Breaking Down ‘Christmas Cookies’

The Christmas Tree is up, outside lights looks amazing, and stockings hung with care by the fire place!  So what’s next? The holiday baking.

This is the time of year that many families spend hours in the kitchen baking their favorite holiday treats. Historians say making Christmas Cookies actually goes back to 10,000 years ago when the Neolithic farmers used to bake food with grain, water paste on hot stones and the cookies are believed to be the descendants of this food.

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Whether you baking for family or to giving the cookies away as gifts, these treats are something almost everyone loves.

According to ‘Readers Digest’, each state has their number one Christmas Cookie.

Alabama: Grandma’s Old-fashioned Tea Cakes
Alaska: Iced Pumpkin Cookies
Arizona: Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Cookies
Arkansas: Easy Lemon Cookies
California: Persimmon Cookies
Colorado: Ultimate High-Altitude Chocolate-Chip Cookies
Connecticut: Italian Cookies
Delaware: Pizzelles III (Italian wafer cookies)
District of Columbia: Rugelach 2
Florida: Mexican Wedding Cookies
Georgia: Fruitcake Cookies
Hawaii: Melt-in-Your-Mouth Shortbread
Idaho: Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Cookies III
Illinois: Cream Cheese Kolacky (small filled pastry)
Indiana: No-Bake Cookies
Iowa: Peanut Clusters
Kansas: Peanut Clusters
Kentucky: Kentucky Bourbon Balls
Louisiana: Yummy Pecan Pralines
Maine: Cranberry and Orange Cookies
Maryland: Chewy Peanut-Butter Chocolate-Chip Cookies
Massachusetts: Italian Anisette Cookies
Michigan: Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti
Minnesota: Spritz Cookies IV
Mississippi: Russian Tea Cakes
Missouri: Gooey Butter Cookies
Montana: Marbled Almond Roca (cookie bars)
Nebraska: Cherry Mash Bars
Nevada: Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Cookies III
New Hampshire: Molasses Cookies
New Jersey: Pignoli Cookies
New Mexico: Biscochitos I
New York: Rainbow Cookies
North Carolina: Easy and Fun Peanut-Butter Balls
North Dakota: Rosettes
Ohio: Buckeye Cookies III (Peanut Butter and Chocolate Balls)
Oklahoma: Cowboy Cookie Mix in a Jar
Oregon: Marbled Almond Roca
Pennsylvania: Pizzelles III
Rhode Island: Prune-and-Raisin-Filled Cookies
South Carolina: Pecan Chewies
South Dakota: Seven-Layer Bars
Tennessee: Peanut Blossoms
Texas: Mexican Wedding Cookies
Utah: Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Cookies
Vermont: Ultimate Maple Snickerdoodles
Virginia: Saltine Toffee Cookies
Washington: Marbled Almond Roca
West Virginia: Pecan Sandies
Wisconsin: Chocolate Toffee Crunchies
Wyoming: Candy Cane Cookies

By:  Dianah Gibson