Hello NJ TSA!
I’m Cassidy Brennan, your NJ State Sergeant-At-Arms. I’m excited to continue the officer blog posts with a new year’s entry.
As we have concluded the holiday season and are preparing for whatever 2023 may bring, we’re all probably eating the last of our holiday sweet treats that we shared with loved ones. I’m still finishing up my gluten-free gingerbread cake that I made for Christmas! Holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and more spark discussion about the popularity of types of treats across the country, and Google is equipped with the data to reveal interesting facts.
According to Google Trend Data, New Jersey’s most popular Christmas cookies are…Italian Christmas cookies! This is a result of New Jersey’s high Italian population. As an Italian myself, I can say that we definitely know what we’re doing in the kitchen! As a post-holiday gift for all of you, I’ll share some information about NJ’s most popular Christmas cookie and my family’s favorite.
The Italian cookies referred to in Google’s data are soft and cake-like in texture, just melting in your mouth. The texture is coupled with a rich almond taste. The sweetness of the glaze and crunch of the colorful sprinkles come together to make the cookie that many New Jersey residents enjoy so much. They’re simple to bake and great to share!
My family doesn’t go a single holiday season without at least one hundred of our favorite Italian cookies: pizzelles. My family has a recipe that gets passed down generationally, making them not only yummy, but special to us. Pizzelles are a thin, crisp cookie that resemble a skinny waffle. They are flavored with vanilla, anise, and lemon and are topped with powdered sugar. They require a special pizzelle press, similar to a waffle iron, to shape them and imprint intricate designs into them. They pair great with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and would be beautiful additions to your holiday dessert layout.
Make trying new cookies a New Year’s Resolution of yours! It’s important to make treats that make you happy and that can be shared with friends and family, especially during the holiday season and winter months. Baking is also the most delicious way to practice science, so it is definitely a TSA-endorsed activity. Go find recipes that you can try in your free time; maybe you’ll discover new favorites! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and wish you all the best for the new year.
Sincerely,
Cassidy Brennan
2022-2023 New Jersey TSA Sergeant-At-Arms