The Cookie Table

[ree-Xi]

From what I am reading, some "cookie tables" are present during the entire reception? Our Venetian hour was at the end of the reception, and people chowed. And we did have cake, but the reception was 5 hours, so people found room for more food. Family didn't make the cookies, though, the reception hall place did, as it was an option for the reception.

This was 12 years ago, and I'm Italian and Catholic, and that's "what's done" in my family.

As for saving and eating our wedding cake, we saved a piece, but it was nasty when we took it out on our anniversary. I wouldn't recommend it.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by RedRover

I am a Yinzer (a native of western Pennsylvania) and cookie tables are a big part of the culture.

When I was a little boy, my brother and I would wait up for my parents to come home from a wedding. We knew that my mother would have a paper plate wrapped with a napkin; both of us knew that there were cookies under that napkin.

In Yinzer culture, once the engagement is announced, every female relative (and close family friend) start baking. Cousin Sally might always make ladylocks, Aunt Kate might make her famous nut horns while the mother of the groom might make apricot horns. The best man's mother will make pizzelles (a thin, waffle-like cookie usually flavored with anise). As a rule, one only purchases specialty cookies, such as pizzelles.

Cookie tables are more of a tradition for southern (Greek or Italian) or Eastern European (too many to list) communities. Close friends and neighbors will bring their particular ethnic cookies, so Italian pizzelles will on the cookie table at a Polish wedding.

Yes, the wedding cake and the meal are more important. However, while no one might admit it, every one notices how many cookies and how many varieties were at the table.

Yes, paper plates with the napkins over the top! And not only would family members bring the cookies, nearly every mom or baba would too. It was always a toss up between the dancing or the cookie table when I went to weddings on what was my favorite part. The cake was ok, but the cookies were the center of attention.

My aunt always made pizzelles (she was Italian) and I always looked forward to them. Most of the other cookies were bite-sized so that you could sample a lot of them.

BTW...cookie tables are still common at our showers (both baby and bridal).

[honeychile]

Here is a great link for cookie bakers.

FWIW, I usually make either pralines or thumbprint cookies (with jam, not icing) for cookie table patrons. The boy thinks I make great chocolate chip cookies, but I think they're just too pedestrian for a Cookie Table. I went to a wedding that was very Scots - bagpiper, kilts, etc - but their thumbprints had either black or purple icing. Eeeeeewwwwww!!!

[RedRover]

One former colleague of mine grew up in a military family, so she really didn't have a hometown until she graduated college and moved to Pittsburgh. She met and got engaged to a local boy and chose to have the wedding here in the 'Burgh. During the reception, she told her family, solid midwesterners, that they MUST take at least one plate of cookies back to the hotel from the reception, or all of her husbands' female relatives would feel insulted.

One Pittsburgh woman I know married a nice southern boy. The reception was in one of the suburbs in the Pittsburgh area. Towards the end of the reception, as the guests were getting ready to leave, the guests began piling up the cookies on paper plates or in napkins (Chinese food take out boxes ... I wish someone would have that of that sooner). The mother of the groom got a horrified look on her face, prompting the bride's mother to come over and see what is wrong.

"Why, Mary," said the groom's mother. "They're all hogging up all the cookies and wrapping them up to go."

"Why, Sarah," the mother of the bride said with a laugh, "Down south, you have your customs and traditions, and up North we have ours. Trust me when I say that what the guests are doing is considered good manners and is to be expected!"

Aside to Honeychile, thumbprint cookies would definitely be on the cookie table (with icing tinted to match the bridesmaid's dresses)

[Benzgirl]

ETA...my dad still waits on the plates of cookies when my mother goes to events.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by RedRover

One former colleague of mine grew up in a military family, so she really didn't have a hometown until she graduated college and moved to Pittsburgh. She met and got engaged to a local boy and chose to have the wedding here in the 'Burgh. During the reception, she told her family, solid midwesterners, that they MUST take at least one plate of cookies back to the hotel from the reception, or all of her husbands' female relatives would feel insulted.

One Pittsburgh woman I know married a nice southern boy. The reception was in one of the suburbs in the Pittsburgh area. Towards the end of the reception, as the guests were getting ready to leave, the guests began piling up the cookies on paper plates or in napkins (Chinese food take out boxes ... I wish someone would have that of that sooner). The mother of the groom got a horrified look on her face, prompting the bride's mother to come over and see what is wrong.

