Pioneer Bakery part deux
Pioneer Bakery in Puyallup was the only other place besides Wagner’s in Olympia that had gingerbread men (That I could find without a city detective, anyway.) But along with the gingerbread man came more Christmas cookie variety than I could handle.

They have a modest selection and variety for all you Santa fans. I limited myself to picking out two more cookies for my taste buds. One was a shortbread type crescent half moon boomerang thingy covered in chocolate drizzle and some colored sprinkles. That would be the scientific term for it. Being the unprofessional journalist I am, I asked the bakers what the name of the cookie was, yet neglected to write it down. They seemed kind of in a hurry to be finished helping me, and more intrigued with the man they would rather be helping who was standing behind me. There were no smiles behind the counter at this bakery.

The other cookie I indulged in was a lump of white baked dough. Sounds good, huh? It was sort of good; don’t be fooled by my description. But like I said before, I asked the name and then took off before Ebenezer came out from behind the back kitchen. I think I tasted a bit of tiny chopped-up nuts in this cookie. It kind of matched the film of sugar it left in my mouth after I took a bite.

I certainly hope this search for the ultimate Christmas cookie gets better than this. In my next letter to Santa I’m asking for some Christmas cookies with originality and taste. â€" Steph DeRosa

[Pioneer Bakery, 120 S. Meridian, Puyallup, 253.845.8336]

MORE COOKIES: See what's already in our cookie jar.