FACTOID FRIDAY

In honor of the great Christmas tradition of baking cookies, today I give you factoids about well, cookies!

• Culinary historians claim that the earliest cookies as we know them developed from cake baking. In the 7th century, Persians made small sweet cakes, which became the prototype for modern-day cookies.

• During medieval times, cookie recipes and baking techniques spread from the Middle East to Europe. With the Muslim invasion of Spain and the development of the spice trade, cookies laced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and anise began to appear.

• The first genuine Christmas cookie was likely lebkuchen, a German gingerbread cookie

• The tradition of leaving cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve began in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Some say it was an inexpensive yet sweet way for nice children to thank Santa, while others claim it was a way for naughty children to bribe him. Either way, cookies remain a beloved Christmas treat for Santa and are an ideal Christmas gift during tough economic times.