At Afternoon Tea, we assembled so many cookie trays over the years, that we can't even guess the number. They were popular all year long, for any and all different occasions ... from parties, to meetings, to "thank you" gifts.
But during the Holidays, we were putting together cookie trays 'round-the-clock for all of our orders and walk-ins. Almost every single customer wanted at least one tray for their holiday party, or several for various other gatherings, or many to cover their entire holiday gift list!
Nothing makes a more impressive gift for your office, your neighbors, a doctor or dentist's office, the teacher's lounge or the school's administration office, than a tray loaded with a variety of homemade cookies. In fact, even a pile of a single type of homemade cookies is a phenomenal gift! Or bring one as a hostess gift or to a holiday potluck.
We would load them up with drop cookies, cut-out cookies, and cookie bars cut into bite-sized pieces.
We would make our old favorites, as well as trying out a new recipe or two, to see if they made the cut.
Sometimes we would place a bundt cake in the center, and surround it with a ton of cookies, to make sure there were plenty of delicious treats for everyone. Even bites of our special Afternoon Tea holiday Sherried Fruitcake (yes, I said fruitcake ... some people actually like fruitcake, and we happen to think our recipe is one of the best) made an appearance on our trays at Holiday time!
At Afternoon Tea, cookie trays were definitely a thing! A big thing!
It started there, at the bakery, but we still make cookie trays every year for Christmas (and sometimes for other occasions throughout the year) to this day. Our family members' workplaces would feel absolutely bereft without a cookie tray delivery this time of year. Our neighbors and friends have come to expect and look forward to them each year. The veterans and practitioners at Ana's non-profit, Healing Warriors Program, would be absolutely devastated without a tray stacked high with cookies at the clinic to celebrate the Holidays.
Our gift baskets were celebrated, as well, but our cookie trays just made the season! They were festive, full of variety and ready to please any sweet tooth.
They're the perfect dessert on a Thanksgiving or Christmas buffet table, make a huge hit at any Holiday gathering, are a lovely assortment to bring to a church event, and it's a welcoming treat on any receptionists' counter or a tempting display at the nurses' station. We encourage you to bake a bunch of cookies, assemble and deliver your own trays this year, and watch how the joy meters go off the charts! Don't be surprised if people follow you on the elevator to see where your special delivery is headed ... so they can snag a cookie or two for themselves!
Make sure to make some of the regular favorites, as well as the more special holiday varieties.
Christmas cookies are a must ... you might as well make enough to share!
Merry Christmas!!!
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