For those of you who don’t know, the Cookie Express is an event held each year at the First Christian Church whereby one may purchase cookies and candy, other baked goods—including cheese straws, breads, rum balls, etc. The church sells the cookies for so much a pound and provides boxes for your holiday treats. The money raised by the event goes toward church in-house and out-reach projects. Additionally soup, sandwiches and hot beverages are available for lunch from the Holiday Cookie Express Café. This year the event is scheduled on Saturday, December 14th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

I don’t consider myself a lucky person but when I attended my annual Cookie Express buying spree last year at the First Christian Church angels must have been looking out for me because I won their first-ever raffle for a cake or pie a month for one full year from the amazing women bakers at First Christian Church. I never win anything and this was the absolute best start to a holiday season for me! Who wouldn’t want to win 12 pies or cakes for a whole year?

January started off with Nan H. baking a chocolate pecan pie. It was such a lovely presentation with a great big brown and gold bow on a round wicker serving plate wrapped in plastic. The pie was so good. I brought it to a dinner we attended with friends and, unfortunately, there were no leftovers for me to bring home.

February brought Edna W.’s Ocracoke Fig coke. I just love figs. Edna relayed she has fig trees at her summer place in Pungo Creek and that she preserves many jars of figs. Lucky Edna! The fig cake was sooo good and I’ve made a note to buy some of her preserves when she has replenished her supply.

Early in March I got a phone call from Nancy F. She was kind enough to ask me what my husband and I would like. She mentioned she makes a mean pineapple and coconut layer cake. As this is one of my husband’s favorite desert combinations, I said “yes” to that choice in a New York minute. I had some friends over on a Saturday and Nancy’s cake was the highlight of the evening.

Spring started off with Fawn S. calling me in April. She indicated she broke her arm but she persevered and made a fresh tasting orange cake. Margaret Ann W. made a wonderful sour cream bundt cake for my May dessert. Who doesn’t love sour cream cakes? Yum…

Doris A. was on board for June but at the last minute she had to cancel so Nan H. stepped in and made a delicious chocolate meringue pie. I made sure she had it ready right in time for company that was coming and it was a hit.

Summer months brought Betty R. in July and Debbie D. in August. I told Betty, who is a neighbor, right at the start she had some tough acts to follow; but she certainly came through with an excellent, so-buttery peach cobbler. And yes, we served it with vanilla ice cream. Early August Debbie D. called and offered her chocolate chess pie. I’ve always had a lemon chess pie but not chocolate and it was worth waiting for.

In early September Lynn W. contacted me and suggested her pineapple cake with icing. I made sure I had company on hand to enjoy her dessert and she didn’t disappoint. The cake layers seemed to be made of sponge cake—so light. It was delicious.

The cake baker for October, Stella S. called on the last day of September and she asked me what I would like. How great is that? I got to pick what I wanted. As I am in a monthly pinochle group, I scheduled the dessert for that date and we agreed that a graham cracker cream cheese peach pie would be ideal. And it was.

The cooler weather in November prompted me to ask Jane A. for a Dutch apple bundt cake. She mentioned this is one of her specialties and I took her up on her offer. I requested it for company I had coming and it was hard to resist from sampling it prior to their arrival. There was a buttery caramel glaze on top and it was to die for.

I found the entire process ran like clockwork and without a hitch. I received a call right at the beginning of each month and the cake hostess for the month would identify herself and after a brief conversation, both a date for delivery and specific dessert (cake/pie/cobbler) was agreed upon. I elected to pick up my selection at the 1st Christian Church office as I didn’t wish the ladies to go out of their way any more than they had.

As you can see, I’ve had a great year of pies and cakes. If you happen to find yourself at the cookie Express this year at First Christian Church on Saturday, December 14th, be sure to look for the raffle just as you enter the rooms where all the goodies are located. Mind you, the cookies, cheese straws, and other baked goods are certainly wonderful just in themselves (imagine the smell of butter, sugar and nuts permeating the air as you walk through room after room just filled with hundreds of cookies and holiday treats) but you could actually win a cake a month for one year.

I have one more month to go — December — and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what it will be.

Mia Ramsden is a resident of Cypress Landing.