St. Peter’s cookie walk to return Dec. 18

After a COVID-related one-year hiatus, the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church cookie walk will return with vigor from 8:30 to 11 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 18, in the parish hall.

Hundreds of beautifully decorated holiday cookies will be available for purchase.

In past years, dozens of eager cookie aficionados have lined up early to buy gingerbread cookies, traditional sugar cookies cut into holiday shapes and decorated with colored sugar, and countless other varieties, including coconut macaroons, peppermint wedding and chocolate shortbread cookies, all made by parish bakers.

Shoppers can chose to fill a large box for $12 or a small one for $8.

“Because the cookie walk is just a few days before Christmas, we think this is an ideal time for people who need cookies for family dinners, holiday entertaining and last-minute gifts,” said Joanne Ward, a church choir member and coordinator of this year’s sale.

Ward herself has been busy baking chocolate chunk toffee cookies, eggnog meltaways, snickerdoodles, cinnamon sugar cookie cutouts, pinwheels and coffee spice cookies. “Some folks either can’t find the time to do the baking they would like to do, or really just don’t like to bake at all,” she said. “The cookie walk is designed with those folks in mind.”

Safety protocols will be in place for this year’s sale. Masks will be required for shoppers, and no more than 25 individuals will be allowed into the parish hall at one time. As in previous years, buyers will be provided with latex gloves to choose from large trays of cookies on display.

Entrance will be from the church courtyard at Second and Market streets, and shoppers will exit onto Mulberry Street.

All proceeds will benefit the St. Peter’s parish choir tour fund as well as Heart and Soul, a local outreach ministry that includes the Little Cupboard on Second Street, founded by Deacon Chris Miller-Marcin.