Baked inside every cookie is a story that carries all kinds of histories.

Histories that reveal just how connected we are through culinary influences that trace back over centuries of conquest, colonization and trade.

It's believed that cookies got their start in the seventh century ACE in Persia.

Sugar had just made it to the region from the Indian subcontinent, the first region that learned how to cultivate and process sugar, and as a result, baked pastries and cakes became a big part of Persian cuisine.

Cookies were created not necessarily by mistake, but as a byproduct of the ancient process of baking.

Persian bakers couldn't set the temperature of an electric oven like we do today.

So before baking a cake, they would bake small round blobs of dough in order to test the temperature of the oven.

These early Persian pastries were likely flavored with nuts, honey, fruits and spices.

Not only were they portable, but they were also a way to preserve nutrient dense ingredients, making them perfect for traveling over long distances.

The creation of these small traveling cakes coincided with the Muslim conquest, which at the time was spreading across central Asia, Northern Africa and into southern Europe.

Not only did the expansion of Islamic influence bring art, philosophy, math and science, it also brought cookies.

By the 14th century, it was a full blown sweetness invasion as cookies had become mile markers on culinary crossroads from medieval Egypt to virtually every corner of Europe.

One of the earliest examples of Persian pastries finding their way into European cuisine is the biscotti, a travel friendly cookie that was developed in the 14th century in the Tuscan city of Prato.

The twice baked almond pastries were dry and sturdy, making them shelf stable and resistant to mold.

Because of their portability and longevity, biscotti quickly became a favorite of the Roman Legion and were a popular provision among sailors making long haul journeys across the ocean.

By the 16th century, another genre of traveler cookies became more widespread across Europe and eventually made it to the Americas.

Jumbals, as they were called, were hard, dense butter cookies that could be stored for up to a year before going stale.

This style of cookie went by many names, including biscuits, macaroons and Koekje - Dutch for small cake, which is actually where the American English word for cookie comes from.

Over time, cookies progressed from a necessary ration for travelers, to symbols of faith and fellowship.

Gingerbread cookies are a great example.

Lebkuchen, as they're called in Germany, are said to have been invented in Nuremberg around the 13th and 14th centuries.

Nuremberg was considered one of the most powerful cities in the Holy Roman Empire because it was a major stop for the spice trade as ingredients from across the Middle East and the Mediterranean made their way through Europe.

That's how ingredients such as cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and other spices made their way into Nuremberg's cuisine and into their gingerbread cookies.

Invented by Franconian monks, Nurnberger Lebkuchen are softer and more dense than what we recognize as gingerbread today.

Because the spiced molasses and honey dough was very sticky, monks would spread the dough out on unleavened communion wafers to make them easier to bake.

Though they were soft, these cookies were surprisingly shelf stable due to the preservative nature of ginger.

These long lasting cookies were mostly given to the hungry and distributed during religious holidays.

Variations of gingerbread cookies began to sprout up not just across the Kingdom of Germany, but also in France, Holland and England.

By the 16th century, gingerbread cookies, gingerbread houses and even gingerbread men had become synonymous with the holidays.

That's right, Gingerbread men have been roaming the earth for centuries.

Girl Scout cookies are a more modern form of mission driven desserts.

Just as gingerbread cookies were a way for Franconian monks to connect with the community, Girl Scout cookies have become a grassroots way to encourage young women to become more active in their communities.

The Girl Scout cookie tradition started in 1912 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where a group known as the Mistletoe Troop started selling cookies to help raise money.

By 1933, Girl Scouts in Philadelphia had their first commercial cookie sale, and a year later, contracted a commercial bakery to supply their cookies.

Since then, the annual Girl Scout cookie sale has swept the nation, and so has the organization's mission to teach young women how to be leaders, all while having fun selling cookies.

When it comes to desserts, cookies are a favorite among Americans.

In fact, around 75% of Americans eat packaged cookies.

According to polls, America's favorite cookie is the classic chocolate chip.