Cookie vs. Cracker: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on September 27, 2023
A cookie is a sweet baked treat, often containing additions like chocolate or nuts, while a cracker is a thin, savory or unsweetened baked good, typically crisp.
Key Differences
A cookie and a cracker, both prevalent in the world of baked goods, differ in several key aspects. Cookies generally lean towards the sweet spectrum, making them a popular choice for desserts or snacks. Crackers, conversely, are more neutral or savory, making them an excellent accompaniment for cheese, spreads, or dips.
While cookies often boast a chewy or soft texture – think of a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie – crackers are designed to be crisp and can sometimes even be flaky. This inherent crispness in crackers arises from their low moisture content, contrasting the moist richness of many cookies.
Ingredients play a pivotal role in distinguishing cookies from crackers. Cookies often contain higher amounts of sugar, fats, and flavorful add-ins like chocolate, nuts, or dried fruits. Crackers, on the other hand, may contain fewer fats and sugars, and instead might feature salt, seeds, or herbs on their surface for a touch of flavor.
Another interesting divergence is cultural interpretation. In some regions like the UK, a "cookie" refers specifically to a type of biscuit with inclusions, while most other biscuits align more closely with the American definition of "cracker." Nevertheless, regardless of the region, the distinction in flavor profile and texture between these two baked items remains evident.
Comparison Chart
Flavor Profile
Sweet or rich.
Neutral or savory.
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Texture
Can be soft, chewy, or crisp.
Predominantly crisp or flaky.
Common Ingredients
Sugar, butter, chocolate, nuts.
Flour, water, salt, sometimes seeds or herbs.
Typical Use
Dessert or snack.
Accompaniment for other foods.
Cultural Interpretation
Often a sweet treat with inclusions.
More aligned with "biscuits" in some regions.
Cookie and Cracker Definitions
Cookie
A person, often used affectionately.
She's one smart cookie.
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Cracker
A term sometimes used to describe a white person in a derogatory manner.
It's not appropriate to use racial slurs like cracker.
Cookie
Something shaped or cut like a cookie.
The artist created clay cookies before firing them.
Cracker
A device for cracking nuts
. He used a cracker to open the walnut.
Cookie
A small sweet baked good.
She baked chocolate chip cookies for the party.
Cracker
An excellent thing or event.
The party last night was a cracker!
Cookie
A piece of data sent from a website.
The website uses cookies to remember your preferences.
Cracker
A thin crisp wafer or biscuit, usually made of unsweetened dough.
Cookie
A perforated material for casting shadows.
He used a cookie to create a dappled light effect on set.
Cracker
A firecracker.
Cookie
A small, usually flat and crisp cake made from sweetened dough.
Cracker
A small cardboard cylinder covered with decorative paper that holds candy or a party favor and pops when a paper strip is pulled at one or both ends and torn.
Cookie
(Slang) A person, usually of a specified kind
A lawyer who was a tough cookie.
Cracker
The apparatus used in the cracking of petroleum.
Cookie
(Computers) A collection of information, usually including a username and the current date and time, stored on the local computer of a person using the World Wide Web, used chiefly by websites to identify users who have previously registered or visited the site.
Cracker
One who gains unauthorized access to a computer or computer network, usually for a malicious purpose such as to steal information or damage programs. See Usage Note at hacker.
Cookie
(North America) A small, flat, baked good which is either crisp or soft but firm.
Cracker
(Offensive) Used as a disparaging term for a white person, especially one who is poor and from the southeast United States.
Cookie
A sweet baked good (as in the previous sense) usually having chocolate chips, fruit, nuts, etc. baked into it.
Cracker
A dry, thin, crispy baked bread (usually salty or savoury, but sometimes sweet, as in the case of graham crackers and animal crackers).
Cookie
(Scotland) A bun.
Cracker
A short piece of twisted string tied to the end of a whip that creates the distinctive sound when the whip is thrown or cracked.
Cookie
An HTTP cookie.
Cracker
A firecracker.
Cookie
(computing) A magic cookie.
Cracker
A person or thing that cracks, or that cracks a thing (e.g. whip cracker; nutcracker).
Cookie
An attractive young woman.