"Why, Mary," said the groom's mother. "They're all hogging up all the cookies and wrapping them up to go."

"Why, Sarah," the mother of the bride said with a laugh, "Down south, you have your customs and traditions, and up North we have ours. Trust me when I say that what the guests are doing is considered good manners and is to be expected!"

Aside to Honeychile, thumbprint cookies would definitely be on the cookie table (with icing tinted to match the bridesmaid's dresses)

Your stories are priceless!

I do make thumbprints, but mine are from an old family recipe. I suppose that icing matching the bridesmaids' dresses would look pretty, but we always used jam. Icing was for those who couldn't afford jam (and sticks to the roof of your mouth!). Did I mention that my mother made some mean preserves? I have her last few jars of cherry preserves hoarded for very special occasions!

[RedRover]

Growing up, my mother would make thumbprints. Hers weren't very fancy. She would use a rather dense confectioners' sugar icing that was tinted with food coloring; this time of year, the icing would be tinted red or green. Other people make a fluffy icing, again with food coloring used for tinting. Still other use a chocolate icing.

For some reason, I am getting kinda hungry ...

[IrishLake]

I have to bump this, because i did a "recipe" search (and am thinking of just doing a basic recipe thread).

But I had to comment. I HATE wedding cake. I even hated mine. The only time I loved a wedding cake, was when it was a wedding cheesecake. But we also had a cookie table, and there wasn't a crumb of cookie left at the end of the night! There were over 50 dozen cookies on the cookie table (for nearly 300 guests), so I guess I wasn't too surprised that they all disappeared! Funny to read about this being a big Ohio/Western PA thing, too.

[honeychile]

Funny that you bring back the Cookie Table! Someone was telling me that they went to a wedding in Phoenix, of all places, and they had one! Of course, the bride's family wrote a very nice description of the What, Who, Why, and How of the Cookie Table at her showers. At the bottom, they had, "If you'd like to contribute to your approval of Mauri & Dave's wedding, and wouldn't mind making some cookies to show that approval, please contact (Cookie Table Person)". I thought that was a great way to introduce it to the new initiates. And, they ended up with something like 200 dozen cookies! But, alas, no pizelles or mini-lady locks.

[honeychile]

Found this latest explanation of The Cookie Table on Facebook, and thought I'd share:

In Pittsburgh, the wedding cookie table is a peculiar and wonderful local tradition.










I hear a cookie (or four!) calling my name...

[clemsongirl]

Originally Posted by honeychile

Found this latest explanation of The Cookie Table on Facebook, and thought I'd share:

In Pittsburgh, the wedding cookie table is a peculiar and wonderful local tradition.








I hear a cookie (or four!) calling my name...

Oh my goodness. That is a stunning display of confectionery. I'll have to ask my mom if any weddings she went to as a kid had these. She grew up in a suburb of Cleveland until high school.

[gatordeltapgh]

Two years ago I went to a wedding in Youngstown, OH with 520 guests. The cookie table on the bride's "side" of the ballroom (dance floor in the middle) was actually 8 round tables pushed together. On the groom's side there were 5 round tables pushed together. I've never seen anything like it in my life. Family members baked for months and froze the cookies. When the cookie table opened there was a mad dash by the older ladies to scope it out and pick their favorites. I took a picture of my husband at one end of the cookie table(s) and you can't even see him!

For our wedding in the 'burgh we had a cookie & candy table. The cookies were gone fast. I didn't even get one! The candy was a bust. Go figure!

[honeychile]

^ I think it's the Scots influence on us. Cookies. Free. What's not to love?

BTW, there's a couple in Bethel Park whose daughter is getting married, and they had already filled TWO FREEZERS full of cookies when they were interviewed! They hadn't even gotten to the pizelles, and have something like 21,000 cookies baked. That is going to be one groaning table!

[MTSUGURL]

Never even been to PA, but after seeing this thread a few years ago I volunteered to put together a cookie table at a friend's wedding. It turned out to be amazing, and when the fourth of our former roommates gets married we plan to go all out for it. It was a huge hit.

[PhoenixAzul]

^ Hey, I'm all for cookie table evangelism! Seriously, it's the best part of the wedding. Just remember that Pittsburgh started it ;-)