On Nov. 23, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine updated mitigation efforts in Pennsylvania with cases of COVID-19 rising and scientific models projecting as many as 22,000 new cases per day in December and “more than 32,000 deaths from COVID-19 by Feb. 23, 2021” should the virus go unchecked in the state.

With an eye on holiday travel and the long shadow of the impact of the virus on the health care system, Wolf said in a media release:

“If our health care system is compromised, it isn’t only COVID-19 patients who will suffer. If we run out of hospital beds, or if hospital staff are overworked to the breaking point, care will suffer for every patient - including those who need emergency care for illnesses, accidents or chronic conditions unrelated to COVID-19.”

Protocols are updated for schools and businesses, including cleaning, social distance practices and the wearing of masks.

Telework is deemed “mandatory unless impossible.”

Sizes of gatherings, indoor and outdoor, are reduced.

In other words, Pennsylvanians, it was strongly suggested going forward from Nov. 23, should stay home for the holidays and not heed the urge to go “travelin’ down to Dixie’s sunny shore,” a practice promoted by Perry Como in the ubiquitous tune heard this time of year.

The urgency of the situation cannot be contested - no argument from me.

In the midst of these challenges and developments, perhaps we may want to look toward Dec. 4 for a moment of relief in the promise of National Cookie Day.

Unlike the specificity of National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, held Aug. 4; National Oatmeal Cookie Day, celebrated April 30; or National Homemade Cookie Day, observed Oct. 1, National Cookie Day can be marked with various forms of the treat for which the day is named.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines cookie as “a small, usually flat and crisp cake made from sweetened dough,” tracing origins of the term to Dutch, German and Norse languages.

The treat’s origins may rest in seventh-century Persia, roughly the contemporary Middle East. The sweet treats traveled into Europe via Spain and reached North American shores in the 17th century.

According to the compilers of the National Day Calendar, cookies cleared to participate in the day include bar, drop, filled, molded, no bake, pressed, refrigerator, rolled and sandwich.

In its list of the top 10 North American cookies, the website tasteatlas.com includes black and whites, oatmeal raisin and snickerdoodles. Fans of the animated film “Hoodwinked” may remember the excitement Granny Puckett’s extreme ski teammates show when she offers them fresh-baked snickerdoodles as they line up for their soon-to-be perilous race down the slopes.

A survey, albeit extremely informal with little to any regard for traditional social science survey rigor or practices, of co-workers, relatives and friends uncovered an eclectic mix of favorite cookies it is hoped will inspire in the run-up to the national celebration of cookies.

Chocolate chip cookies, homemade or made by Nabisco, placed first, as does the cookie nationwide.

A few qualifications are worth noting, however.

Several respondents, to borrow a social science term, preferred homemade versions, preferably freshly baked for one survey participant, of the beloved cookie. Another respondent preferred the cookies without nuts while another fondly recalled the treat as made by her late grandmother. Another expressed preference for a customized iteration of the chocolate chip cookie.

“I am always told I make them wrong when I bake them myself because I prefer them crunchy. Everyone always tells me they need to be more gooey and soft,” the respondent wrote.

“My favorite cookie is the family size Chewy Chips Ahoy! chocolate cookies with Reese’s peanut butter cups that Walmart delivers to my front door during this COVID-19 pandemic,” responded one colleague currently working from home.

Peanut butter blossom, described as featuring “a peanut butter base with a Hershey Kiss in the center,” was a favorite of another survey participant.

“My favorite cookie is one my mother-in-law makes called hazelnut biscotti cookies. It’s not biscotti, it’s a cookie, but the name of it is a bit confusing. They’re pure buttery goodness with nuts. It has a bit of a toffee sort of flavor,” another wrote of favorite cookie treat.

Oreos, locally made macaroons and “to-die-for” macadamia nut cookies also ranked as favorites among survey takers.

Interestingly, architectural features and structural soundness of a cookie also factor in to a choice of a worthy cookie.

One of those asked for a favorite cookie declared gingerbread cookies “that you can decorate,” the latter quality of particular emphasis, a favorite.

Another respondent emailed the following:

“PEANUT BUTTER!!! And, of course, it must have the fork-made crisscross design at the top of the cookie or it just doesn’t taste as good.”

“My son’s favorite cookie - since he was 5 years old - was a ‘Chinese Chew.’ It is a simple no-bake and fairly timesaving recipe,” wrote one respondent, continuing, “we also baked cookies with recipes from around the world.”

Several respondents shared an allegiance to roll-out cookies. For one person, nostalgia played a part because the cookies evoked childhood memories.

“Because you can make them into anything that you want, different shapes and sizes,” another roll-out cookie fan explained. “And they melt in your mouth.”

Keebler Fudge Stripes Cookies immediately came to mind for one respondent, who added, “Now they’ve got double fudge stripe - and that’s even better.”

“I think my favorite cookie is an ice box cookie recipe that my mother-in-law gave me many years ago. You make the dough and put pecans in the mixture, then roll the dough into rolls and put in the refrigerator overnight. The next day you cut the rolls into slices and bake,” replied another participant.

In the interest of full disclosure and transparency, it must be made clear two of the survey participants and I share the same DNA. My siblings responded as follows.

“I like cookies that are buttery in taste,” said one by phone. “That covers a wide range.”

One sibling texted the following: “Of course, it is an extremely difficult decision. I really do love all cookies. But thinking it over, when I have lived near various corner stores and such, I’d always get a six-pack of Archway oatmeal or Little Debbie’s sandwich cookies with the cream in the middle. (Any time, day or night, a quick snack, or if I just wanted to ‘stuff my face with sweet!’).”

This is a revelation to me, who assumed this respondent preferred chocolate chip cookies.

My favorite fantasy cookie might be Alvin Zhou’s 48-hour chocolate chip cookie, although my kitchen skills are seriously lacking. I may instead purchase a package of shortbread cookies Dec. 4. For me, there is nothing quite as seasonal as a shortbread cookie dunked into a mug of hot tea this time of year.

With luck, some of the treats mentioned will inspire an observance of National Cookie Day for you and yours.

Perhaps you will follow the example of a neighbor of mine who makes plates of cookies each year as holiday gifts. Maybe you will plan a curbside pickup at a local bakery of a dozen or two of assorted cookies to share with your family. Or perhaps you will make a batch for your barber or manicurist, a favorite teacher, your mail carrier, the Amazon Prime driver, the teen who delivers your pizza, a health care worker or to share with volunteers at a local food bank helping those in need right now.

Here is a suggestion from a survey participant.

“Around Christmas last year, my friends and I did a cookie exchange where we all baked (or bought) a couple dozen cookies and shared them with each other. It was an amazingly delightful evening (with plenty of wine and sweets). Obviously, we will not be doing this again this year, but hopefully next year will be full of friends and cookies.”

Agreed!

Happy holidays to you and yours. Be well and stay safe.

While working on this piece, I found additional wisdom from the sage philosopher quoted in the headline, Cookie Monster, who said “A friend is someone to share last cookie with.” To all who took the survey and otherwise helped with this editorial, that sentiment applies to you. Thank you.

April Peterson

editorial assistant

East Penn Press

Salisbury Press