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" Sweet Memories: 1900-1940 1900 At the turn of the century, life was slower and simpler. Bakers relied on molasses as a key sweetener (refined sugar was usually reserved for guests). Nuts were already common in a cookie maker&amp;#039;s pantry.  Gingerbread Cookie Cutouts  1910 Peace gave way to World War I. On the home front, the gas range began to replace coal and woodstoves, the Oreo cookie debuted, and several brands of peanut butter hit the market \u2014 good news for kids and cookie lovers. Classic Peanut-Butter Rounds  1920 This was a time for tearooms (thanks to Prohibition) and dainty pastries and cakes. Plus, the brownie was born \u2014 although each bar was cut much smaller back then. Tutti-Frutti Surprises  1930 During the Great Depression, butter was a luxury; most recipes used vegetable shortening. Electric refrigerators pushed iceboxes aside, and cookie doughs that were chilled and then sliced became popular. When the Depression ended, the butter-rich spritz cookie, a Scandinavian specialty, took off. Lemon Refrigerator Slices  1940 While our boys were overseas fighting World War II, many wives and mothers left the kitchen and filled jobs in factories and offices by day \u2014 but they still found time to send care packages. Sturdy roll-and-slice spirals and drop cookies were favorites; packaged chocolate chips were still a novelty. Thumbprints  Next:   Sweet Memories: 1950-2010 1950 During the baby boom, cooking became easier with cake mixes, TV dinners and Tupperware. Homemakers welcomed new ideas; the sweeter and more unusual, the better. It was fun to use &amp;quot;novel&amp;quot; ingredients like red candied cherries, instant coffee and crushed vanilla wafers. Walnut Triangles  1960 Boundaries were broken, no doubt about it: We landed on the moon, flew to Europe and watched TV chef Julia Child cook French food (which led to our love affair with the madeleine). And Cool Whip came along, so we could put away the beaters and focus on more important things. Walnut and Cinnamon Rugelach  1970 Granola, the hippie health food of the 1960s, became a mainstream favorite. We experimented with flavors from different countries and so-called natural ingredients like whole grains and seeds. Greek Sesame-Seed Twists  1980 We wanted to have it all. Business was booming, and a gourmet cookie shop appeared in every mall and on every city street; the richer and gooier the sweets, the more we loved them. We worked out in the morning, ate new Lean Cuisine dinners and then splurged on luxe treats \u2014 which we wanted to whip up ourselves. Chocolate-Mint Sandwiches  1990 Eating healthy is a priority, and cookie lovers have turned to lower-fat versions of their favorite treats (think SnackWell&amp;#039;s). Yet we still adore comfort foods \u2014 bread pudding, meat loaf \u2014 and retro cookies like spice bars. But if there&amp;#039;s a way to lighten them up or increase the fiber, all the better. Chocolate Pretzels 2000 Coffee culture descended upon us as coffee shops popped up around the country. We turned the new national obsession for a good cup of joe into a sophisticated bar cookie. Espresso infuses both the buttery base and creamy glaze on top of these triangles. Cappuccino Triangles 2010 The rise of food tv and celebrity chefs transformed the way we cook at home. We asked three pioneers of the new cooking show era \u2014 Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, and Bobby Flay \u2014 to share their favorite Christmas cookie recipes with us. They were all delicious and we loved the way they returned to the tried-and-true classics. Ina&amp;#039;s Linzer Cookies remain a perennial favorite. Linzer Cookies Next:   The Goods Keep baking chocolate in a cool, dry pantry for best storage. If stashed in a warm place, such as near the stove, chocolate can develop a grayish-white &amp;quot;bloom&amp;quot; when the cocoa butter rises to the surface. It&amp;#039;s not an appetizing look for a candy bar, but don&amp;#039;t worry, the yucky appearance won&amp;#039;t affect your recipes: When the chocolate is melted or baked, the bloom will vanish.  Know when to use chocolate chips and when to use baking squares. Our personal preference is to stir chips \u2014 designed to hold their shape through baking \u2014 into drop-cookie batters and to switch to squares for melting and dipping. But sometimes it&amp;#039;s preferable to coarsely chop a baking bar into uneven chunks that melt beautifully as the cookies bake.  