically flavored with ginger, cloves, nutmeg or cinnamon and sweetened with honey, sugar or molasses. Gingerbread foods vary, ranging from a soft, moist loaf cake to something close to a ginger snap. Gingerbread man, is a prime example of that cookie that live its own life. Crispy Gingerbread cut out in a shape of a man, and decorated with icing sugar.
Biscuit – is a flour-based baked food product. Outside North America the biscuit is typically hard, flat, and unleavened; in North America it is typically a soft and much fluffier, leavened quick bread.
Amaretti – Almond flavored Italian macaroons that can have a texture ranging from soft and chewy to crispy. Amaretti can be found throughout Italy with each region claiming to have “the best” version of this cookie.
Chocolate chip – Usually accompanied by a glass of milk, chocolate chip cookies are well balanced between salty and sweet in flavor, tenderly chewy in texture, and filled with chocolate chips, bringing a generation of Americans back to their childhood.
White chocolate macadamia nuts – White chocolate chips and macadamia nuts are the perfect pair. Today the popular cookie has expanded to include variations with dried fruit and other additions. No matter how you take them, these cookies are one of life’s simple pleasures.
Biscotti – twice baked, oblong shaped cookies. Traditionally the dough is mixed with nuts or dried fruits. They usually decorated, by dipping one half in leted chocolate, and sprinkling in additional toppings.
Oatmeal raisin – highly underrated cookie, oatmeal raisin is another type of drop cookie. Its dough is oatmeal based and contains raisins and brown sugar. They’re warm and comforting — a reminder of simpler times and grandma’s house.
Whoopi pie – two round mound-shaped pieces of usually chocolate cake with a sweet, creamy filling or frosting sandwiched between them. The classic option is a vanilla crem between the chocolate, although there are numerous holiday and seasonal flavor variations like birthday cake, lemon, pumpkin, gingerbread or other… the variations also applied to the flavor if the filling.
Oreo – is a sandwich cookie consisting of two chocolate wafers with a sweet crème filling. Introduced in 1912, Oreo is the bestselling cookie brand in the United States. Nowadays you can find many different flavor combinations and seasonal variations.
Snickerdoodle – type of cookie made with butter or oil, sugar, and flour, and rolled in cinnamon sugar. Eggs may also sometimes be used as an ingredient, with cream of tartar and baking soda added to leaven the dough. Snickerdoodles are characterized by a cracked surface and can be either crisp or soft depending on the ingredients used.
Cannoli – Italian pasty made of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta—a staple of Sicilian cuisine.
Tahini cookies – extremely popular on Middle East, cookie made of tahini, flour, sugar and butter and usually topped with almonds or pine nuts. Sometimes as variation the cookies are mixed with dates, or another option with rose water.
Almendrados – almond cookies, which are remarkably simple to make. This treat is a light, sweet dessert or snack. Many Spanish prepare them at Christmas, too. Egg whites are beaten to a stiff peak, then sugar, egg yolks, and ground almonds are mixed and baked.
Palmier – “elephant ear” cookie. Thin, flaky and buttery. The creation of the cookie is based on lamination process of the dough. Interchangeable layers of dough, and butter, with addition of sugar.
Stained Glass cookies – those stunningly looking cookies, are nothing more than simple sugar cookies with melted hard candy center. They don’t even require any other decorations. Simplicity as it best.
Peanut butter cookie – that is distinguished for having peanut butter as a principal ingredient. The cookie originated in the United States, its development dating back to the 1910s. If crunchy peanut butter is used, the resulting cookie will have crunchy peanut bits and pieces.
Fortune cookie – these cookies are synonymous with Chinese take-out, but in fact they are an American invention. They can easily be made at home using flour, sugar, vanilla, and sesame oil. Break into them and see what fortune awaits!
Sandwich cookies – A sandwich cookie, also known as a sandwich biscuit, is a type of cookie made from two thin cookies with a filling between them. Many types of fillings are used, such as cream, ganache, buttercream, chocolate, cream cheese, jam, peanut butter, lemon curd, or ice cream.
Wafer – is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry cookie, often used to decorate ice cream, and used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. Occasionally dipped in chocolate.
Cutout cookies – term used for plain sugar cookies. The dough is rolled out into large, flat rectangle, and the cookies are cut out using cookie cutters. All shapes allowed.
