NATIONAL SUGAR COOKIE DAY

Each year on July 9 we honors the ever-popular and delicious sugar cookie on National Sugar Cookie Day. Whether you love your cookie plain or decorated, sugar cookies are a sweet addition to our snack list.

#NationalSugarCookieDay

A holiday favorite and very easy to make, sugar cookies disappear quickly once they come out of the oven. Most sugar cookies include sugar, flour, butter, eggs, vanilla, and either baking powder or baking soda. While most people have the ingredients on hand at all times, some of the ingredients should be fresh for the best outcome. Children enjoy baking and decorating anytime someone makes a batch of sugar cookies.

The sugar cookie is believed to have originated in the mid-1700s in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. German Protestant settlers created a round, crumbly and buttery cookie that came to be known as the Nazareth Cookie.

Today, sugar cookie making and decorating has become an art form for kids and adults alike. Starting with the shape of the cookie, the dough is formed with either a cookie cutter or other methods of cutting and shaping the dough. Once the cookie is baked, the cookie artist adds colored frosting or icing. Sprinkles, edible glitter, colored sugars, and additional details may be added. Some cookies receive so much detail, it's almost a shame to eat them.

While making some delicious and beautiful sugar cookies, marvel at the skill of bakers who have mastered the skill. Learn some of their tips and tricks, or share your own. Don't forget to give a shout-out to your favorite baker and let them know you appreciate their delicious cookies. Post on social media using #NationalSugarCookieDay.

National Day Calendar is researching the origins of this cookie holiday. However, the calendar is full of cookie celebrations! Won't you check them out?

July 9th Celebrated History

1872

Why do doughnuts have holes in the center? According to lore, a sea captain by the name of Hanson Gregory originally cut holes in the dough using a tin pepperbox top. Cutting out the hole allowed for more even frying of the dough. In 1872, another sea captain received a patent No. 128,783 for a doughnut cutter that not only cut the holes but it also released the punched-out dough from the cutter.

1877

Bell Telephone Company is founded. That same year, the company installed telephone lines from Boston to Sommerville, Massachusetts.

1948

Satchel Paige made his major league baseball debut with the Cleveland Indians.

July 9th Celebrated History

Elias Howe - 1819

In 1851, the American inventor received a patent for the “Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure” similar to the zipper, today. However, Howe never marketed his invention and missed the recognition he may have received. Five years before in 1846, he received Patent No. 4,750 for a lockstitch sewing machine. He would go to court to protect his patent, including another inventor well-known today in the sewing machine business - Isaac Singer.

Percy Spencer - 1894

In 1945, a melting chocolate bar alerted the American engineer to the potential of high-powered microwave beams. Spencer began experimenting with different foods and soon the microwave oven was born.

Peggy Braithwaite - 1919

In 1975, Peggy Braithwait became the only woman lighthouse keeper in the United Kingdom. She followed in her father's footsteps and maintained the Walney-Island lighthouse.

Jimmy Smits - 1955

The award-winning American actor gained prominence during the 1980s in the crime drama L.A. Law. He's also played prominent roles in NYPD Blue, Sons of Anarchy, and Dexter.

Tom Hanks - 1956

The versatile American actor began his notable career on the sitcom of Bosom Buddies. Since then, Hanks' steady career has included two Academy Awards (Philadelphia and Forrest Gump), several Emmy Awards (Band of Brothers, Olive Kitteridge), and multiple Golden Globes (Big, Saving Private Ryan).

NATIONAL SUGAR COOKIE DAY