Every sort of cookie appeared at the annual Holiday Cookie Exchange held recently at Mathews Memorial Library. They were delicious, and met every definition: thin, sweet, small cakes; hand-held, flour-based, crisp or soft sweet bakes.

The exchange attracted 13 plates of cookies with their recipes awaiting judgment: which was the best? Very seldom do you find a bad cookie, so how do you decide which is the best cookie? You must consider appearance, texture, flavor and aroma, and keep in mind that the cookie must not crumble in your hand but in your mouth. This was not an easy task for a judge as all entries were really great; however, the criteria called for the best cookie overall.

After tasting and re-tasting, the prize went to Dark Chocolate Meringue cookies entered by Mary Whitley. “It was the first time I had ever made this recipe. It was a new one for me. Easy to make and I liked them because the inside of the cookie was soft like a brownie but the crust was crunchy. I wou...