What is the difference between biscuits and cookies?

1. 89

   ishwaryaa22posted 12 years ago

   What is the difference between biscuits and cookies?
   
   

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2. 80

   chef-de-jourposted 12 years ago

   In broad terms cookie derives from North America and biscuit from the British Isles. If you're in the UK you'll be served tea and biscuits, in the US coffee and cookies.
   Cookie comes from the dutch koekje - little cake - from the verb koek, to cook. So all likelihood is the dutch imported it when they arrived as immigrants in the United States somewhere around the 18th century?
   Biscuit on the other hand has a latin origin bis - twice - and coctus - cooked - but has been frenchified somewhat. Biscuits were originally cooked twice to help keep them edible.
   Personally I always associate cookie with chocolate chip cookie but biscuit to me means anything from a Fig Roll to a Rich Tea, from a Digestive to a Malted Milk.

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   1. 69

      Don Fairchildposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Chef-de-jour, you got it right.  My first experience as an American with the English biscuit was confusing because in America, the biscuit is a dry kind of unflavored bread served with a soup or stew.

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   2. 83

      Thelma Albertsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the explanation chef-de-jour and Don Fairchild. I´m always confused when ask by my friends and relatives between the difference of cookies and biscuits. Now my mind is clear about this.

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3. 60

   MickSposted 12 years ago

   The Atlantic.-----------------------------------------------------

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4. 71

   Mazzy Boleroposted 12 years ago

   Biscuits in the US are like large savory scones. In New England, they are eaten with clam chowder.
   
   In Blighty biscuits are what Americans call cookies. However, we Brits tend to refer to certain types of biscuits as cookies - the ones which have a clear American origin. Maryland cookies - i.e. chocolate chip - came out around the 1960s and were the first biscuits called cookies Britain had.  Before this, there was a type of cake in Britain called a cookie, but this disappeared as it got confusing!
   
   The chewy type of cookies you get in the U.S. don't get made in Britain tasting exactly the same because the flour is different.  That's probably a good thing or I would be the size of a whale - they are irresistible.

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5. 57

   Arahullposted 12 years ago

   It depends where you live
   generally
   cookie is flat baked pastry and biscuit is small baked bread

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6. 61

   Hariom Singhalposted 11 years ago

   I do not know. I eat biscuits. I eat cookies.
   I never try to know which is biscuits or cookies. i try to know which is tasty.

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