Patricia Talorico|The News Journal
There’s an unwritten rule of holiday baking that you have to do it all yourself.
That means dragging out heavy bags of flour and sugar and stocking up on the essentials: eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, chocolate chips and nuts.
Don’t forget to make sure you have plenty of sticks of unsalted butter, colored sugars and decorating icing. Did you remember to hunt down the cookie cutters that haven’t been used for at least a year as well as the tattered recipe for Aunt Edna’s famous shortbread?
Is the brown sugar in the pantry still OK or has it become hard enough to be legally defined as a weapon?
Oh, and forget about fitting in time for holiday shopping. You’ll need to put aside at least an entire afternoon for a marathon session of playing pastry chef.
Sounds like fun, huh?
Of course, some cooks view baking as a true labor of love. Others? Well, that’s why we have bakeries.
However, there is a third option: You can let other home cooks do all the shopping, blending, mixing, baking and cookie decorating for you. Really. And a little help during the busy holidays goes a long way.
Cookie Walks are a December tradition at several churches throughout the state. The walks, usually held the first two Saturdays of December, are a clever way to gather a variety of homemade cookies.
The work is done for you. (Who doesn’t love that?) And when you fill up the cookie jar, take the praise and pretend you did all the baking yourself. (Will this put you on Santa’s naughty list? We won’t tell if you won’t. Beside, you get extra credit for supporting a local church.)
How does a “cookie walk” work? Visitors usually pay a set price for an empty box, are handed gloves and then walk around various tables in church halls, filling boxes with cookies usually made by parishioners. (Some churches will charge by the weight of the cookies, while others have set fees.)
The walks usually begin around 9 a.m. and end when all the cookies are sold. It pays to get in line early to get the best selection.
Bethel United Methodist Church in Lewes is holding its annual cookie walk this Saturday as is Epworth United Methodist in Rehoboth Beach and St. Paul’s church on Foulk Road in Wilmington.
On Dec. 11, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church will hold its 27th Annual Cookie Walk. The Newark church at 200 Marrows Road also has homemade soups for sale, along with lunches that include soup, sandwich, chips and drinks. Takeout is available.
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Dover and Aldersgate Church on Concord Pike in north Wilmington have cookie walkson Dec. 12
Lines form early at St. Andrew’s popular culinary event, now in its fifth year, which features hundreds of fresh baked Christmas cookies. However, the Dover church will let visitors wait indoors until the festivities begin.
St. Andrews’ Cookie Walk began as a fundraiser to offset the church’s mortgage, but it quickly grew into a social, community event with proceeds benefiting the greater Dover community.
Church volunteers begin planning for the event well in advance. Lori Speed, a St. Andrew’s church member who helped found the event with parishioner Terri Brown, says volunteers have three big days of preparation. They call them: The Big Mix, The Big Bake and Prep Week.
The event has grown so big they had to buy an additionalfreezer to storethe homemade cookie dough.
Volunteers began mixing cookie dough on Nov. 19. (It was later frozen.) Baking takes place this Saturday. Decorating and setting up for the Cookie Walk is Dec. 10-11 with the sale being held on Dec. 12.
Last year, the Cookie Walk featured 35 tables of treats. The goal this year is to offer 40 tables, Speed says, and raise around $10,000.
The variety of cookies varies from traditional to gluten-free selections. Cookie lovers can buy an empty bakery box for $8, $13 or $22 and then chose their selection. Each box holds 1- to 4-pounds. Trays are also available for $50.
“If you’ve never been to the Great Christmas Cookie Walk, you’ll be amazed at the variety, and the number of elves we have to help you,” says Brown. Members of the church choir also will be presenting musical selections during the Great Cookie Walk.
Speed says cookie seekers come far and near to buy the treats. “We’ve had visitors from Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania,” she says.
Get the cookies while you can. Speed says this year’s Cookie Walk will be the last for a while.
“We will be taking a break after this year,” she says.
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico Read her blog at www.delawareonline.com/blog/secondhelpings
WHERE TO FIND A COOKIE WALK
On Dec. 5:
Bethel United Methodist Church’s Mary Martha Circle holds its annual Historical Lewes Cookie Walk on Dec. 5. Doors open at 9 a.m. and will close when all the cookies are sold. The church is is located at the corner of West Fourth and Market streets in Lewes, across from Beebe Hospital’s east parking lot. Due to construction to the church on the Fourth Street front entrance, you must enter the Fellowship Hall via the Market Street entrance. Look for the blue awning. Cookies are $6 per pound. Proceeds benefit the Bethel UMC Capital Campaign Fund. Call (302) 645-9426 or visit www.bethellewes.org
Church of the Nativity,206 Sykes Road, Manor Park inNew Castle, holds its annual Cookie Walk and Bazaar onDec. 5 from11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call (302)328-3445.
Epworth United Methodist Church, 19285 Holland Glade Road, Rehoboth Beach, holds its Seventh Annual Cookie Walk on Dec. 5 starting at 9 a.m. “until the cookies are gone.” Cookies are $9 per pound. Pre-packaged cookie assortments and gift boxes of fair trade coffee and chocolate also will be sold. Call (302) 227-7743 or visit www.eumcrb.org
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1314 Foulk Road, Wilmington, hosts its Cookie Walk Dec. 5 from 9 a.m. to noon. Select from dozens of homemade cookies. Come early for the best selection. Costs were unavailable. Call (302) 478-3135.
On Dec. 11:
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 200 Marrows Road, Newark, hosts its 27th annual Cookie Walk on Dec. 11 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Cookies ($6 and $11) and homemade soups ($8 quart) will be for sale. Lunch ($10) of soup, sandwich, chips and drink also will be available. For pre-orders, takeout or more information call (302) 738-4331 or visit www.standrewsnewark.org
On Dec. 12:
Aldersgate Church, 2313 Concord Pike, Wilmington, hosts its Cookie Walk Dec. 12 from 9 a.m. to noon. Visitors can fill a box with home baked cookies for $12. Pecans, crafts and other holiday goods also will be sold in the auditorium. Visit www.aldersgatede.org or call (302) 478-2575.
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 425 N. DuPont Highway Dover, hosts its Fifth Annual Great Christmas Cookie Walk on Dec.12. The walk begins at 9 a.m. and ends when the cookies are gone. Lines form early and attendees may wait indoors. Cookie lovers can buy an empty bakery box for $8, $13 or $22. Each box holds 1 to 4 pounds. After purchasing boxes, guests are handed gloves in the hall to make selections. Boxes must close completely. Pre-orders will be taken through Dec. 10. Specialty orders must be in by Dec. 5. Trays are available for $50. Gluten-free selections will also be available. Members of St. Andrew’s Chancel choir will also be presenting musical selections. Visit www.salcdover.org, the church’s Facebook page or call (302) 736-1617.
This list was updated on Dec. 2.
