And The Crown Goes To...?
A cookie party. A cookie Queen. Yes, there is a crown and there is a cape.
One of the first things I heard about when Dusty and I started dating was "The Cookie Party". I hear of lots of people going to cookie exchanges these days, but prior to Dusty telling me about the big event, I had never heard of such a thing. The whole concept of having a "Queen" with a crown and yes, even a velvet cape, started out as a big joke. But then, it turned into a competition.
After going to my first Cookie Party and seeing all the excitement, my new goal was to win the crown. During this time, we were still living in Chicago. The first 5 years of our marriage, I was unable to place an entry into the competition for various reasons. But two years ago, I baked my first 15 or so dozen cookies for the infamous party. Guess what? I won!!! I chose a peanut butter sandwich cookie with a peanut butter filling. The only drawback to this cookie was that it was a sandwich, which meant double the cookies. Whew, that's a lot of baking!
After having won, I decided winning back to back sure would be fun. Last year, I made a Red Velvet Sandwich Cookie (yes, I did double again!) filled with a cream cheese icing. I accomplished my goal and won again! Oh hey, wait a minute. I'm not trying to be cocky here - I'm just telling a story. Promise.
Seeing as how I am apparently ridiculously competitive regarding cookie competitions, I again thought, "What if I could win again? No one has ever won three year in a row. Could it be done?" I carefully weighed my options this year. I'm not a chocolate person, so that was out. I couldn't do peanut butter again - because that would be lame. The red velvet was definitely original. So, what's left? I searched. I pondered. I inquired opinions from an expert chef (My dad! Hey, he does love to cook and all!) I gave it my best effort. I stood by my ways and did another sandwich cookie. Now, all that's left to do is wait...
While purchasing my ingredients today, for a moment I thought I should just package these up and claim them as my own. Kidding, but aren't these the best cookies ever anyway?!
Seeing as how I cannot cheat, are you ready for the big ingredient of choice? I know you're simply dying with anticipation..
LEMON!
I can't give away my recipe until after the competition, but here's a few steps of the process :)
Making the Icing.
The dough.
Ready to bake.
Baking.
Cooling.
Iced.
Winner to be announced Thursday night...
And a quick story regarding the Cookie Party, mostly for Aunt Jen.
After purchasing all the ingredients for my cookies and Silas asking what all the "stuff" was for, I attempted to explain how the Cookie Party works. "Everybody brings cookies. You cannot buy the cookies, you have to make them." "Why can't you buy them, mom?" "Well, because that would be cheating." "Oh, okay, Mommy." In a ridiculously pathetic Eeyore-like voice, Silas then said, "Momma, I sure do wish I could go to a cookie party. I really do love cookies." "Well, Silas, the party is just for girls." "Where is it?" "It's at Aunt Jen's house, Si." "Mommy, how am I ever going to tell her that I want to come? I really want to go to a Cookie Party. Please, tell Aunt Jen I want to come."
So, Aunt Jen - Silas really wants to come to the Cookie Party. I'm just relaying the message :)
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