Each woman, and each cookie, gets a moment in the spotlight as we learn how Marnie met them all in the first place, how each of them know one and other, and the specific ties that bind – both feuds and friendships. The book has a lovely structure, with each recipe featured in full at the start of the chapters, making it a guide in how to bake as much as a novel to lose yourself in. This is not a book of sob stories, but simply reinforces the message that no matter how rosy their lives may appear on the outside, everyone is dealing with something they'd rather not be. Cancer survivors mingle with those who have been dealing with redundancy and home foreclosure, while others have overcome abusive pasts to get to where they are today. Spanning two generations, the guests are at various stages in their lives, so we have people struggling to conceive, those dealing with divorce and adultery, others who have been widowed or are eagerly awaiting grandchildren.
The women share their news, their highs and lows, their plans for the future. If the cookies nourish their bodies, then the story telling that comes as part of the night nourishes their souls. By the end of the night, each woman has eleven new packets of cookies to enjoy through the holidays, and their bond has been reinforced for another year. They package them in frilly gift bags, neat boxes, bright shiny tins, crisp cellophane, adorn them with ribbons and bows and feathers and confetti, the presentation almost as important as the contents, and they pass them out one by one to the rest of the group. They bring recipes passed down through generations, concoctions the club have clamoured for again and again, ones that help tell a story or explain the struggles each is facing at that time. Some of the women spend the good part of a year planning their next Cookie Club offering. We're not just talking a plate of bog standard chocolate chip, either.
If you're even the slightest bit peckish after that, I guarantee you'll be starving by the time you finish this wonderful book full of festive flavour.Įvery year at the beginning of December, Marnie opens her home to the Cookie Club, a group of friends, some old, some new, who might not see much of each other during the year but who meet like clockwork on this date. Thin crunchy crisps flavoured with molasses and ginger. Crisp vanilla fingers with toasted almonds.
Peanut butter cookies double dipped in chocolate. Summary: A wonderful book full of festive flavour, this is the tale of twelve women who meet once a year to spill the secrets of their lives to one and other.Ĭhocolate bonbons with an almond glaze.
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