Are you looking for a tummy original or traditional biscuits : chocolate cookies, homemade shortbread cookies, crunchy speculoos, boudoirs, crisp palms, Christmas cookies, biscuits recipes are very numerous, come and discover them on Goody!

But where does this biscuit tradition come from?

Dis you know that the first biscuits were baked back in ancient Egypt? Actually,  small dry biscuits were a very fortunate accident which occurred when the Egyptians added honey in their traditional bread recipe and cooked this dough much longer: 2 times for exact and the first biscuits were invented.

The word biscuit which was first heard around the 14th century when oven baking was starting to get very popular and comes from the latin ‘ bis coctus”, meaning “twice baked”. The texture of the biscuits was therefore crunchier and crisp than normal bread. It is also at this time that they began to season with oriental spices such as cinnamon, cardamom or anise with the beginning of spices trade. Have you ever heard of sea biscuits? Easy to store and transport, this round or square biscuit (which looked like a kind of dry bread) was made of wheat flour and pure leaven was already used at the time by the sailors during long trips to replace bread. It was not until 1937 that they began to bake the bread on board. The shape of the biscuits remained the same until today.

Over the years, more and more ingredients were added such as vanilla, cocoa, chocolate or coconut. The kings and queens of France which had a real passion for good food have largely contributed to popularize many delicious sweet and savory recipes in the following centuries: boudoirs, macaroons and frangipanes were all invented in the royal kitchens.

In modern times, butter is added. In 1653, a baker named La Varenne recommends working the dough till ‘ribbon stage’, that is to foam the egg yolk and sugar mixture which will give it a flair of softness.

In the nineteenth century, the regional manufacture of biscuits which starts to develop first in England then in France and with the rise of the industrialization, the biscuits production too escalated. In the east of France they would eat cookies, macaroons and marzipans. And the Lefèvre brothers create the first biscuit factories. In Nantes, one of the Lefèvre brother creates a biscuit factory named Lefèvre Utile. Does that not remind you of something? Do the LU biscuits ring a bell? Other biscuit factories were opened like the Biscuiterie Nantaise (BN), Belin, etc…

Nowadays, there is a huge culinary heritage of savoury or sweet biscuits of all shapes and flavors all over the world.

In France, the pastry culinary heritage is impressive because there are about 70 families of cakes or cookies. The baking methods and the different ingredients of the recipes vary from one region to another, whereas flour is the main ingredient (it represents 42% of the total weight on average).

The culinary heritage of French biscuits and its 5 regions:

1. West: Half of the total biscuits production in France can be found in this region. Butter and milk are very present in the recipes due to the important milk production of the region. The most famous are butter biscuits, Brittany biscuits, Saint Malo crackers, Crêpes dentelles and Brittany pancakes.
2. Northeast: Influenced by the culinary heritage of the German, Austrian and Eastern European countries, it is the home of gingerbread, madeleine (French butter cake) and Alsatian pink biscuit. In Burgundy, biscuits are gingerbread based with almonds, jam or icing.
3. South-West: Thanks to the opening of sea ports and start of maize cultivation you find new influences in biscuits such as rum or vanilla like in the famous canelés de Bordeaux or Millas.
4. Southeast: Olive oil, spices (pepper, anise, clove, saffron, cinnamon), almond and orange blossom: egg white is a major ingredient and the biscuit is delicately scented in the south. Here are some recipe ideas: navettes de Marseille, airy Savoy cake (thanks to whisked egg whites), or the famous crackers of Lyon.
5. North: The recipes include local sugar like the vergeoise (beet suger) but also brown sugar which is imported such as the Rapadura or the Muscovado. A common trait of this region is the mixture of Dutch spices (ginger, cinnamon powder and cardamom) which we can find in the Speculoos for example (a real delight with a cup of coffee or tea).

So what are you waiting for to make your next batch of homemade cookies on a large baking sheet?

Making cookies is a real delight… almost as much fun as eating them and moreover they are really super easy to make and it’s always a real treat. Treat yourself to a delightful moment of intense pastry baking to please your loved ones: for a snack, a birthday, to offer a beautiful biscuit box, for your breakfast and for all special occasions. We are especially fond of Christmas cookies recipes with spicy flavors which are always crowd pleasing!

Have an awesome baking moment with Goody!