"national sugar cookie day" news and stories

Happy National Sugar Cookie Day!

Although today sugar cookies are known in American kitchens for their simple, straightforward ingredient list, they actually have roots tracing back to Medieval Arab cuisine, which was famously fond of sugar. Individually sized sugar cakes -- seasoned with spices and nuts -- were transported to Spain by the Moors, after which they were popularized in Europe before eventually being imported into the New World.

The typical American sugar cookies have evolved to shed their exotic ingredients, instead favoring a more purist ingredient list, similar to that of Martha Stewart's Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies. But as these cookies hold such a mild buttery palate, they're an ideal blank canvas for any number of additions, from chocolate to spices, nuts, essences and herbs.

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This page dedicated to National Sugar Cookie Day starts by saying that today is "a day to satisfy your sweet tooth." Hey, sounds like every Monday to me!

But let's make some sugar cookies today. I think that sugar cookies are sometimes taken for granted, because people see them as "plain" or "basic." But there's something so simple and nice about the taste of a sugar cookie. Even the name tells you what you're going to get. Everyone who cooks should know how to bake a good one.

Here's a recipe for sugar cookies, and here's one for Cotton Candy Sugar Cookies. AllRecipes has one for Cookie Jar Sugar Cookies.