Here’s What New Englanders Said Are ACTUALLY Their Favorite Christmas Treats
In case you missed it, I posted an article yesterday about what New England's favorite Christmas treats are. Not according to us, but according to this website Zippia.com who claimed to have nailed every favorite Christmas treat for every single state in the country.
Zippia.com said they used google analytics and searches for December 2019 only to see what Christmas treats/desserts were the most searched for -- and I actually get that thought process. It's like when you're out somewhere and you hear a song that you want to know the artist and title of, so you Shazam it. You're not going to Shazam a song you aren't a fan of, right? Well, why would you Google a Christmas treat that you don't like or want to make?
So I get where they were coming from. That said, I just think it's way too open for flaws. So I decided to one-up Zippia.com and do something they didn't -- actually ask New Englanders. So that's what I did -- I asked you on Facebook and I asked you on my show.
As a reminder, and I'm only including New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts when I talk about New England favorites for no other reason than outside of using our station app, those are the states where you can pick up our station. But as a reminder, here is what Zippia.com said are the favorite Christmas treats for those three states:
Maine: Chocolate Truffles
New Hampshire: Gingerbread Man (so, Gingerbread Cookies)
Massachusetts: Christmas Trifle (traditionally classified as a sponge cake soaked in alcohol, which is covered with a layer of fruit, which has a layer of egg custard on top of that, which is all topped off with whipped cream)
And while I didn't break it down by state, I will say that Zippia.com wasn't entirely wrong. I mean, I don't know if I'd be as bold as saying those three treats are the straight up favorites for each of those states, but two of those three were actually mentioned. Once by two different New Englanders, but they were still brought up, so that has to account for something.
Here are some of the responses I got for favorite Christmas treats of New Englanders.
Whoopie Pies: I mean, this was a given since it's the official state treat of Maine, right? Plus, who can resist two fluffy and soft rounds of chocolate (or another flavor) cake with delicious buttercream filling and fluff in the middle?
Peanut Butter Blossoms: The ole staple -- a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey's Kiss in the middle. Fun fact: I went to kindergarten at Bradstreet School in North Andover, Massachusetts. One day as a class project, we made Peanut Butter Blossoms. And that was the morning I found out my peanut allergy was so intense that I couldn't even touch it.
Bon Bon Cookies: So you know how Bon Bons are little candies, usually chocolates, that are almost perfectly around except the bottom is flat? Picture those in cookie form, with icing on the top. Basically, bite-sized deliciousness.
Cherry Drops: I've seen these come in two forms -- one is similar to a thumbprint cookie, where it's just a round, thick cookie with a maraschino cherry imprinted into the middle, with the cookie either being cherry-flavored or chocolate-flavored. The other way I've seen it is made with dried cherries -- so think chocolate chip cookies, but instead of chocolate chips, it's dried cherries.
Christmas Crack: This is a personal favorite, and don't let the name fool you -- there's nothing bad about it (except the calories, but those don't count on holidays so you're good). Imagine a saltine coated in toffee and chocolate. That's literally it (unless you top it with something, which some people do -- I bet candy canes would be delicious on top, actually). So simple, but so delicious. My family calls it "Christmas Bark" -- because apparently we're a G-rated family or something.
Lancaster Mix: Take almond bark (so basically Christmas Crack but with almonds) and mix it with Chex, Cheerios, peanuts, and M&M's, and BOOM. Handfuls of salty and sweet!
Italian Cookies: Soft, almost spongy (but not exactly) cookies covered in frosting and sprinkles. Simple, but so addicting and so delicious.
Check out the rest of New England's favorite Christmas treats in the gallery below!