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Another year has gone by and the cookie crawl tradition lives on. Maybe we're just hoping to outlast Covid, but I'm pretty confident my family can continue to get behind eating copious amounts of cookies once a year even after Covid eventually (hopefully) goes away.
So Cookie Crawl was a tradition we started last year in response to a need for an alternative to Disney's annual crawl at Epcot which is always impossible to get into without a ton of patience and time off. We went a similar route to last year, but for those unfamiliar, here's how it worked...
Since we had some elderly participants, walking from room to room was both confusing and likely not the best physical option, so we sat in place instead of crawled. Each person was given a "scratch-off" card of sorts and a crayon to mark each cookie off as we went along. The event took place more like a tasting where I brought them out one by one to be tested and tasted by the group.
Like last year, here's a little review of my cookie efforts and how it all went—links to recipes and all. Hope you enjoy and make some of your own!
My least exciting cookie (in my opinion) was this wreath cookie, not because of flavor, but because it was the least technical of the bunch and wasn't much of a challenge. It was made essentially the same way you would a Rice Krispie treat with a few twists, melt marshmallows and butter together, but adding food coloring before mixing with the cereal
For the most part the flavor matched, although I had to use cheesy popcorn as a garnish in lieu of M&Ms so that was different. Flavor-wise, it had a marshmallow-like cereal mix of taste akin to a Rice Krispie treat, but was made with Corn Flakes instead. The texture was nice and crispy, but also had a little softer give to it (in a good way).
Cookie #2 was my cousin's favorite, which I expected largely because I made them knowing she is a big fan of Aperol Spritz drinks. They were surprisingly easy (although I did ignore the prompt for use of the cookie press the recipe called for and smushed them down with a cup instead).
These were brimming with orange flavor, escalated by the Aperol glaze that topped the cookies themselves and hardened a lot more easily than I expected. They were nice and crunchy with a citrusy kick, so A+ all around for those looking for something less noticeably sugary and more light.
A classic holiday flavor and another one that is most often found in drink form, the Eggnog cookie choice was mostly because I wanted to try something different and my family wasn't making enough suggestions, but they were dang tasty!
The flavor was a bit more cinnamon than Eggnog due to some unavailable ingredient options, but we didn't mind. The cookies were nice and fluffy as a base and the frosting I substituted was top notch, full of nutmeg and rum for that classic Eggnog flavor in a few sweet bites.
These were a special request and while I was initially a bit skeptical to go forward with a cookie recipe that is average in comparison to the others, the flavor was anything but. The added touch for me was ignoring grinding the oats for the 1/4 cup of oat flour and leaving that extra 1/4 cup whole, plus finishing the cooked product with some sea salt to really bring out the sweet flavors.
The result was a smooth and chewy cookie with a cinnamon kick and some sweet and savory notes from the combo of sugar, chocolate chips and oats. It was a very good suggestion and I never should have doubted it.
These candy cane cookies were a huge hit last year and despite the additional effort and risk of dying my hands red, they were still worth it a year later. It involves splitting the dough in two, dying one half red, chilling for about 4 hours then molding into a candy cane before baking. I learned from last year's mistake and made them smaller this time, but man were they fighting me to stay together.
These come out as some deeply flavorful and buttery sugar cookies, enhanced by some added sugar on top of the cookies right before baking. They're crisp enough to hold their own in shape, but have a slight chew to them for a mouthwatering bite. And they're fun to look at too!
I could not leave out my favorite from last year. These densely chocolatey cookies are rich and fudge-like, with an added sweetness from the powdered sugar. Honestly, these are still pretty close to perfect. The only thing I would change would be to find a way to add some saltiness to cut through the layers of sweet, but you can always grab some popcorn or chips on the side if you really need the balance. Is anyone surprised I don't?
This year, the crawl took place on New Year's Eve, helping us ring in the new year by manifesting sweetness and that's my hope for everyone else in my life too... in addition to the hope that if anyone else needs a sweet kick, you know you can come to me!
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