Biscuits and Cookies

[eash]

What are the differences between biscuits and cookies? They are more or less the same in taste so why named differently?

[Dkeyse]

There is no difference, it's just that cookies is an American expression, and we call them biscuits!

[Carol Anne]

And Americans call scones biscuits...

[lilacben]

There is a great difference as cookies should be chewy on the inside. And biscuits are hard all through. Cookies are much nicer.

[don1]

American biscuits are served as an accompniament to savoury dishes like chicken they are not what we would call custard creams or jaffa cakes--- different thing, although I don't doubt that americans also have them as a sweeter dish with jam on for example.

[Clanad]

...And here's a recipe...

Scratch Biscuits

Ingredients:

4 cups self-rising flour*
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
1-2/3 cups buttermilk
Pinch salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Combine all ingredients and roll out the dough until about 1/2-inch thick. Do not overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough.

Cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and delicious.

Serve with real butter or Red Eye gravy (that's another story)...
(A two or three inch diameter drinking glass works well as a biscuit cutter)

[beerbelly]

I agree with Dkeyse , same product , different name !

[Donquixote]

They are exactly the same thing... like don1 says, Americans use biscuit as a term for something eaten with savoury dishes (especially fried chicken and gravy). Biscuit, like the Italian biscotti, literally means 'twice cooked'...so biscuits in the purest sense do mean a hard biscuit like the biscotti eaten with coffee.