NAZARETH SUGAR COOKIE

USA

18TH CENTURY

 

OTHER NAMES: Amish sugar cookies, Nazareth Cookie

 

Nazareth Sugar cookies are sweet, rich, and crumbly. Often they are decorated in different shapes and toppings. Inspired by “jumble cookie,” Nazareth sugar cookie was created in the mid-18th century by Moravians (Protestant settlers from Germany) in Nazareth Pennsylvania USA. [1] Because of how easy it is to cut and shape the sugar cookie dough, customized sugar cookies have become widely popular. Along the way, the invention of biscuit/cookie cutter in 1875 helped making cookies easier with more variation and complicated shapes. [2]

 

While traditionally Christmas was celebrated with cookies like Gingerbread or Springerle, around the early 20th century children began to leave sugar cookies and milk out for Santa Clause on Christmas Eve. [3] In fact in the 1970s the sugar cookie became even more popular with the introduction of pre-made cookie dough. Eventually even Bill Brackbill (the former President of the Nazareth Bath Regional Chamber of Commerce) was attempted to make the sugar cookie Pennsylvania's official state cookie in the early 2000's. Unfortunately the proposal was denied by officials. [4]

 

Today sugar cookies are common in celebrating not only Christmas, but also important days like Halloween, Easter and Valentine’s Day.

 

BASIC INGREDIENTS:sugar, flour, butter, eggs, vanilla and baking soda or baking powder

 

Optional: icing, frosting, sprinkles, sugar