Sara Hedstrom Pinnell brought cookies shaped like dog and cat heads! Ha!
I had not planned to write about our eighth annual cookie exchange since I wrote about the one we had last Christmas, but the cookies were just so darned beautiful, that I decided it would be nice to share.
(Click here for a report on last year’s exchange, as well as some tips we’ve learned over the years.)
Our 2010 exchange was last Sunday and, unlike last year when we held it at our home in Sequoyah Hills which had plenty of elbow room, this year we had it at our downtown condo. I worried that it might be too crowded, but it accommodated 25 women — each with six dozen cookies! — quite comfortably. A big shout-out to all who attended. Snow was swirling outside our windows and walking on the downtown sidewalks carrying all those cookies was a little precarious, but my hardy friends triumphed! These women are tough!
One piece of advice I’ve learned over the years to take is that when folks offer to help you with a party you are having — accept that offer! So my friend Susan Brown, who doesn’t cook, always offers to bartend instead of baking cookies. And Madge Cleveland this year said she and her husband, Barry, are on diets and she didn’t want to bake or eat cookies! So she offered to bring the green salad that was part of our luncheon. Thanks to both of them for those great contributions!
Madge makes salad.
Susan makes drinks.
OK. Let’s look at some of those gorgeous cookies!
These are glittering lemon sandwich cookies brought by Jennifer Holder -- and they were great!
Judy Collins Griess brought a delicious variety of biscotti.
Margie Nichols brought these delicate Grand Marnier cookies.
Gay Lyons brought jam thumbprints, below. Although they were mouth-watering, she said she’s never making them again — they took about 10 steps to make!
Jam thumbprints
Mickey Mallonee made apricot bars -- and decorated the plate in her trademark style!
Judith Foltz said she made up these cookies! They were wonderful. Hope she can repeat them!
Margaret Rodgers brought these festive thumbprints.
Sara Hedstrom Pinnell’s husband, Ben, actually MADE the molds for Sara’s cat and dog heads. I can tell they were modeled after Ben and Sara’s real dog, Chester, and two cats, Lewis and Mona. (Chester has a really big head — as reflected in the size of the cookies!)
Chester-head cookie!
Lunch was three different kinds of quiche and Madge’s salad. Dessert? Cookies, natch!
Shaun Fulco tries one of the quiche offerings.
Sheena McCall and Sara Pinnell chat over lunch.
Margaret Rodgers has been to every single cookie exchange for eight years.
We were teasing Mickey because she was wearing sandals -- and it was snowing! I think she's defending herself in this photo!
Jennifer Holder knows lunch is just a prelude to the actual event.
Dawn Ford and Sheena are plotting their strategy for attacking the cookie tables!
Phyllis Nichols and Margaret pounce!
Annette Winston, from left, Ranee Randby and Michelle Hardin, don't waste any time making their picks!
From left, Jennifer, Shaun and Teresa Scott dig in.
Margie Nichols samples one before committing!
I asked Judith Foltz and Gay Lyons why they were hanging back as everyone else rushed the cookies. Gay’s response: “Safety first!”
Judith, left, and Gay bide their time.
Wine in moderation is healthy, as Dr. Martha Buchanan of the Knox County Health Department, can attest!
Martha makes a healthy choice!
Janet Testerman, left, and Dawn fill up their tins.
Great job, Phyllis!
Annette Winston seems pleased with her haul.
Cookies left over for Alan. He loves this party!
I am still sampling, but the ones I have tried are very, very good. This may be the best year for delicious cookies ever. For awhile, I am avoiding the scales. After everyone left, the cat came out looking for cookie scraps on the floor.
Awesome cookie party! But note to self: When Janet Testerman selects a recipe for you to try, you’d better count the steps. I think she’s already looking for one with 13 Steps for me for next year. Here’s the recipe. Preheating and baking do not count as steps.
Jam Thumbprints aka Testerman’s Ten Step Cookies
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
Raspberry jam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 1: In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until just combined, and then add the vanilla.
Step 2: Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together.
Step 3: Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk.
Step 4: Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. (If you have a scale, they should each weigh 1-ounce.)
Step 6: Dip each ball into the egg wash.
Step 7: Roll each ball in coconut and place it on an ungreased baking sheet.
Step 8: Press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger.
Step 9: Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation.
Step 10: Reshape the cookie in a nice round circle around the jam.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.
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The cookies were amazing this year! Every year my son anxiously awaits the “cookie thingy party”. This was my 4th cookie exchange party so this all started for him when we was 13 years old. And now, as he is soon to be 17 years old, the excitement level has not decreased a bit!
This is a great holiday tradition and so much fun! Thanks for keeping it going!
It’s only as good as the folks who attend — and the cookies, of course! Wow, Gay, you weren’t kidding about that recipe! Shaun: you are such a good sport — you keep coming even though you don’t bake! Your cookies are always fab, though, where ever they come from! Alan: step away from the cookies!
I hate I missed it this year, looks like everyone had fun! But you’ll be glad I spared you this wonderful “crud” I’ve come down with. I can’t wait till next year, and Gay’s 13 step cookies:)
Hope you feel better Amy. But you’d better hope Gay doesn’t read your comment!
I want Sarah’s sugar cookie recipe! I didn’t pick one up. This was so much fun, even if the weather was trying to scare us away.
Hmmmmh. No mention of Alan or Rexie. Were they temporarily banished? I hope they got to eat some cookies. I have a good one with catnip icing.
I always start to really feel the Christmas spirit at this party. It has become part of our Christmas traditions. Thanks Cynthia for continuing to host it.
Alan, the sweetie, helped everybody get into the condo by manning the front door so they wouldn’t have to deal with the security system. Then he went to the office to hide out. Rexie hid under the bed until everyone left!
Happy birthday, Dawn!!
I can’t pick a favorite. I really love Judy’s biscotti. Just had one of Jennifer’s lemon sandwich cookies and one of Dawn’s pecan sandies for dessert. I love the small cookies ’cause I get to have more than one. Saving my cat and dog heads–too cute to eat!
I am craving cookies after reading about your cookie exchange!
Cynthia, how does one get an invitation to this event??? Looks like lots of fun!
Susan
Justice Lee: Me, too! But Alan has a real sweet tooth and has pretty much polished them off! Susan: If you feel like baking six dozen cookies, you’re in!
I can do that … I think! Thank you!
Hello, I found your site when I was looking in Google for a cat sheped cookie. Those ones you ate at your party look really great (Sara Hedstrom Pinnell – cookies shaped like dog and cat heads), and would like to ask you: is it possible to have the recipe and to know how you got that cat shape?
I’ll be very thankful, I’d like to give a surprise to my boyfriend for his next birthday as he loves cats!
Thanks in advance.
Sandra
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