Christmas season is finally here, and I can already taste those delicious Christmas cookies, which are a very important family tradition in the Kayser house. Since everyone loves Christmas cookies, we usually just think about how delicious they are and don’t tend to think beyond that, but where did the Christmas cookie tradition come from? Why do we make certain cookies for certain times of year?
During the Middle Ages in Europe, spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg cost quite a bit of money since they were just getting popular, so people were only able to buy these expendables at a special time of year: Christmas.
Decorating cookies began in the 1600s when bakers would make icing for cakes out of sugar and egg whites.
In the 1700s, when some Germans began to settle in Pennsylvania, they brought along their easy-to-store special delicacy known as the sugar cookie.
Cut-out cookies likely originated after Queen Elizabeth I wanted special gingerbread cookies that resemble her dinner party guests. Tin cutters made this job pretty easy.
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, parents wanted their children to be more thankful for what they had, so they encouraged their kids to leave out a special treat for Santa and there you go, the Christmas cookie was created.
Americans love their Christmas cookies. Can you guess what the top five most popular Christmas cookies are? The top five Christmas cookies are:
- Sugar Cookies
- Snowball Cookies (Russian Tea Cakes)
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Snickerdoodles
- Gingerbread Men
In our house at Christmastime, there are always many cookies to choose from such as Russian Tea Balls, Gingerbread Men, Sugar Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms, Chocolate Crackle cookies and many more.
What’s your favorite Christmas cookie?
(Pick One!)
What's Your Favorite Christmas Cookie?
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