French macaroons – this sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and food coloring. Since 19th century, so recognizable as Paris sweet treat. In typical (Parisian-style) macaron, the ganache, buttercream or jam filling is sandwiched between two cookies. Characteristic look has a smooth top, a ruffled bottom border, called the “foot”—and a flat base. It is mildly moist and easily melts in the mouth. Macarons can be found in a wide variety of colors and flavors.
Sugar cookie – A sugar cookie is a cookie with the main ingredients being sugar, flour, butter, eggs, vanilla, and either baking powder or baking soda. Sugar cookies may be formed by hand, dropped, or rolled and cut into shapes. They are perfect for all decorating purposes with sugar, icing, sprinkles, or a combination of all.
Scottish Shortbread – biscuit usually made from one-part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts plain wheat flour. Other ingredients like ground rice or corn flour are sometimes added to alter the texture. Modern recipes also often move away from the original recipe by splitting the sugar into equal parts granulated and icing sugar and many add a portion of salt.
Christmas cookies – Christmas cookies or Christmas biscuits are traditionally sugar cookies or biscuits cut into various shapes related to Christmas.
Ladyfingers – long finger or oval shaped sponge cookies. They are made from a sponge cake. Their unique “finger” shape is the result of piping the batter onto the baking sheet. The final touch is to dust the tops of the unbaked cookies with powdered sugar before baking to give them a crisp yet sweet outside crust. These ladyfingers are at their best the day they are made. They be eaten on their own or as an accompaniment to ice creams and sorbets, they really shine when soaked in a syrup and used as part of more complex desserts such as Tiramisu, English Trifles, or Charlotte’s ( please Check the post about most famous desserts).
Ma’amoul – buttery treats, filled with dates and nuts, naturally sweet middle Eastern cookies. these treats have minimal added sugar, and traditionally are made by hand or using special wooden molds to create different shapes – round like a ball, crescent form, shaped as a dome or flattened as a disc. They are traditional at religious holidays in the Levantine region.
Lebkuchen – Like a gingerbread cookie, this one is so characteristic to the German cuisine, served around Christmas time. Sometimes they can come in cookie form, and other times they more resemble dessert bars. They have a hard, sugar glaze and spicy ginger taste. They’ll keep well past Christmas day, too.
Graham cracker – this sweet flavored cracker made with graham flour. It has begin it career in the early 1880s. It is eaten as a snack food, usually honey- or cinnamon-Flavored, or as a part of other dishes/desserts (see s’mores in all American desserts post).
Animal cracker – small cracker/cookie, baked in the shape of an animal, usually an animal either at a zoo or circus, such as a lion, a tiger, a bear or an elephant. The most common variety is light-colored and slightly sweet, but darker chocolate-flavored and colorful frosted varieties are also sold.
Butter cookies (Sable) – Butter cookies are often flavored with vanilla, chocolate, and coconut, and/or topped with sugar crystals. They also come in a variety of shapes such as circles, squares, ovals, rings, and pretzel-like forms, and with a variety of forms, including marbled, checkered or plain.
Millionaire’s Shortbread – cut into rectangular or circular shapes, shortbread biscuit base is topped with caramel sauce and milk chocolate. Extra ingredients and occasional add-ins may be integrated, such as ground almonds or semolina flour.
Gingersnaps – Also known as ginger nuts or ginger biscuits, these spicy treats are popular all around the world. Powdered ginger, cinnamon, molasses, and nutmeg make this popular holiday cookie the perfect blend of sweet and spicy.
Molasses cookies – An offshoot of the popular holiday gingerbread cookies, molasses cookies are made with just as much ginger. Sometimes molasses is the sole sweetener in these cookies, and other times it’s made with a mixture of sugar and molasses. They can come in either a soft, cake form or a chewier crinkle form (perfect for gifting).
Spritz cookies – These German cookies are traditionally served around Christmas time. They are made by squeezing the dough through a cookie press to make intricate designs. Spritz cookies can come in a variety of colors (use food coloring) and flavors, including almond, peanut butter, orange, chocolate, and more. Dip them in chocolate and decorate with sprinkles for a festive treat.
Jaffa cakes – they are a type of British biscuit cookies, introduced in late 1920s. The crispy, genoise sponge bottom, is topped with disk of orange Jelly, and coated with chocolate, but only on one side. The name comes from Jaffa oranges.
