In England, a cookie and a biscuit are two very different things. Cookies are soft, while biscuits are crisp – think Digestive or Rich Tea (made for dunking in that afternoon cup of tea!). In North America, however, the term ‘cookie’ has become the universal name for biscuit, whether it’s crisp or soft. I am going to stick with the English explanation here.
The word cookie is derived from the Dutch word koekje, meaning ‘small cake’ while biscuit comes from the Latin bis coctum meaning ‘twice baked’.
So, cookies are softer, chewier, and can be made with a variety of ingredients – arguably the most popular being chocolate chip. They are traditionally made from a soft dough which is rolled into balls and placed onto a baking sheet. An easier way of making them is a tray bake, which can then be cut into squares once cooked. Flapjacks or cookie bars are the obvious example of this.
Making cookies is easy. Once you’ve got the basic recipe, you can adapt it to suit, adding chocolate, spices, dried fruit, nuts or oats.
Check out my soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe with the option of added nuts
For Halloween, chocolate chunk pumpkin cookies, a combination of dark chocolate, oats and golden syrup with a hint of pumpkin.
And for Christmas, white chocolate and dried cranberries make the perfect festive cookie for an afternoon treat.
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