Sugar Cookie Tips and Fun Facts | The Sugar Association (2024)

Sugar Cookie Tips and Fun Facts | The Sugar Association (1)

Recipes

December 2018

Learn something new about a holiday favorite.

Sugar cookies are a treat to bake, share and enjoy with loved ones throughout the holiday season. They’re fun to decorate and easy to make using just a few simple ingredients. Not surprisingly, nature’s oldest sweetener is one of them. Sugar is responsible for much more than the cookies’ taste (and name). Enjoy these fun facts and tips as you share these holiday treats in moderation.

  1. Sugar adds bulk and contributes to the cookies’ color. There are often different types of sugar used in a single recipe. With more light brown or dark brown sugar, the finished cookies will be darker in color.
  2. The modern sugar cookie was originally called the Nazareth Sugar Cookie, after German Protestants who settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and improved the recipe.1 When forming the dough, they made the cookies resemble the state’s keystone emblem.
  3. The technique known as creaming can help you create fluffier cookies and get more out of a single batch. When you properly cream butter and sugar, you’re adding air to the cookie dough, lightening it and giving yourself more to work with.
  4. In 2015, Pillsbury earned the world record for most cookies/biscuits iced in one hour, enlisting the help of shoppers at Mall of America to decorate a total of 1,169 sugar cookies.2
  5. Sugar is a necessity in the batter, but it’s also helpful to have on hand for decorating. Sanding sugar is a common topper for sugar cookies, as its crystals reflect light and produce a shiny, sparkly appearance.

Now that you know more about sugar cookies, it’s time to get baking. Explore a few of our favorite recipes:

References:

  1. What’s Cooking America. History of Cookies. Available at: https://whatscookingamerica.net/History/CookieHistory.htm. Accessed December 5, 2018.
  1. Pillsbury. Pillsbury Sets Cookie-Decorating World Record! (How Many? Come See!). Available at: https://www.pillsbury.com/holidays-celebrations/christmas/pillsbury-sets-cookie-decorating-world-record. Accessed December 5, 2018.

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FAQs

What are some fun facts about sugar cookies? ›

The modern sugar cookie was originally called the Nazareth Sugar Cookie, after German Protestants who settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and improved the recipe. When forming the dough, they made the cookies resemble the state's keystone emblem.

What are some fun facts about cookies? ›

3) Americans consume over 2 billion cookies a year, or 300 cookies for each person annually. 4) The Chocolate Chip is the most popular type of home-baked cookie. 5) Chocolate Chip cookies are Cookie Monster's favorite. His birthday is November 2nd and his original name was Sid on Sesame Street.

What were the five names it was called before sugar cookies? ›

The name Nazareth cookie came from the people of Nazareth, Pennsylvania who came from Germany. The cookie later took on other names in other countries. In England they were called sugar biscuits as well as jumbles. Sugar cookies were also called gemmells, crybabies, gimbletts, cimbellines, jumbles, and plunketts.

Who made the first sugar cookie? ›

Origin. The long history of manufacturing sugar cookies dates back to the 7th century in Persia. However, sugar cookies as known today were first made by Protestan settlers in the Nazareth colony in Pennsylvania in the 17th century. They were baked in the shape of the state symbol, a keystone.

Why is it called a sugar cookie? ›

The term “sugar cookie” was coined as a way to help differentiate plain, sugar-based cookies from the peanut butter and oatmeal-flavored cookies, which had also begun to spring up at the time. The “sugar cookie” recipe continued to evolve over the subsequent years.

Why do sugar cookies crack? ›

Issues with cracking usually derive from the sugar coating, not enough or expired baking powder or baking soda, or the oven temperature isn't hot enough. Solution: Granulated sugar is more effective at drying the surface than powdered sugar.

What cookie was not invented until 1938? ›

It wasn't until very recently, around 1938, that chocolate chip cookies were first invented. Unlike a lot of other things, the chocolate chip cookie was not invented by accident. During the 1930s, a chef named Ruth Graves Wakefield decided to give something different to her customers.

What is the oldest cookie? ›

Pizzelles are the oldest known cookie and originated in the mid-section of Italy. They were made many years ago for the “Festival of the Snakes” also known as the “Feast Day of San Domenico”.

What cookie was invented in 1912? ›

On this day in 1912, Oreo cookies were first developed and produced by Nabisco in New York City. It's time to celebrate the iconic crunchy chocolate sandwich cookie with the sweet vanilla cream filling that Americans have enjoyed for over one hundred years. March 6th is National Oreo Cookie Day!

Why is a cookie called a cookie? ›

From 1808, the word "cookie" is attested "...in the sense of "small, flat, sweet cake" in American English. The American use is derived from Dutch koekje "little cake", which is a diminutive of "koek" ("cake"), which came from the Middle Dutch word "koke".

What country invented sugar cookies? ›

Let's have a hearty hip-hip-hooray for the German Protestants, who settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and invented the early sugar cookie. Their crumbly cookie made with butter and shaped into round or keystone shapes were a sweet hit from their formation in the late 1700s.

Why do we eat sugar cookies on Christmas? ›

At a time when most families were not that well off, people started making cookies and sweets as a way to share gifts during the medieval Christmas season. Christmas in many cultures was a time of visiting friends and family.

How old are sugar cookies? ›

Let's have a hearty hip-hip-hooray for the German Protestants, who settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and invented the early sugar cookie. Their crumbly cookie made with butter and shaped into round or keystone shapes were a sweet hit from their formation in the late 1700s.

How long do sugar cookies last? ›

“Homemade sugar cookies should ideally be consumed within two to three days, but can last up to one week at room temperature if stored properly in an air-tight container in a dry, cool place,” Mok says.

How long do sugar cookies stay? ›

The best way to store sugar cookies is in an airtight container at room temperature, with a layer of parchment paper or wax paper between each layer of cookies. Sugar cookies can last for up to two weeks at room temperature, up to a month in the refrigerator, and up to three months in the freezer.

What does sugar cookies do to your body? ›

Cookies tend to be high in refined sugar and saturated fats. They're generally considered unhealthy, and eating them often can be a risk factor for developing type II diabetes, obesity and Alzheimers. Currently, across the globe, more than 1.6 billion people over 15 years old are overweight or obese.

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