The cookies seem to have originated here in the states at Glaser's Bake Shop in Manhattan which was owned by Bavarian immigrants in 1902. Sadly the bakery closed in 2018. Others say the cookies began as half moon cookies in Utica New York at Hemstrought's Bakery. Either way, these cookies became a major part Jewish and Italian American Bakeries in New York and became super popular in the 1940s-1950s. While these cookies are still New York staples, today they can be found in bakeries everywhere and even in your local grocery stores!