With just one week 'til my teaching trip to Israel, I can't help but think about how small the world has become - and all because of cookies! Less than two years ago, Cookie Connection had 984 members across 24 countries, and now we have a colossal 6,410 members from 55 countries (and counting)!
While two-thirds of our members hail from the United States, there are over 2,000 members spanning the rest of the globe. Ukraine? Check! Egypt? Check! Nigeria? Check! You name a country, and chances are good there's a cookier (or more) here to represent it! (Curious to see our membership on a map? Click here.)
It's thrilling to see cookies bringing so many diverse cultures and people together for the simple (yet grand) purpose of sharing something beautiful and delicious with those we love. Likewise, it's an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to spread my cookie message next week in a part of the world that's new to me. I am eternally grateful to my hosts and the many class-goers who have opened their homes and hearts to me - and to all here on Cookie Connection who, through posting and chatting with me each day, make the vast world of cookiers seem like one close-knit happy family.
It is in this spirit of gratitude that I chose to recognize the site's diversity this week by posting the top-trending patriotic cookies.
Mind you, by the site's definition, "patriotic cookies" are those that "celebrate a country or culture anywhere in the world". So while there are a couple of red, white, and blue cookies in today's hot list*, the cookies below will take you on a dazzling journey that extends far beyond the US! Enjoy!
#1: A Country in a Cookie/Egypt by Dolce Sentire
#2: US Marine Corps Set by Hoosier Sugar Cookies
#3: Sardinian Merry-Go-Round by Magadiuz
#4: Paris Masquerade by Cookies by Shannon
#5: Vintage Puerto Rico by Love Bug Cookies
#6: Little Geisha and Cherry Blossoms by Ana Garza
#7: Poland (Map and Flag) by Piernikowe Serca
#8: Happy 4th by The Cookie Monger
#9: Traveling to Egypt by Cookies by Dama
#10 - Happy 4th of July by Anna at Cookies Unleashed!
* As a reminder, a word about how the rankings are determined: The rankings are not at all subjective. In fact, they are determined essentially by you, our members, and the activity (number of views, likes, and comments) you've bestowed on each photo. The site uses a top-secret algorithm that weighs these various factors to determine which photos are trending most quickly (i.e., are the "hottest") over specified periods of time. As such, the hot list at the time of this announcement may look a little different a few hours or a day from now as more photos are added to the site.
So that no one has an unfair advantage in making it onto a hot list, the algorithm is secret even to site administrators. Only our platform developers know the code, which has been exhaustively tested by those developers and Cookie Connection staff.
All photos shown here are the courtesy (and copyright) of the designers listed.
To check out our other hot lists, at any time of day, visit our Hot Spot, also found in the site's main navigation line.
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