America's Favorite Holiday Cookie Isn't Sugar Or Snickerdoodle, According To Target's New Data

As you pull another tray of freshly-baked cookies out of the oven or start packing up holiday cookie boxes for friends and family, you might think fondly of how each cookie recipe was chosen because it means something special to the people who will eat them. While each family has its own special collection of holiday cookie recipes that have been passed down through the years, each state also has its own favorite holiday cookie — and the results may surprise you. While you might expect the beloved snickerdoodle to be the favorite cookie of the South, or the classic iced sugar cookie to be the country's overall favorite holiday cookie, the actual data says otherwise.

Target analyzed cookie sales across the country between November 1 and December 6, 2025, to put to rest the debate surrounding the country's favorite holiday cookie. A clear victor emerged, with 38 states purchasing record numbers of gingerbread cookies, including every state in the Southern United States. After crunching the numbers, Target confirmed that gingerbread sales accounted for a whopping 76% of the country's overall cookie purchases at stores. It's possible that they are the country's favorite holiday cookies because there are so many different ways to personalize gingerbread cookies to your unique tastes. We're guessing the people who bought them were eager to use them to make gingerbread ice cream sandwiches, crumble them up to create a gingerbread crust for a holiday pie, or enjoy them with a mug of coffee or cup of hot cocoa.

Target's review of holiday cookie sales data revealed a few other surprises. Holiday sugar cookies were the second-most popular cookie sold at stores across the country, with eight states claiming that sweet honor. Target reports that Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming showed a clear preference for buttery sugar cookies with festive holiday sprinkles. In addition to selling Pillsbury's simple, stress-free sugar cookie dough, Target also carries sugar cookie mixes and boxes of pre-made, frosted, and sprinkle-adorned sugar cookies in cute holiday shapes. It even sells cookie decorating kits that include baked sugar cookies in festive shapes, along with all of the icing and sprinkles needed to decorate them.

Target's data also revealed potentially the biggest cookie shakeup of the holiday season: Four states opted for shortbread cookies above all others. According to Target's data, Kansas, Maine, Montana, and New Jersey residents love high-quality shortbread cookies. Target offers a wide range of ready-to-gift shortbread cookie options, from boxes of beloved Walker's Shortbread in festive shapes and luxury holiday tins of Marks & Spencer Scottish Shortbread, to the popular and affordable favorite Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookies. So next year, as you compile a list of holiday cookie recipes your family will love, don't forget to include some gingerbread, sugar, and shortbread cookies.