Is America’s Favorite Holiday Cookie Even a Cookie?
Google’s 2025 search trends reveal what to expect at your holiday cookie swap.
porosolka/Getty
Everyone has their favorite holiday cookie, from sugar cookie shapes meticulously decorated with royal icing to traditional buttery shortbread and warmly spiced ginger and molasses cookies. But according to Google’s 2025 search data over the past few weeks, Americans are more interested in a sweet, bite-sized treat that isn’t a cookie at all: Peanut butter balls.
That’s according to trending searches (those with the highest spikes) from mid-November to mid-December.
What are peanut butter balls?
Peanut butter balls aren’t technically a cookie, though, as they’re generally an unbaked morsel of peanut butter mixed with powdered sugar and often dipped in chocolate. They’re also a popular, poppable treat served at holiday parties and Thanksgiving get-togethers, which might explain their appeal even before hitting December. We get it: They’re simple, sweet, salty and satisfying. What more could you want? Well, you might want the crispy or chewy texture of an actual cookie.
What are other popular holiday cookies this year?
Even when our search trends dip into official cookie recipe territory, peanut butter flavor reigns supreme. The next most-trending search was for peanut butter blossoms, the thumbprint-style cookie that usually has a chocolate kiss plopped in the middle after baking.
Blossoms are followed by spritz cookies — those perfectly shaped little shortbread-esque treats that come from squeezing soft dough through the patterned insert of a cookie press. They’re particularly popular for cookie swaps as they can be batched out quickly and decorated in a pinch with sprinkles, colored sugar or food dye, or even just left plain.
Where are these cookies most popular?
Image Courtesy of Google
Regionally, peanut butter balls tended to top searches in Southern and Midwestern states (with a few outliers like Maine and Vermont), while peanut butter blossoms and spritz cookies trended more broadly across the country.
For fans of classic sugar cookies, Google also offered up some interesting insights on shape preference. Across the U.S., the most-searched cookie cutter shape varied, with “star” dominating the coastal states. “Christmas tree” and “ornament” had equal showings across the rest of the country. “Snowflake” was also popular in snowy states like Alaska and Washington and those with a bit less snow like Texas and Hawai‘i. However, two states — Indiana and Maryland — bent toward a more unique shape: the candy cane.
Image Courtesy of Google
Are there any other popular holiday treats this year?
Don’t fret — your upcoming holiday party spreads won’t all be filled with peanut butter balls. Other interesting standout searches this year included “yule cookies,” “hot cocoa cookies” and “charcuterie gingerbread house,” which ditches the cookie-building materials in favor of meats and cheeses. And, of course, with all those snacks you’ll need something equally festive to drink, which is probably why poinsettia cocktails were trending on top, too.
12 Delicious Days of Holiday Cookies 14 Photos
Bring on the holiday cheer with a roundup of our most-festive treats. We've got a batch of brand-new recipes, created for 2025 — to make this year's cookie plate your merriest one yet!
Related Content:
