My Sweets

December 14, 2015 | My Jottings

Yesterday my three daughters and I had our third annual cookie exchange. It’s so nice to have a cookie exchange with family members, because if your Spicy Molasses Cookies spread out too much while baking and look like hexagons instead of discs, you’re still okay. You can make Mounds Balls the size of tennis balls instead of the daintier traditional ones. You can wind plastic cling wrap over and under and over and under and over and under the paper plates you put your sweets on, and no one cares that there’s not a lovely keepsake platter for each participant and elegant velvet bows affixed to the top of the artistically designed offerings. (Well, Sara did rescue my plates and put some pretty ribbons and bows on top, and her designer’s touch made a difference.)

We went out to an early lunch first, after learning that the Japanese restaurant we had planned on didn’t open until noon. We wanted to meet at 11:00. So then began the flurry of group texts between the four of us about where we would go (Lake Avenue Cafe? Belissio’s? J.J. Astor? Duluth Grill?), and I did more than one U-turn before I finally texted everyone: “Executive decision by your mother — we’ll meet at J.J. Astor.” So we did, and we had a really nice brunchy meal, while we sat on the 14th floor of a hotel that’s shaped like a cylinder, and slowly revolved almost 360 degrees while enjoying our time together.

After our meal we headed back to my house to pick up our sweets. Sharon made Toffee Bars and Dairy Bars, the latter a long-loved recipe I got from Michael’s first wife Barb many years ago. Carolyn made Peanut Butter Blossoms and Oreo Truffles. Sara made Mounds Balls and Pretzel-Candy-Bar-Bites. I made Spicy Molasses Cookies. Before we each headed to the rest of our day, we paused to take our mother/daughter selfies.

From left to right: me, Carolyn (my middle sweet), Sharon (my oldest sweet), and Sara (my youngest sweet).

Sometimes a little silliness is just the ticket.

If you were invited to take part in a cookie exchange and you had to bring only one recipe, which one would you make?