The Cookie Table

[PhoenixAzul]

While the cookies are very important to a Pittsburgh wedding, it doesn't replace the cake...they're almost like appetizers, because most people start picking away at them while the bride and groom are on their way, and it only gets worse throughout the night. Even with 30 dozen or so, my husband didn't get any of our cookies! So for our first anniversary, I did a "mini" cookie table with his favorites, and made palmeras con chocolate because he enjoyed them so much on our honeymoon. I can think of some truly terrible wedding cakes I've had (fondant, filled, and very expensive !), but I thought our cake was awesome. We went with a small local baker who basically bakes as a side project to his other job (as a baker in a commercial bakery!). It means that he doesn't have a billion cakes going at once and therefore fresh wedding cake. We ended up with a cookies and cream filling that was basically crushed oreos with some buttercream added. OMNOMNOM. It was even tasty and moist a year later after being frozen!

Did anyone else think their cake was still delicious a year later? My brother and SIL said theirs was OK, just dry, and another said that theirs basically liquified when it came out of the freezer?

[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.

[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)

[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 ...

[kddani]

Originally Posted by PhoenixAzul

Did anyone else think their cake was still delicious a year later? My brother and SIL said theirs was OK, just dry, and another said that theirs basically liquified when it came out of the freezer?

We had a lot of leftover wedding cake, so we would have a piece every now and then. Quite honestly I thought it got pretty icky after about 2 months in the freezer.

Hence why our baker gives their customers a free anniversary cake on their 1 year anniversary. They don't want us associating freezer burnt, funky tasting cake with their bakery.

Really, nothing should be in a freezer (especially a regular freezer and not a deep freezer) for a year. Especially not a baked good!