Daily Meal Asks: Which Is Your Go-To Type Of Cookie?
Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar — there's a multitude of cookie varieties for everyone's tastes. Cravory Cookies reports that roughly 7 billion cookies are consumed each year in the United States, totaling nearly 1,000 cookies per person per year. Of those, the site states that more than half are homemade, and 93% of American households enjoy eating cookies. Of the home-baked cookies, nearly half of them are of the classic chocolate chip variety (via Cookie Elf).
Though chocolate chip may be the most well-known, iconic flavor, there are plenty of flavor options for those who don't like chocolate or just want something a little different. The Nibble reports that though there are thousands of different cookie recipes in the world, they can each be broken down into eight different categories. Cookies can be sorted as bar cookies, fried cookies, no-bake cookies, refrigerator cookies, rolled cookies, molded cookies, sandwich cookies, or drop cookies, depending on their preparation and baking methods.
The sweet history
Cookies have been around since the 7th century, and were invented in Persia, according to What's Cooking America. These cookies were reportedly like miniature versions of cakes, as opposed to the crispy-edged sweet treats we know today. By the 14th century, street vendors had begun selling filled wafers in Paris, and Renaissance cookbooks featured a multitude of cookie recipes.
During the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, kitchen technologies expanded, making it easier for people to learn to bake a variety of treats. The types of cookies that people made began to expand, though the base ingredients stayed the same: flour, sugar, and oil or butter.
Fresh-baked cookies have also become part of holiday traditions, reports Culturally Ours. The tradition may have emerged as a cost-effective way of celebrating the season with loved ones even during financial hardship, since homemade sweets were inexpensive gifts to give to friends and family.
One popular cookie won the most votes
In an exclusive survey, Daily Meal asked 567 people what their preferred type of cookie was. The most popular choice among respondents, with a whopping 50.97% of the vote, was, of course, the classic chocolate chip. According to The Sugar Association, chocolate chip cookies have been around since the 1930s, when Ruth Wakefield created them as an accompaniment for ice cream at her Toll House restaurant in Massachusetts. The runner-up is oatmeal raisin with 19.05% — though those who prefer chocolate chips may feel deceived by the appearance of the raisins. Next is peanut butter, with 14.46%.
Sugar cookies claimed only 8.99% of the votes. Though these are often decorated and can be cute to look at, the simple taste may leave something to be desired. And finally, in last place, with just 6.53%, are snickerdoodles. The lightly cinnamon-flavored cookies may be popular for the holidays, but are evidently not what these survey respondents grab first off of the cookie tray.