dessert – Topical Fruit

The Most Popular Things to Eat After You’ve Been Dumped

Breakups hurt… but ice cream helps. Especially in Rhode Island.

If your New Year’s resolution involved giving up chocolate, carbs, or joy in general, here is a heads-up: a breakup will absolutely wreck that plan. When hearts get broken, people are not exactly reaching for a garden salad and calling it self-care.

The dating and relationship site LoveLifeAcademy.com dug into search data to figure out what Americans crave most after a breakup, and the results are about as comforting, indulgent, and carb-heavy as you would expect. (Because sadness burns a lot of emotional calories!)

The idea is simple. When relationships fall apart, we treat ourselves. And judging by the data, we treat ourselves with burgers, cheese, chocolate, and just about anything that pairs well with sweatpants and bad decisions.

Here is how breakup food cravings shake out across the map.

In South Dakota, burgers are the number one “breakup food.” Cake dominates in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia, while candy takes the crown in Hawaii and Kentucky. In colder states like Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming, chicken noodle soup is the breakup MVP, which feels equal parts sad and wholesome.

Chocolate is Pennsylvania’s go-to emotional support food, while Iowa and Missouri turn straight to cookie dough. Utah and Washington want cookies, Maryland through D.C. opt for cupcakes, and Oklahoma and Arkansas are apparently pounding donuts through the pain.

Grilled cheese reigns supreme in Midwestern states like Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. (Or “toasted cheese” as my Midwestern parents called it.) Mac and cheese takes over in Maine and New Hampshire, while pizza is the breakup food of choice in Connecticut and Massachusetts, which feels aggressively on brand.

Then there are the standouts. Nevada goes all-in on french fries. Delaware wants french toast. North Dakota and Vermont reach for garlic bread, which honestly might be the most emotionally honest choice on the list.

Ice cream only officially tops the list in Rhode Island, but let’s be real, it is probably sneaking into everyone else’s searches too. Milkshakes dominate across much of the Southeast, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, proving that nothing soothes heartbreak quite like dairy-based denial.

And finally, tacos take the top spot in Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas. Congratulations to those states for clearly understanding that tacos are always the antidote, even when love fails.

Breakups are rough, and Americans cope by eating their feelings, one comforting bite at a time. If that means abandoning resolutions temporarily, so be it. Healing takes time, and sometimes it takes garlic bread.

The King of Chocolate Covered Foods Is Bacon

Did you know there is a map breaking down every state’s favorite thing to dip in chocolate? Most of the picks are exactly what you would expect. A few are questionable. And one of them absolutely should have stayed a secret.

Let’s start with the big headline:

Across the country, the most popular thing to cover in chocolate is bacon. Yes, bacon. Somewhere, a cardiologist just sighed very deeply.

Chocolate covered bacon takes the top spot overall, thanks largely to Middle America really leaning into the sweet and salty chaos. Bacon is the number one choice in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. That is a lot of states agreeing that pork belongs in dessert.

Bananas come in as another big favorite. They are the most popular chocolate covered item in Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, and Virginia. Respectable. Classic. Nobody is mad at chocolate bananas.

Chocolate covered nuts also had a strong showing, which feels very on brand. Almonds are number one in Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Pecans take the top spot in Arkansas, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Peanuts win in South Dakota, while macadamia nuts rule in Hawaii. These states are all nuts, literally.

Strawberries, the romantic overachiever of chocolate foods, are the favorite in Alaska, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wyoming. Meanwhile, cherries win in Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and West Virginia. This feels like something you would order off a menu without questioning it.

Then things start to get weird.

California prefers chocolate covered blueberries. Pennsylvania goes with apples. New Jersey chooses pineapples, which feels aggressively tropical for that state. Kentucky likes chocolate covered grapes, while Illinois and Washington, D.C. prefer raisins, which are just grapes that gave up.

Ohio chooses chocolate covered pickles, which raises several follow-up questions no one wants answered. Florida goes with popcorn. Delaware picks pretzels. North Dakota prefers potato chips. Idaho and Kansas opt for coffee beans, which feels like a cry for caffeine help.

And then there is North Carolina.

North Carolina’s favorite chocolate covered item is crickets. Actual insects. Covered in chocolate. Somebody had to say it, and unfortunately, somebody did.