Store flour and sugar in airtight canisters (we like glass ones with tightly sealed lids) or in their original paper sacks, placed inside self-sealing plastic bags. Need to grate an orange or lemon for a recipe? The task is easier if the fruit is at room temperature; choose pebbly-textured (not smooth), thick-skinned fruit for best results. Keep eggs in cartons on a low shelf in the fridge. Older refrigerators with egg holders on the door invite constant temperature fluctuations each time the door is opened and closed, shortening the shelf life of eggs.  Store nuts in the refrigerator (or freezer); they&amp;#039;re so pricey, you can&amp;#039;t afford to have them go rancid.  The Artistry When measuring ingredients, be sure to use dry measures for dry ingredients. Don&amp;#039;t shake or tap the cup; just lightly spoon sugar or flour in and level off with a knife. Using the exact pan size specified in the recipe is essential when making bar cookies; otherwise you&amp;#039;ll have to adjust the baking times, which can be tricky. To get the most out of all your hard work, always cool cookie sheets between batches; placing unbaked cookies on hot metal will cause the batter to spread, and the cookies will be too flat. Nearly out of dough except for enough to make just a few cookies? Space them out on the cookie sheet so it won&amp;#039;t warp or buckle in the oven, or use a smaller one. Don&amp;#039;t make delicate cookies like meringues on humid days; they&amp;#039;ll collapse.  The Stash Freeze baked, completely cooled, decorated cookies for up to three months in airtight containers with waxed paper between layers. When ready to serve, put frozen cookies on a plate and let them come to room temperature. Cute retro ceramic cookie jars are more for style than function; they&amp;#039;re often porous with loose-fitting lids, so cookies become stale quickly. Instead, wrap each type of cookie individually and place in airtight containers.  Next:   In a perfect world, cookie baking would be pure fun \u2014 you&amp;#039;d mix the dough in a favorite bowl while carols played on the radio and a log burned in the fireplace. But that&amp;#039;s not reality: More often than not, you whip up a last pan of lemon bars when everyone else is asleep, or squeeze in two batches between cleaning chores. But not this year \u2014 thanks to these tips from our experts:  Start Early Most unbaked cookie doughs (except those for delicate layered sweets like our Fresh Lemon Bars and Venetian Cookies) can be frozen, then defrosted for baking later. Divide the dough into several portions, wrap each in foil and then place in freezer-weight self-sealing plastic bags. Label the bags with contents and date; raw dough will keep for up to two months in the freezer. To use it, simply defrost in the refrigerator or on the counter and bake cookies according to recipe. To take the process a step further, freeze uncooked drop cookies individually. Spoon dough onto cookie sheets, freeze until firm, then place in labeled freezer-weight self-sealing plastic bags. When ready to bake, arrange dough on cookie sheets, let warm to room temperature, and bake as usual (for a smaller batch, use your toaster oven). You can also freeze baked, iced and decorated cookies for up to three months. Cool them completely, then place in sturdy freezer containers with waxed paper between layers. To serve, simply unwrap, place on a plate and allow to come to room temperature. Cut and store bar cookies in the pan they were baked in; cover it with foil or plastic wrap. (Some 13- by 9-inch pans even come with convenient snap-on plastic lids.) Pack Well and Avoid the Cookie Crush Here are a few helpful hints for sending cookies: \u2022 To prevent breakage in tins, place the heaviest cookies on the bottom and the lightest ones on top. Cushion layers with crumpled waxed paper. \u2022 Pack soft and crisp cookies separately; otherwise, the crisp ones will absorb moisture from the soft and get soggy. \u2022 If you plan to mail cookies, stay away from fragile buttery cutouts, or the recipient is likely to receive broken trees and reindeer without antlers. Stick to sturdier drop, chewy or bar cookies tucked in clean, bubble-wrap-lined coffee cans or metal tins that can withstand jostling in the mailbag. And consider spending the extra money to send cookies by overnight mail to ensure they arrive nice and fresh. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/a16032/100-years-of-holiday-cookies/>