What began as a test cake has today captured the world in popularity. Cookies were created by accident. Cooks used a small amount of cake batter to test their oven temperature before baking a large cake. These little cakes were called “koekje”, meaning “little cake” in Dutch. From these little cakes hundreds upon hundreds of cookie recipes in the United States alone have developed. No one book could hold the recipes for all the various types of cookies.

Cookies are small, sweet, flat, dry cakes for single-serving finger food. They can be soft, chewy or crisp. They can be big or small, plain or fancy, simple or complex. They are a comfort food any time of the year.

It was at the Mathews Memorial Library recently where the definition of cookie was presented in its best form for the tasting. Under the direction of Library Director Bette Dillehay, the second Cookie Exchange was held. Participants brought in their favorite cookie recipe, which they had prep...