When I’m on a cruise and I tell people I’m looking for cookies, they might think I mean biscuits and am using the American word – but I don’t. Cookies and biscuits are different in the UK.
Americans seem to call both types “cookies” but in the UK, that’s not quite the same.
Brits separate biscuits and cookies into two distinct categories.
What’s A “Biscuit” in the UK?
Biscuits are the everyday default in the UK. A sweet treat you might enjoy with a cup of tea, or on its own.
They are usually crunchy or crisp.
Biscuits come in a multitude of different flavours, from ginger to coconut, from vanilla to chocolate.
Some top favourite varieties of biscuit are :
- Digestives – a semi-sweet, crumbly British biscuit made from coarse wholemeal wheat flour, malt extract, and vegetable oil, giving it a distinctive nutty, salty-sweet flavour and a firm texture. (until you dunk it in tea, then it goes soggy!)
- They originated in 1839 to aid digestion, but are now a popular teatime staple, also available in chocolate-coated varieties.
- Shortbread – a traditional Scottish biscuit. Made from a simple, classic ratio of one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour, it contains no leavening agents.
- Typically, it is baked at low temperatures, shaped into fingers, rounds, or wedges.
- Chocolate Hobnobs – a thick, crunchy, and oaty biscuit covered in a layer of milk or dark chocolate.
- It is often described as a hybrid between a flapjack and a digestive biscuit.
- Custard Creams – It consists of two embossed biscuits filled with a sweet, custard-flavoured cream in the middle.
- These are my particular favourite. I used to be allowed two of these when I got home from a school day!
- Jammy Dodgers – These are two biscuits with jam in the middle, some of my favourites.
What is a “Cookie” in the UK?
Cookies are a type of biscuit, but not all biscuits are cookies.
Cookies are usually bigger, thicker, and sometimes softer in the middle.
Often cookies are chocolate chip or “American-style”.
Although you can buy smaller cookies in packets or rolls, like biscuits, most people buy them in packets of four or five. You can find them in the bakery departments, and they are relatively cheap.
They are more of a treat than an everyday tea biscuit.
Cookies are not something you would expect someone to have in the house if you unexpectedly turned up for a cup of tea – but most people have a packet of biscuits in the cupboard.
Why Americans Calling Everything “Cookies” Feels Weird To Brits
Calling a custard cream a “cookie” just sounds wrong.
A custard cream has a distinct character of its own, and if I offered someone a custard cream, they would know exactly what they were going to get, down to the pattern on the top and bottom!
We mentally separate biscuits by texture and style. Crunchy versus soft is a big part of the difference
The Texture Divide
Biscuits are crisp, snappy, and dunkable in tea – when they become soggy.
Cookies are often soft, chewy, and sometimes gooey in the middle.
Where The Confusion Comes From
In American English, “cookie” serves as a catch-all term for nearly all varieties of small, sweet, baked treats.
These are often categorised separately in other English-speaking regions, such as biscuits, crackers, or cookies.
UK English kept “biscuit” as the main word
“Cookies” came later to refer to a specific style of biscuit.
What Happens When You Travel
I’ve found biscuits on Fred Olsen cruise ships, but I can’t think of any other cruise lines that have them.
I have found cookies on all other cruise lines, from American to Italian to Norwegian – cookies seem to be a very popular choice with the travelling public.
My Take
The UK system actually makes more sense to me because it’s more specific.
But I’ve got used to switching between the two terms.
To find out about some more interesting food items you might want to try when visiting the UK, read this article next:
5 Quirky Things Every Visitor Should Do in the UK (You Won’t Find These In The Guidebooks!)
What Is Confusing To Me…
Is what the Americans call biscuits…
This is a savoury, soft, and flaky quick bread, often made with buttermilk and butter, that is commonly served as a breakfast item or side dish, particularly in the Southern US.
Sometimes “biscuits” come with gravy – but the gravy is nothing like the gravy we get in the UK!
I remember being surprised when visiting America that fast food outlets sold chicken that came with biscuits – but not any biscuit I had ever come across before!
While we have scones with similar ingredients, American biscuits are generally less sweet, lighter, and fluffier.
We are very unlikely to be eating scones for breakfast; they are more of an afternoon treat.
That is what makes having the opportunity to travel so great. You learn new things and have new experiences all the time.
Have a look at the very British cruise I took with Fred. Olsen – they had a great selection of biscuits in the buffet!
Before You Go
Find out about some great places to visit in the UK If you are interested in ship history here:
The Best Places In The UK To Visit If You Are Interested In Ship History
Have a look at the world’s biggest cruise ships in comparison to buildings, cars, buses and animals here:
The World’s Biggest Cruise Ships Compared To Cars, Buildings – And Even Capybaras
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