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  • Cookies.

  • Maybe the first thing you think of is chocolate chip,

  • but there are way more than that that are worth trying.

  • The beloved dessert has a ton of variation across cultures.

  • Let's take a look at what cookies look like

  • around the world.

  • Chocolate chip cookies were actually invented by mistake

  • in the 1930s, when Ruth Graves Wakefield and her husband

  • were running the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts.

  • Ruth was trying to make chocolate butter drop cookies

  • but ran out of baker's chocolate.

  • She used some semisweet chocolate,

  • thinking it would melt and disperse in the cookie,

  • but it held its shape.

  • Now this accidental cookie

  • is one of America's most loved desserts.

  • Soft, rich, and cakey,

  • black and white cookies are vanilla cookies

  • coated with chocolate icing on one side

  • and vanilla on the other.

  • They were once thin and crispy, but during the 20th century,

  • they became the thick, cakelike cookies we know today.

  • Despite the name, Mexican wedding cakes

  • are actually cookies that are light and buttery

  • with a nutty flavor.

  • Food historians believe the cookie

  • might have originated in the Middle East

  • during medieval times before they became popular in Mexico.

  • These cookies are formed into balls

  • and coated with powdered sugar.

  • Alfajores de maicena are delicate, crumbly cookie sandwiches

  • made from cornstarch.

  • These cookies are filled with dulce de leche

  • and often rolled in coconut.

  • They can be traced back to Spain

  • but are popular in a few South American countries

  • including Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru.

  • Macarons are meringue-based cookie sandwiches

  • that are usually held together by buttercream,

  • ganache, or jam.

  • The elegant treat is usually associated with France,

  • but it was likely brought over from Italy

  • in the 16th century.

  • Also known as Dutch windmill cookies,

  • speculaas are spiced short-crust biscuits that are thin,

  • crunchy, and have an image stamped on the front

  • before being baked.

  • They're especially popular around Christmastime

  • in the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of Germany.

  • Invented sometime between the late 1700s

  • and the early 1800s,

  • the Netherlands are also known for their stroopwafels.

  • A thin layer of caramel sauce

  • is sandwiched between two halves of crispy wafer.

  • Joulutorttu.

  • These windmill-shaped cookies are "Christmas tarts"

  • made with flaky pastry and prune jam.

  • The pinwheel shape is achieved by making four cuts

  • and folding the pastry in before baking.

  • They're mostly made in Finland but are also found in Sweden.

  • Linzer cookies are two buttery cookies held together by jam.

  • The jam peeks through the cutout made in the top cookie.

  • They got their name from the Linzer torte,

  • which originated in the Austrian city Linz.

  • Traditionally, the cookies are made with flour and almonds

  • and filled with black-currant preserves.

  • Amaretti cookies usually have a nice, crunchy crust

  • and a soft, buttery center.

  • They're made with amaretto liqueur, egg whites,

  • sugar, flour, and almond extract.

  • They're traditionally served with dessert wines,

  • liqueur, or coffee.

  • These crumbly cookies are covered in powdered sugar

  • and stuffed with fillings like agameya.

  • Agameya is made of ghee, honey, and nuts.

  • It's believed to date back to ancient Egypt

  • and is eaten by people to celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Easter.

  • Chin chin is Nigeria's favorite cookie snack.

  • The West African fried pastry is made of dough with flour,

  • sugar, butter, and milk.

  • It's usually hard and crunchy,

  • but it can be made softer with margarine.

  • The cookies come in all kinds of shapes

  • and are fried to get their texture.

  • Mbatata cookies are soft and almost cakey.

  • They're made with mashed-up sweet potatoes

  • and combined with raisins.

  • Because sweet potatoes are filled with nutrients,

  • these can be considered healthy cookies.

  • Reshteh khoshkar is a popular Iranian cookie

  • made of rice flour.

  • It's filled with sugar, ground nuts, cardamom,

  • ginger, and cinnamon and then fried in oil.

  • The traditional dessert

  • is often eaten during Ramadan for iftar.

  • Nankhatai are eggless Indian shortbread cookies

  • that are flavored with ghee, cardamom, and saffron.

  • They're usually garnished with pistachios

  • and are a great treat for Diwali.

  • Their slogan might be #NotACookie,

  • but Australian Tim Tams come pretty close to it.

  • They're made up of two malted biscuits

  • separated by light chocolate cream filling

  • and covered in chocolate.

  • Tons of flavors had been made following their popularity.

  • Afghan biscuits are made with cocoa powder and cornflakes

  • and topped with chocolate icing and walnuts.

  • The cookies are rich

  • and have a nice touch of crunch from the cornflakes.

  • Which of these cookies would you like to try?

  • Let us know in the comments below.

Cookies.

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