Holidays & Occasions Christmas This Is The Most Googled Christmas Recipe In The South The results are in—what's your guess? By Melissa Locker Melissa Locker Melissa Locker writes about food, drinks, culture, gardening, and the joys of Waffle House Southern Living's editorial guidelines and Marissa Wu Marissa Wu Marissa Wu is an Editorial Fellow and Southern transplant by way of San Francisco, Boston, and Paris, France. She writes about anything and everything as it pertains to the South, but mostly home, food, and the occasional garden stories. Recipe reviews are a particular pleasure, as well as discovering the latest home trends.When not editing and producing articles or updating the homepage, she's trying new Southern Living recipes, jolting along in her manual transmission car, Fitz; hammering out a manuscript on her 1930s Royal Aristocrat typewriter, Georgie; and making film photographs with her Rolleiflex, Cecil.Marissa graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and a minor in French Studies. She still can't follow a football conversation but hopes her cheese straws make up for it. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 24, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Ryan Benyi Photography / Getty Images When the holiday season is in full swing, that means Christmas parties, holiday pageants, school recitals, and annual cookie swaps—all festivities that require a bit of baking. If you've exhausted the options in your family's recipe box, you may be running to the computer (or phone or tablet) for inspiration. You're not alone. People across the South turn to their favorite kitchen tool—Google—in search of new and creative Christmas recipes each year. Here are the results of some of the most searched-for baking items from 2021. Christmas Cookies Are The Most-Searched—Again Just like in 2020, Christmas cookies dominated the Google search, but as traditional gingerbread and sugar cookies previously topped the list, in 2021, the year's queries were a little more eclectic. A closer look at the Google Christmas cookie map (if only all navigation were so tasty!) reveals the sugar-filled variety of cookie interests. Searches range from gluten-free cookies to inventive cookie-inspired bakes, like cookie cake and cookie fudge recipes. Here were the most-searched Christmas cookie variations in the South: Christmas cookie ice creamChristmas cookie cakeChristmas cookie fudgeChristmas cookie dipOoey-gooey Christmas cookiesChristmas sugar cookiesHershey Kiss Christmas cookies Google Trends-Christmas Cookie Map. Courtesy of Google Trends Who's searching for those ooey-gooey Christmas cookies, you ask? Virginia stands alone out of all 50 states with the highest interest score of 100. Floridians love their Hershey Kiss cookies, and those from Missouri are looking for a way to get their cookie fix on the appetizer table through the wonders of cookie dip. Additional Top Google Searches Pie Tops 2021 Google Searches Though cookies clearly dominate Christmas searches, pies still stand their ground. Beloved Southern desserts like grasshopper pie and chocolate pecan pie are rising among pie searches. While Southerners in every city love a slice, towns like Hendersonville, Chattanooga, Asheville, Savannah, and Little Rock had the most avid pie searchers in 2021. Trending Hot Toddies The hot toddy is right up there with the good old-fashioned hot chocolate, eggnog, and mulled wine you'll find at raucous family get-togethers (Clark Griswold-style, of course). The four beverages were the highest searched, with searches for "hottie tottie tea," "caramel apple hot toddy," and "classic hot toddy recipe" rising among the queries for those on the hunt for a hot toddy. Our Favorite Recipes Ready to roll up your sleeves? Here are some of our favorite recipes to try this next holiday baking season. 01 of 03 Hot Toddy Micah A. Leal Recipe: Hot Toddy The hot toddy, hailed for curing everything from a sore throat to warming you after a walk through a winter storm, is a classic drink to try this holiday season. Start with black tea and add the comforting flavors of fresh lemon, honey, and bourbon to this beverage. This cocktail is great to have on hand throughout the winter and holidays for family and friends. 02 of 03 Double-Chocolate Pecan Pie Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Double-Chocolate Pecan Pie Elevate your traditional pecan pie recipe with this dark chocolate crust. This pie crust, made with cocoa powder, adds the ideal amount of sweetness on top of the nutty pecan filling. The extra chocolate drizzle on top is the icing on the cake. 03 of 03 Brown Sugar Cookie Stars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Brown Sugar Cookie Stars Add brown sugar to provide a unique twist to a classic sugar cookie. Use all your favorite cookie cutters to make festive holiday shapes and top each with sugary icing. Check out more of our Easiest Christmas Cookie Recipes. 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