Pumpkin Pie on Thanksgiving? Maybe Not for Long

Thanksgiving menus are usually locked in tighter than Grandma’s grip on the gravy boat. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, repeat. The only variations tend to happen when your health-nut cousin swaps butter for… whatever they use. But according to a new poll, the real action this year is happening at the dessert table.

Pumpkin pie is still #1

More than 7,000 Americans were asked which pie they want most on Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie still sits on the throne at 30%, followed by apple at 20%, pecan at 15%, and sweet potato at 9%. Basically, all the classics you expect right after you swear you cannot eat another bite and then immediately eat another bite.

But older Americans are keeping it at the top

Here’s where things get interesting. Pumpkin and pecan pies are basically being carried by Boomers and Gen X. Millennials and Gen Z are leaning hard toward apple and, shockingly, chocolate pie. Yes, chocolate. That means we might be only a generation or two away from pumpkin pie going the way of DVDs and landlines.

And if you think the pumpkin pie crisis stops there, buckle up. 10% of Gen Z says they do not want any pie on Thanksgiving. None. Zero. This is compared to just 4% of Boomers, who are spiritually powered by pie and view pumpkin spice as a survival tool.

What each state is googling

Meanwhile, Google Trends dropped a map of which pies each state is searching for the most, and the results are a beautiful, chaotic dessert map. Pumpkin pie is number one in big states like California and New York, plus places like North Dakota and New Mexico. Apple dominates the Northeast and large parts of the Midwest, which feels very on brand for people who treat autumn like a personality.

Shoofly pie, tamale pie, and Frito chili pie

And then, there are the curveballs. Pennsylvania picked shoofly pie, Oregon wants tamale pie, and Kansas is the only state whose top choice is Frito chili pie. Which, to be fair, does sound delicious, but calling it a “pie” feels like someone is bending the rules just to justify eating it for dessert.

So this Thanksgiving, if the pumpkin pie is suddenly replaced by a chocolate silk monstrosity sprinkled with crushed Oreos, just know this is not a mistake. It is a generational shift.

The Latest Girl Scout Cookie: Meet the Exploremores

The Girl Scouts are back in the kitchen… and no, it’s not gender roles thing, it’s a new cookie!

Their newest concoction is called the Exploremores, and they’re basically a Rocky Road cookie in uniform.

Here’s the breakdown:

Chocolate cookies ✅
Creamy filling ✅
Flavors of chocolate, marshmallow, and toasted almond crème ✅✅✅

The organization says the cookies are meant to “reflect the spirit of exploration at the heart of every Girl Scout.” Which sounds inspiring… though let’s be honest, some Girl Scouts are just exploring how many hours they can spend on Roblox.

The Exploremores officially roll out in January when cookie season starts, joining the classics (Thin Mints, Tagalongs, Samoas, etc.) and newer recruits like Adventurefuls, Lemon-Ups, Toffee-tastics, and Caramel Chocolate Chip.

Noticeably absent? Remember Raspberry Rallys… which were kinda like Thin Mints with a raspberry twist? They seemed to be a hit a couple years ago, but apparently they were a one-off thing.

And don’t bother asking for S’mores or Toast-Yays either. Those were retired earlier this year, so it’s goodbye to cookies shaped like French toast.

So, Girl Scout Cookie Season 2026: Now with added marshmallow crème.

The Average Person Eats 21 Cookies a Month, and Chocolate Chip Is Our Favorite

This past Monday was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day.

And a cookie-focused poll found they’re still our favorite type of cookie.

Our five favorites are chocolate chip, peanut butter cookies, double chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and shortbread. So, no love for that old clamshell package of frosted sugar cookies on the clearance shelf at the grocery store?

Here are a few more quick cookie stats:

1. The average American eats 21 cookies a month. One in four admit they eat more than that.

2. 41% of us think we’ve had enough of them in our life to call ourselves a “cookie expert.” The average person thinks you need to eat at least 319 cookies before you can say that. At 21 cookies a month, that would only take a little over a year.

3. According to the poll, the perfect chocolate chip cookie is soft and chewy… made with brown sugar… and just came out of the oven.

4. 61% say a really good cookie can turn your whole day around.

So next time you’re halfway through a sleeve of cookies and wondering if you’re being a little extra… just remember, you might actually be working toward a professional title. Keep going, Chef.