One of my earliest memories is sitting on a stack of phone books on top of a chair in my grandma’s kitchen. I would watch her bustle around and simultaneously tend to multiple pots on the stove as delicious aromas wafted through the air. Sometimes if I was lucky, I received permission to hop off my makeshift chair and help her mix batter together or roll out some dough with a long rolling pin.
Sugar cookies were one of our favorite desserts to make together. Looking back, the versatile and tasty sugar cookie was present at many occasions throughout the year. From birthday parties to Christmas, the cookies were typically rolled out on a counter powdered with flour and then decorated with colorful frosting and tiny sprinkles. As a little girl and aspiring chef, there was nothing quite as exciting to me as using tiny cookie cutters to make fun shapes with the dough and then decorating them to my heart’s desire (or at least piling on as much frosting and sprinkles that the tiny cookie could hold).
The sugar cookie is a dessert that is typically considered an American classic. Originating in Nazareth, Pennsylvania in the 1700s, it is widely believed that German Protestant settlers created the Nazareth cookie, the buttery dessert that is now known as a sugar cookie.
It seems today that anything can be made into a holiday, whether it be official or not. From “World Sauntering Day” to “Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day”, National Sugar Cookie Day does not seem to be too much of a stretch. Celebrated annually on July 9th, the holiday honors the traditionally simple but well-loved sugar cookie. Typically made from simple ingredients that include sugar, butter, vanilla, flour, and eggs, it is fairly easy to quickly whip up a batch.
How does one take part in this holiday? I’ve included some steps below so that you can get the most out of this unofficial national holiday.
Step 1: Gather the necessary ingredients and mix them together.
Step 2: Pop them in the oven and set a timer.
Step 3: A taste test in order to see if the cookies are completely baked. Try not to eat more than one (or two).
Step 4: Let the remainder of the cookies cool on a cooling rack.
Step 5: Decorate! If you simultaneously sample the warm cookies, do so sneakily.
Step 6: Finally, Instagram it (if there are any left) and share the cookies to spread the love for National Sugar Cookie Day.
To get the most out of National Sugar Cookie Day, you could take a trip to Nazareth, Pennsylvania to see where this national favorite was born. Or, you could whip up a batch of cookies yourself and share them with your family and friends, which is guaranteed to be crowd pleaser. Perhaps if you’re lucky enough, you can return to your roots and make some with your grandma. Whether you indulge in store-bought or homemade cookies, this national holiday is sure to be super sweet.
