When is National Cookie Day?
National Cookie Day 2026 is on Friday
Friday, December 4, 2026
December 4 every year. That's in 61 days.
until National Cookie Day begins, in your time zone
National Cookie Day celebrates cookies of every kind, from sugar cookies to snickerdoodles, at the start of the holiday baking season. A San Francisco cookie company created it in 1987 as a promotion.
About National Cookie Day
National Cookie Day began as a business idea. Matt Nader, a founder of San Francisco's Blue Chip Cookie Company, set up the day in 1987 as a fun way to market his company's cookies, and the Los Angeles Times reported on the plan that year. It has never had official government status, but the date stuck, and bakeries, cookie chains and home bakers now mark it every December.
The word itself has an American history. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, cookie comes from the Dutch koekje, meaning a little cake, and was in use in American English by 1808, a legacy of Dutch settlement in New York. In Britain and many other English-speaking countries, the same kinds of treats are usually called biscuits.
Cookies cover a huge range of styles: drop cookies, rolled and cut-out cookies, bars, sandwich cookies and shortbread, plus traditions from around the world such as Italian biscotti, Mexican wedding cookies and German lebkuchen. The best-known American cookie, the chocolate chip cookie, came from Ruth Wakefield's Toll House Inn in Massachusetts in the 1930s and has its own day in August. Because National Cookie Day falls in early December, many people treat it as the kickoff for holiday cookie baking and cookie swaps.
Sources: UPI: National Cookie Day (December 4, 2022), Online Etymology Dictionary: cookie. How we check dates.
How to mark National Cookie Day
- Start your holiday baking with a batch of cookies that freeze well, such as shortbread or sugar cookie dough, so you're ahead for later in the month.
- Bake a cookie from a family recipe or from a culture other than your own, and learn where it comes from.
- Organize a cookie swap at work or with neighbors, where everyone bakes one kind and goes home with an assortment.
- Decorate cut-out cookies with kids using simple royal icing or colored sugar.
- Pack a box of homemade cookies for someone who lives alone, or for a food pantry or shelter that accepts baked goods.
National Cookie Day dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Thursday, December 4, 2025 |
| 2026 | Friday, December 4, 2026 |
| 2027 | Saturday, December 4, 2027 |
| 2028 | Monday, December 4, 2028 |
| 2029 | Tuesday, December 4, 2029 |
| 2030 | Wednesday, December 4, 2030 |
| 2031 | Thursday, December 4, 2031 |
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Frequently asked questions
When is National Cookie Day 2026?
National Cookie Day 2026 is on Friday, December 4, 2026. It falls on December 4 every year. In 2027, it is on Saturday, December 4, 2027.
Who created National Cookie Day?
Matt Nader of the Blue Chip Cookie Company in San Francisco started it in 1987 as a promotion for his business. It has no official status.
Where does the word cookie come from?
It comes from the Dutch word koekje, meaning a little cake, and was used in American English by 1808.
Is National Cookie Day the same as National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day?
No. National Cookie Day in December covers all cookies, while National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day on August 4 honors one kind.
Is National Cookie Day a public holiday?
No. National Cookie Day is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.