Nothing over-indulgent, to 'make room' for taste-testing and a few cookies; maybe some cut up fruit and veggies, a small plate with cheese and crackers (gouda?!), and something refreshing/palate-cleansing to drink (simple lemonade or iced tea?)...of course, when I'm waiting for cookies to bake, all I really want is a quiet place to sit with a hot cuppa PG, to enjoy a few minutes to myself.

marinated olives, roasted chickpeas, honey/goat cheese/pistachios with crackers, and spicy nuts or popcorn. simple and light. i mean, you'll already be indulging on cookie batter so better to keep the menu satisfying AND nutritious.

@ Flourandchild - That all sounds amazing. Also, make sure you have a lot of ice water on hand. Some of us get incredibly thirsty when we over do it on sugar.

Ooo, can you share your recipe?

Is there room at your party for one more, Flourandchild? That sounds perfect. And another recipe request, please - I adore Somoas!

oooh I like the popcorn idea, and I think I could do citrus marinated olives, and the chickpeas... I'm in a west african port city so the ingredients available are very random! Thanks for the input!

As for the recipe, I have tried several but really all it comes down to is: make a shortbread cookie in the desired shape, about 1/4inch thick, bake and cool; melt a bag of chewy caramel candies OR make from scratch (the Joy of Baking has a good recipe) and add 3 cups pan toasted unsweetened coconut flakes; spread this sticky mess onto cookies; dip bottoms in and drizzle on top with melted semisweet or dark chocolate (milk chocolate is FAR too sweet). Refrigerate to set. Try not to eat them all in one week :-)