Could New Jersey face a cookie shortage this holiday season?

Yes, there are far more pressing issues to be concerned with this year during the holidays than a cookie shortage. Too many to list, and too difficult to prioritize depending on situation or point of view. So, let's just stick to the facts.

During the pandemic, cookie consumption rose by 25% according to Top Data, and if you look around (or in the mirror, in my case), you can see the anecdotal evidence. An astounding 32% of us eat 24 to 42 cookies a month. Ok, I'm not in that league, but wow! Luckily. New Jersey ranks a fairly low, 40th of all 50 states for the most cookie lovers. We have so many other delicious foods to temp our taste buds, so that's not surprising.

Yes, there are people who keep track of such things. Even Pepperidge Farm has warned that some of its varieties may be in short supply this holiday season, Today reports. I guess I'm pretty lucky in that I just assumed that every household made their own. My mom always did and so did our household when my kids were little

Believe it or not, the United States is not even the top cookie consumer during the pandemic. Worldwide, the increase was 36.2%, which is startling but better than turning to alcohol and drugs. So if the kids want to leave Santa a plate of cookies by the tree, I would suggest you buy them now ... or just google a simple sugar cookie recipe. Come on, people!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis's own.