Very Merry Cookie Party: How to Plan and Host a Christmas Cookie Exchange

251 Pages·2010·11.74 MB·English

by  Virginia Van Vynckt

VERY MERRY
COOKIE PARTY
HOW TO PLAN AND HOST A
CHRISTMAS COOKIE EXCHANGE
by barbara grunes & virginia van vynckt
photographs by france ruffenach

VERY MERRY
COOKIE PARTY

VERY MERRY
COOKIE PARTY
How to Plan and Host
a Christmas Cookie Exchange

BY BARBARA GRUNES & VIRGINIA VAN VYNCKT
PHOTOGRAPHS BY FRANCE RUFFENACH
TEXT COPYRIGHT © 2010 BY
BARBARA GRUNES AND VIRGINIA VAN VYNCKT.
PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT © 2010 BY
FRANCE RUFFENACH.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY
BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT WRITTEN
PERMISSION FROM THE PUBLISHER.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION
DATA AVAILABLE.
ISBN 978-1-4521-2385-1
DESIGNED BY SARA SCHNEIDER
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Acknowledgments and Dedications
FROM BARBARA
To my husband, Jerry Grunes, and to my daughter, Dorothy Grunes,
cookie taster extraordinaire, for their endless encouragement.
To my grandchildren, Marissa, Avi, Claire, Big Natalie, Suzie, Big
Noah, Ethan, Natalie, and Noah.
And to cherished family and friends, for their tasting and support:
Abel Friedman, our sugar consultant, and his lovely wife, Judy.
FROM VIRGINIA
To my husband, Marv, and my children, Lian and Daniel, for tasting
and offering their honest and valuable opinions on the cookie recipes,
successful and otherwise. And to my parents, Fran and John Van Vynckt,
and my brothers and sisters, Randall, Ray, Ron, Viv, and Vicki, for
enduring all those baking experiments so many years ago.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................9
PART 1: PLANNING AND HOSTING
A COOKIE EXCHANGE ..................................................................11
Cookie Exchange “Rules” .................................................................12
How to Make Your Cookies Look Their Best ...................................13
Presentation and Packaging ..............................................................20
Party Themes .....................................................................................20
Party Menus .......................................................................................21
About the Recipes .............................................................................30
PART 2: COOKIES TO BUILD A PARTY AROUND ................33
Chapter 1: Dear Santa: Dressed-Up Classics ....................................34
Chapter 2: Ginger and Spice .............................................................48
Chapter 3: For Chocoholics ...............................................................60
Chapter 4: Cookie Ornaments ...........................................................78
PART 3: COOKIES BY TECHNIQUE .........................................101
Chapter 1: Drop Cookies ..................................................................102
Chapter 2: Bars and Squares ...........................................................126
Chapter 3: Rolled and Cutout Cookies ............................................148
Chapter 4: Slice-and-Bake Cookies .................................................164
Chapter 5: Filled Cookies ................................................................180
Chapter 6: Molded and Stamped Cookies .......................................204
Chapter 7: Pressed and Piped Cookies ...........................................232
SOURCES ..........................................................................................240
INDEX ................................................................................................241
TABLE OF EQUIVALENTS ...........................................................247