National Peanut Butter Cookie Day

National Peanut Butter Cookie Day is a holiday that falls on June 12th, and not surprisingly, it is a day on which people can enjoy all the peanut butter cookies they like. It’s also a day when people can share their favorite cookie recipes, learn more about peanut butter and cookies, or even bake their neighbors a plate of cookies just to spread some goodwill. So if you’re a fan of these cookies, then pour yourself a glass of milk and join in on all of the fun.

The History Of Peanut Butter Cookies

Before we get into the history of peanut butter cookies, we think it’s helpful if we first talk about the history of the primary ingredient in these cookies, peanut butter. Peanut plants are native to Brazil and Peru and were used by indigenous people for at least 4,000 years. The Incans would use peanuts as sacrificial offerings or bury them with important people in their tombs. Spanish explorers came across these plants and took them back to Spain, and from there, they spread across the globe, especially in Asia and Africa.

It’s believed that Africans introduced peanuts to North America during the 18th century, and by the 19th century, peanuts were beginning to be grown as a commercial crop in the U.S. Peanuts grown during this time were only supposed to be used to feed the poor or for feeding livestock. Peanuts also had a reputation as being difficult to grow, so their cultivation wasn’t widespread.

After the Civil War, peanuts became popular among Union soldiers, and the popularity of this legume began to grow. Eventually, P.T. Barnum began to sell them from his circus wagons, which helped to boost the peanut’s popularity even further. The popularity of peanuts inspired the manufacturing industry to innovate and invent methods and machines that made peanuts easier to grow, harvest, and process.

In 1884, Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Canada placed a patent on the first peanut paste, a product that was made by milling roasted peanuts between two heated plates. Eleven years later, in 1895, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg patented the process for making peanut butter from raw peanuts. He saw it as a way to supply people with poor teeth a reliable source of protein. In 1904, the masses would be introduced to peanut butter thanks to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri.

George Washington Carver published a research bulletin in 1916 entitled “How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it For Human Consumption.” In that book were several recipes for cookies that contained peanuts, but none that were made from peanut butter. It would take another six years before someone would publish a peanut butter cookie recipe.

Celebrating National Peanut Butter Cookie Day

National Peanut Butter Cookie Day is a very easy day to celebrate. Just head into your kitchen and whip up one of your favorite peanut butter cookie recipes or head to the store and buy some. When you do, make sure to pour yourself a cold glass of milk and use the hashtag #NationalPeanutButterCookieDay to let everyone know that you’re enjoying this sweet treat.

When is it?
This year (2024)
June 12 Wednesday
Next year (2025)
June 12 Thursday
Last year (2023)
June 12 Monday
Topic
Food & Drinks