While many states have an official bird, flag, and even an animal, few have an official state cookie. However, only two states in the union have claimed an official cookie. They are New Mexico and Massachusetts. And these are only recent developments. Discover the truly fascinating history behind these two state cookies and you'll begin to wonder why more states haven't petitioned for their own state goodies.
It was only recently, in 1989, that New Mexico took on the Bizcochito as its official state cookie. Pronounced bihs-ko-hee-tow, this cookie is a mlange of spices and tradition. As one food writer describes it, it is pure heaven. Miguel Hambriento, author of the popular The Foods of Old Mesilla, described them as "heaven's own little cakes blended delicately of sugar and spice, flour and wine and other secret ingredients, shaped by the swift fingers of the linda seora into small diamonds and baked until they are the delicate brown of the maiden's cheek kissed by the New Mexico sun." Can't you smell them baking right now?
A debate raged on in the House of Representatives in New Mexico when it came time to adopt the state cookie. Factions split off to plead their side as different parts of the state spelled the name of the cookie differently. One used an 's' and one used a 'z' in the spelling of bizcochito. Should it go into the history books as biscochito or bizcochito? In the end, the Senate decided to adopt it with the 'z' officially.
Apparently the bizcochito is a fairly easy cookie to make and is rich with tradition and lore.
The other state to adopt an official cookie is Massachusetts. In1997, this state took on the Toll House chocolate chip cookie as its own. The cookie gets its name from the inn where it was first baked. In 1930 Ruth Wakefield purchased an old toll house in Whitman, MA. It had been used in the centuries before to collect tolls and was a place a tired traveler could stop and get a meal. When Ruth began baking for her modern day guests, her desserts were quickly the celebration of all New England. One day she ran out of nuts while baking and cut up a Nestle semi-sweet chocolate bar and mixed it into the batter instead. From there, the Toll House cookie was born. Wakefield eventually sold her recipe to Nestle where they continue to this day to print her recipe on packages of semi-sweet morsels. The catch? Ruth asked for a lifetime supply of the semi-sweet chocolate for the rest of her life. Not a bad deal. The company went from marketing just the semi-sweet bar to semi-sweet morsels so their customers would have an easier time baking Wakefield's recipe. The next time you're in a grocery store, grab a bag of Nestle semi-sweet morsels and you'll see Wakefield's recipe for yourself.
If your state doesn't have an official cookie perhaps it's time to think about approaching your state representatives. That's how the other cookies got on the books. Is there a recipe your town is famous for? Whether it's the whoopee pie or a classic shortbread, each region has its own specialties. Maybe you're known to send cookies home with friends because they are so delicious. Why not concoct your own recipe? You could be the next Ruth Wakefield.
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