OK, really — anytime is Armenian cookie time. But…
When I think of a Thanksgiving dessert, PIE automatically comes to mind. Mention Christmas, and all I can think of is ……COOKIES!
Every year for the past 10 or so years, my dear friend, Diana Saker and her neighbors, have hosted a cookie – ornament exchange extravaganza several weeks before Christmas. The neighbors, who all live on the same block, rotate hosting the big event thus cutting down on the stress and anxiety associated with this time of year.
The party is a BLAST! It’s become a Coral Springs, Florida phenomenon.
Women of all ages attend, dressed in traditional holiday colors of red and green. Each comes with one, gloriously wrapped, ornament which is immediately placed in a designated location, and 4 dozen of their favorite Christmas cookies.
One dozen of each batch of cookies is set out for sampling, along with a lavish buffet; the other 3 dozen are placed on a special “cookie table” for mixing and matching at the end of the festivities. Every guest knows to bring a Tupperware container with a tight-fitting lid to take home the rewards of this sweet event. The host provides newcomers, and those who have simply forgotten, with a suitable container for packaging their take-home treats.
The ornament exchange is a humdinger, too. Each guest picks a random number from a bowl. No one ever wants to be #1. The higher your number, the better your chances are for taking home the most sought-after
ornament. Selecting a high number allows you to examine the ornaments that have already been chosen and unwrapped.
If you like someone else’s ornament, you have the option of “stealing” theirs, or selecting one of the remaining wrapped ones. It’s really amusing to see women snatch a coveted ornament from someone else, causing the other person great disappointment. Fear not, the disappointed person has the opportunity to select again from the available packages – or – steal from yet another guest!
NOTE: This part of the party can last a while, depending on the number in attendance, and can get down-right-dirty …. in a fun way, of course!
The cookie recipe I’m making isn’t fancy – no sprinkles or exotic ingredients. It’s a very traditional Armenian cookie that goes really well with coffee, tea or even hot cocoa. Dunking is highly recommended!
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I would make Armenian Easter cookies, since they'd do well for dunking in coffee!