In America, May 15 is exclusively dedicated to celebrating the circular, sugary and floury treat our country calls the cookie.
This Wednesday was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. As the smell of fresh cookies was in the air on Wednesday, so was the question of whether cookies are considered a snack or a dessert.
Don’t be too quick to assume that cookies are desserts. Cookies have a lot of snack-like characteristics. For example, cookies are hardly ever served at restaurants. Chocolate chip cookies can come in many sizes but, on average, are no bigger than a fist and can easily be put in a plastic bag to take on the go.
This perfectly fits the definition of a snack, which according to Dictionary.com is: “a small portion of food or drink or a light meal, especially one eaten between regular meals”. Also, brands of cookies such as Chips Ahoy! put the concept of cookies as a snack into consideration.
Snacks are considered a light meal, however, desserts fit that description as well. It is not typical for someone to eat a box of cookies for dinner but it is typical for someone to eat one or two after eating something substantial.
Bakeries such as Midnight Cookies serve very dessert-like cookies such as bananas foster and birthday cake flavors accompanied with milk. Cookies are sugary and although they can be eaten during the day, they are also eaten at night, making them very dessert-like.
Whether you believe they are a snack or a dessert, chocolate chip cookies are an iconic American treat that tastes good regardless of their categorization.