Cracker
The final section of certain whips, which is made of a short, thin piece of unravelled rope and produces a cracking sound.
Cookie
The female genitalia.
Cracker
A Christmas cracker.
Cookie
A piece of crack cocaine, larger than a rock, and often in the shape of a cookie.
Cracker
Refinery equipment used to pyrolyse organic feedstocks. If catalyst is used to aid pyrolysis it is informally called a cat-cracker
Cookie
One's eaten food (e.g. lunch, etc.), especially one's stomach contents.
I lost my cookies after that roller coaster ride.
I feel sick, like I'm about to toss my cookies.
Cracker
A fine, great thing or person (crackerjack).
She's an absolute cracker!
The show was a cracker!
A cracker of a day.
Cookie
(informal) fortune cookie
Cracker
An ambitious or hard-working person (i.e. someone who arises at the 'crack' of dawn).
Cookie
Affectionate name for a cook.
Cracker
(computing) One who cracks (i.e. overcomes) computer software or security restrictions.
Script kiddie
Cookie
(slang) A cucoloris.
Cracker
(obsolete) A noisy boaster; a swaggering fellow.
Cookie
To send a cookie to (a user, computer, etc.).
Cracker
An impoverished white person from the southeastern United States, originally associated with Georgia and parts of Florida; (by extension) any white person.
Cookie
Any of various small flat sweet cakes (`biscuit' is the British term)
Cracker
A police officer.
Cookie
The cook on a ranch or at a camp
Cracker
A northern pintail, species of dabbling duck.
Cookie
A short line of text that a web site puts on your computer's hard drive when you access the web site
Cracker
(obsolete) A pair of fluted rolls for grinding caoutchouc.
Cracker
One who, or that which, cracks.
Cracker
A noisy boaster; a swaggering fellow.
What cracker is this same that deafs our ears?
Cracker
A small firework, consisting of a little powder inclosed in a thick paper cylinder with a fuse, and exploding with a sharp noise; - usually called firecracker.
Cracker
A thin, dry biscuit, often hard or crisp; as, a Boston cracker; a Graham cracker; a soda cracker; an oyster cracker.
Cracker
A nickname to designate a poor white in some parts of the Southern United States.
Cracker
The pintail duck.
Cracker
A pair of fluted rolls for grinding caoutchouc.
Cracker
A thin crisp wafer made or flour and water with or without leavening and shortening; unsweetened or semisweet
Cracker
A poor white person in the southern United States
Cracker
A programmer who `cracks' (gains unauthorized access to) computers, typically to do malicious things;
Crackers are often mistakenly called hackers
Cracker
Firework consisting of a small explosive charge and fuse in a heavy paper casing
Cracker
A party favor consisting of a paper roll (usually containing candy or a small favor) that pops when pulled at both ends
Cracker
A thin, crisp baked bread product.
She spread cheese on a cracker.
Cracker
A person who breaks into computer systems.
The company hired a cracker to test their cybersecurity.
FAQs
Are cookies typically softer than crackers?
Often, but there are also many crispy cookie varieties.
Do all crackers have salt on top?
No, but many have salt or other seasonings for flavor.
Can a cookie be as thin as a cracker?
Yes, there are thin cookie varieties like wafer cookies.
Are "biscuits" the same as crackers in the UK?
Not exactly; "biscuits" in the UK are more akin to American cookies.
Why do some websites ask about "cookies"?
They refer to web cookies, data pieces stored on your browser.
Can crackers be eaten with sweet toppings?
Yes, some crackers pair well with sweet toppings like jam.
Are cookies always sweet?
Mostly, but there are savory cookie varieties.
Are graham crackers a type of cookie?
They're a cracker, but sweet, blurring the line between cookies and crackers.
Can cookies be savory?
Rarely, but there are exceptions like cheese cookies.
Do cookies always have fillings or additions?
No, some cookies are simple without any add-ins.
Do cookies have more sugar than crackers?
Typically, yes. Cookies usually contain more sugar and fat.
Is it common to eat crackers with soup?
Yes, many people enjoy crackers as a crunchy side with soup.
What's a "cookie cutter"?
A tool to cut cookie dough into shapes before baking.
Can you make crackers at home?
Absolutely, many recipes allow for homemade crackers.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
