A yellowhammer cookie is a type of stuffed drop cookie containing peanuts, pecans, oats, honey and peanut butter. Invented for a school baking competition, it became the official state cookie of Alabama later that year. The recipe includes locally relevant ingredients and is named after Alabama's state bird.

History

The yellowhammer cookie was invented in 2023 by elementary student Mary Claire Cook as part of a baking competition for her fourth grade class. The students were competing to create a cookie recipe that represented the state of Alabama, which Cook won. ^[1] The recipe includes ingredients associated with the agricultural history of Alabama, including oats, ^[2] peanuts, which are the state's official legume, and pecans, which are its official nut. ^[3] The class contacted State House Representative Reed Ingram who sponsored a bill to make Cook's recipe the official state cookie of Alabama. ^[4] On June 2, 2023, the bill was signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey. ^[5] Cook attended the ceremony. ^[6] The name comes from the state bird of Alabama, the yellowhammer. ^[7]

Description

Yellowhammer cookies are drop cookies, made with a dough of flour, butter, brown sugar, oats, pecans, eggs, and vanilla. After baking, two cookies are sandwiched around a peanut butter and honey filling. ^{[8] [9]}

References