Every December 18th is celebrated as Bake Cookies Day. That means it’s an excuse for people to roll up their sleeves, get their cookie sheets out of storage, and whip up some delicious treats.

Just because this holiday is celebrated during the Christmas season doesn’t mean that people are limited to making Christmas cookies. Home bakers can make chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, almond windmill, or macaroon cookies.

Of course, people don’t have to avoid making holiday cookies on this day. They can try their hand at making sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, shortbread cookies, or any of the other seasonal cookies we all enjoy. Just don’t forget the milk!

The History of Bake Cookies Day

Cookies have been around for a long time. What do we mean when we say a long time? We mean that some of the original cookies appeared in Persia in the 7th century. Yes, people have been making cookies for at least 1,400 years — maybe even longer.

These cookies would spread throughout Europe thanks to the Muslim conquest of Spain, and by the 14th century, they could be found in every nook and cranny of Europe.

These little circular treats would be brought to North America thanks to Dutch immigrants settling in New Amsterdam in the 17th century. The Dutch called their round sweets ‘koekje,’ which would be Anglicized to “cookie.” The earliest known reference to “cookies” was found in the early 18th century. It didn’t take long for them to spread all across North America.

Of course, Bake Cookies Day was created a couple of hundred years later. It was actually created in 1987 by Matt Nader of the Blue Chip Cookie Company, based in San Francisco, California. This holiday would then spread throughout the U.S.

Some Quick Cookie Trivia

Below are some cookie trivia facts that we would like to share with everyone. We think the following facts about cookies will please anyone interested in celebrating Bake Cookies Day.

• Over 2 billion cookies are consumed in the U.S. every single year!
• It’s been estimated that the average American will eat over 34,000 cookies over the course of their life.
• Approximately 50% of cookies baked in American homes are chocolate chip cookies.
• It’s been estimated that Santa Claus consumes over 336 million cookies on Christmas Eve.

Observing Bake Cookies Day

Obviously, the best way to observe this holiday is by baking cookies. And that is a form of baking that is pretty easy for just about anyone to do. If a person doesn’t want to make their cookies from scratch, they can always buy prepackaged bake-at-home cookies or cookies that have already been baked.

Of course, we strongly recommend that everyone at least attempt to make their own cookies. They just taste so much better. We also recommend that people spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #BakeCookiesDay.