Cookie jars are utilitarian or decorative ceramic or glass jars often found in American and Canadiankitchens. In the United Kingdom, they are known as biscuit barrels[1] or biscuit jars.[2] If they are cans made out of tinplate, they are called biscuit tins.[3] While used to store actual cookies or biscuits, they are sometimes employed to store other edible items like candy or dog treats, or non-edible items like currency (in the manner of a piggy bank).
Other uses
Sometimes the phrase "keep your hands out of the cookie jar" is a way of telling someone to stay out of other people's business, even when doing so seems lucrative.
In financial reporting, "cookie jar accounting" is the practice of increasing reserves during good years and eating them up during bad years. This process of income smoothing is totally ethical, but non-disclosure - especially to consistently reach performance targets - is illegal.