Snowball cookies – These melt-in-your-mouth cookies go by many names including Mexican wedding cakes, butterballs, and Russian tea cakes. They’re balls of buttery shortbread filled with pecans and rolled with powdered sugar. A wintery sweet no one can resist!
Drop cookies – A drop cookie is any cookie that’s made by dropping spoonsful of dough directly onto a baking sheet. This means lots of cookies can be drop cookies such as chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and more. They have a soft, cake-like texture and are extremely versatile.
Pinwheel cookies – For cookies that stand out in a crowd, these mesmerizing pinwheels are the perfect choice. Although they may appear challenging to make, all that’s required is rolling two dough rectangles of different colors together in a pinwheel formation, before slicing them into rounds and baking. Get creative with food coloring.
Thumbprint cookies – These rounds, shortbread cookies are made by pressing your thumb into the dough to make a hole that is filled later with a variety of jams. They are recognizable sign of the holiday festivities and totally customizable. Be careful not to press your thumb too hard into the dough, as this may cause the dough to crack.
Meringue cookies – light and airy, those stunning cookies, will be a star on every dessert platter. Made of the Meringue (French, Italian or Swiss), and pipe to a desired size and shape. By baking them in the oven, the outside becomes harder while the middle stays soft and chewy. Can come plain white or in different colors (use of food coloring), or you can drizzle them with melted chocolate.
Tassies – Looks less like a cookie, and more like a mini pie. Tassies are a Southern delicacy. They are made by molding dough into small muffin cups which are then filled with an egg filling. These adorable mini pies will stand out on any holiday dessert spread.
Rainbow cookies, Italy – popular in the American Jewish community, and are commonly associated with American Jewish cuisine, are in fact Italian creation, colored to represent the Italian tricolored flag. Colorful layers of almond cake sandwiched with raspberry jam and coated in chocolate.
Hamantaschen – “Ears or Pockets of Hamman” A symbolic sweet treat eaten during the holiday of Purim (Jewish holiday) is hamantaschen. Haman was the villain of the Purim story. This triangular-shaped cookie is supposed to represent either Haman’s ears or his three-cornered hat. The center of each one is filled with jam (prune, apricot or raspberry) or sweet filling (chocolate or poppy seeds).
Coconut macaroons – typically made from ground coconut, with versions made from almonds or other nuts. With high amount of sugar and sometimes flavorings (e.g. honey, vanilla, spices), food coloring, glacé cherries, jam or a chocolate coating.
Crinkle cookies – Chocolate enthusiasts love these fudgy crinkle cookies, which are rolled in powdered sugar. Their chewy texture melts in your mouth. Patience is a virtue when it comes to crinkle cookies, as they require refrigerating the dough overnight. But it is so worth it once you pull those powdered cookies out of the oven and see the chocolate fudge center glancing at you through the cracks.
Icebox cookies – (basically slice and bake) Icebox cookies are cookies that are made by forming the dough into a log, and chilling it in the refrigerator, hence the name. Once you’re ready to bake, simply slice the dough into rounds and place on a baking sheet. Icebox cookies can be tailored any way you like, by adding dry fruit, nuts, chocolate chips or even create design, by including different color dough log inside the main dough.
Brandy snaps – similar in look to Cannoli cookies, thanks to it tubular shape. typically filled with any kind of cream from buttercream to brandy – infused whipped cream. The cookies themselves contain brandy, too, and are so, so scrumptious—and you won’t believe how easy they are to make. The cookie batter is actually made in a skillet, which is a little unconventional. But then again, these cookies are a little unconventional.
Pizzelle – traditional Italian waffle cookies made from flour, eggs, sugar, butter or vegetable oil, and various flavoring. Pizzelle can be hard and crisp or soft and chewy depending on the ingredients and method of preparation. It can be molded into various shapes, including in the shape of cannoli.
Digestive biscuit – sweet biscuit that was created in Scotland, in 1839 by two doctors to help with digestion. The term “digestive” is derived from the belief that they had antacid properties due to the use of sodium bicarbonate when they were first developed.
which ones are your favorite?? which one are worth mention, and which ones I’ve missed.. what’s are the most popular cookies in your home? or maybe in your country??
