Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Cookies, Cakes & Pastry

Cookie Glossary: Cookie Types

How Many Types Of Cookies Are There?

Cookie Types

There are eight basic types of cookies: bar cookies, drop cookies, fried
cookies, molded cookies, no-bake cookies, refrigerator (ice box) cookies,
rolled cookies and sandwich cookies. You can see the overview of the
different types of cookies, or read the individual listings in this glossary. Also
see the history of cookies and how baked delights came to be. See our many
other informative food glossariesespecially the Cake Glossary and Pastry
Glossary.

ALMOND COOKIE

There are different types of almond cookies, from almond butter cookies
made with almond paste, almond extract and chopped almonds to almond
crescent cookies to amaretti to Chinese-American almond cookies, among
others.
ALMOND BUCKEYE or BUCKEYE COOKIE

See buckeye cookie.

ALMOND LACE COOKIE

See florentine.

AMARETTI

Amaretti are the original macaroons; the name means bitter almond. The
cookies were developed in an Italian monastery during the Renaissance. The
original macaroon, a small, domed shape that is crisp and crunchy on the
outside and soft inside, evolved into the French-style macaroon as well as the
coconut macaroon. See macaroon and read the history of macaroons.
Amaretti
Amaretti cookies. Bake your own with this amaretti cookie recipe.
ANIMAL CRACKERS or ANIMAL
COOKIES

The type of animal crackers that we know today date to 19th-century

England. They were first imported; in the latter part of the century they were
manufactured domestically. Zoologicals made by local baker Walter G.
Wilson were sold at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Two New
York companies, Herfield & Ducker (in Brooklyn) and Vandeveer & Holmes
Biscuit Company in Manhattan, manufactured them year-round. Both
companies were ultimately acquired by the New York Biscuit Company, which
then became part of the National Biscuit Company (known today as Nabisco).
Barnum's Crackers
A childhood favorite, the box was originally designed to hang on the
Christmas tree. Photo courtesy Nabisco.

In 1902, the product was repackaged as Barnums Animals Crackers (the s

on animals was later dropped) and placed into the current circus cage box for
the Christmas season. A string was attached so the box could be hung from
the Christmas tree. Several other companies, including Keebler, make animal
crackers today. They can be found in chocolate-covered versions as well.
BAR COOKIES

One of the eight basic types of cookies; batter or other ingredients are poured
or pressed into a rectangular pan (sometimes in multiple layers), then baked
and cut into individual-sized squares. Brownies and lemon bars are examples

of bar cookies. In the U.K., bar cookies are known as tray bakes".

BENNE WAFER or SESAME SEED

COOKIE

A specialty of the South Carolina Low Country since Colonial times, benne is
the Bantu word for sesame. The herb seed was brought from East Africa and
planted extensively throughout the South. The benne wafer is a thin cookie,
made with toasted sesame seeds. Plain benne wafers are often served with
cocktails. They are also made into sandwich cookies, as shown in the photo.
Benne Wafers
Benne wafers in a cookie sandwich. Photo courtesy Wisconsin Milk Marketing
Board.
BISCOTTI

Italians call biscotti cantucci, and use the term biscotti to refer to any type of
crunchy cookie, round, square and otherwise (as the British use the word
biscuit). In North America, we use the term biscotti as the ancient Romans
did, to describe a long, dry, hard twice-baked cookiein other words,
cantucci. While the Tuscan cantucci di Prato were only almond flavored,
outside of the region the recipe expanded to include anisette-, amaretto- and
lemon-flavored dough and to other spices; to biscotti with raisins and other
dried fruits; to biscotti studded with chocolate morsels and with other
varieties of nuts. Today, the flavorings are only limited to the imagination of
the baker and the palates of the customer. Read the history of biscotti and
learn more about cantucci. Other twice-baked cookies include the Dutch rusk,
French biscotte and the German zwieback.
Biscotti
The finger-shaped cookies we call biscotti are called cantucci in Italy. Photo by
Claire Freierman | THE NIBBLE.

BISCUIT

The British word for cookie, biscuit, comes from the Latin bis coctum,
meaning twice baked (also the origin of the Italian word biscotti).
BLACK & WHITE COOKIE

A large, flat, cakelike cookie that is iced half in vanilla icing, half in chocolate
icing. It is also called a half moon cookie.

Black and white cookie from Lillys Homestyle Bakeshop.

BOURBON BALL or CHOCOLATE
BOURBON BALL

A no-bake cookie made of chopped toasted nuts, finely crushed wafer or

shortbread cookies, cocoa powder and Bourbon, held together with light corn
syrup. Sometimes the balls are rolled in confectioners sugar. Rum can be
substituted for Bourbon.
Bourbon Balls
Chocolate Bourbon Balls. Photo by Teodora Vlaicu | SXC.
BREAKFAST COOKIE

Looking for any excuse to eat a cookie, someone created a granola cookie
with whole wheat flour, substituted honey and molasses for the sugar, and
dubbed it a breakfast cookie. The recipes became more elaborate, for
example, using cherry almond granola, orange pecan granola, and chocolate
chip granola. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but a
breakfast cookie is still a cookiejust as muffins are a different form of cake.
BROWNIES & BARS

While cake-like brownies and bars (like lemon bars) are baked in cake pans
and have a dense, cakey texture, they are actually classified as bar cookies.
See the different types of cookies, and read the origin of brownies.

Brownies
Brownies available from MackenzieLtd.com.
BUCKEYE COOKIE

Inspired by the horse chestnuts that fall from Ohios famous buckeye trees,
both cookies and candy called Buckeye are a specialty of The Buckeye
State. The name Buckeye comes from Native Americans who felt that the
nut of the Buckeye tree resembled the eye of a buck deer. The light, round
center of the cookie and candy resembles the golden-brown husk of the of
the nut. The cookies and candy are generally made with almonds rather than
than chestnuts. Heres a recipe for the cookie.
Buckeye Cookies
Buckeye cookies. Photo courtesy WMMB.
BUTTER BALL

A meltaway shaped into a ball. When chopped pecans are added, they are
called pecan balls.
BUTTER COOKIE

A butter cookie is a cookie with simple ingredientsbutter, sugar and flour

in order to show off the delicious quality of butter. There are different types of
butter cookies, from crumbly shortbread, to light, powdered sugar-dusted tea
cakes, also known as "meltaways" or "wedding cakes." Always use fresh
butter when baking butter cookies, since butter that has been stored in the
refrigerator can pick up flavors from other foods. A cookie made with
shortening or lard instead of butter is called a sugar cookie.

Go To Next Page: Terms With C

Go To The Article Index Above

Fennel Pistachio Cookies

Fennel pistachio butter cookies from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Get
the recipe.
There are thousands of different cookies in the world. This glossarys
objective is to highlight those found in the U.S. Please use the Contact Us link
to report any missing entries.