You don’t need walking shoes for the Lake Campbell Lutheran Church Cookie Walk. Just an appetite for homemade, tried-and-true Midwestern treats and a giving heart to support local non-profits.

Lake Campbell Lutheran Church Cookie Walk

This year’s bake sale is on Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 9a.m. Be there early to get in line! They run out of cookies quickly. The church address is 46610 219^th Street, Volga, South Dakota. Cash or check only. Watch the church Facebook page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/SinaiandLakeCampbellLutheran

Three big-hearted women, the organizers behind the church’s 22nd annual Cookie Walk, gathered around a table in their fellowship hall with our steaming cups of Lutheran coffee to talk about how it all works.

Ginny, Inga, Glenda and Staci — Back L to R: Ginny Jensen, Inga Trygstad, Glenda Derdall

Lake Campbell Lutheran Church coffee cup — Back L to R: Ginny Jensen, Inga Trygstad, Glenda Derdall

Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens Podcast

Listen to Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens podcast Season 3 Episode 4: Sweet Generosity: Local Impact of the Lake Campbell Lutheran Church Cookie Walk, wherever you listen to podcasts. Or listen on YouTube or use the Spotify player below.

You’ll learn what kinds of goodies sell best, the most important piece of a successful cookie walk, and why it’s always a good idea to sample your home baked goods before donating them to a bake sale.

Open to the public and held at this charming 154-year-old country church south of Brookings South Dakota, the bake sale is a celebration of community, fellowship, and giving back.

big white country church Lake Campbell Lutheran Church with a blue sky

You’ll hear about some of the treats like raspberry almond shortbread thumbprints, lemon bonbons, pecan tarts and delights, maple pecan thumbprints, and caramels, and of course what you’d find at any self-respecting bake sale of Nordic heritage—lefse, krumkake and rosettes.

A group comes together to make lefse for the bake sale. It’s a two-day process.

people in the church kitchen peeling potatoes to make lefse

photos of people at the church kitchen making lefse

Ginny and Inga with piles of lefse for the Lake Campbell Lutheran Church Cookie Walk — Ginny Jensen and Inga Trygstad with lefse for the cookie walk

Visitors are invited to sip coffee, enjoy freshly baked cinnamon and caramel rolls, and connect with one another after picking out an assortment of homemade goodies generously donated by church members and the community.

tables lined with cinnamon roll dough ready to bake at the Lake Campbell Lutheran Church cookie walk — Table lined with cinnamon roll dough ready to bake for the Cookie Walk

How does a church bake sale get even better? Well, one hundred percent of the proceeds from this festivity are donated to local charities, they average about $3,000 each year, making the cookie walk a true gift that keeps on giving.

So tune in to their podcast episode and hear the cookie walk story from Inga Trygstad, Ginny Jensen, and Glenda Derdall and learn how cookies, coffee, sweet rolls and a little holiday cheer can make a big impact.

Recipes from the Lake Campbell Lutheran Church Cookie Walk

We talked about quite a few recipes in this episode. Ginny and Inga each shared two of their favorites.

From the Kitchen of Ginny Jensen

Pecan Tarts:

Pecan Delights:

From the Kitchen of Inga Trygstad

Both of Inga’s recipes can be found on Land O Lakes website.

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints: https://www.landolakes.com/recipe/9198/raspberry-almond-shortbread-thumbprints/

Maple Pecan Thumbprints: https://www.landolakes.com/recipe/8476/maple-pecan-thumbprints/

For the Maple Pecan Thumbprints, Inga makes the following adjustments:

In the cookie dough, substitute 1 tablespoon of almond flavoring for the vanilla
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (not 375)
Bake for 13 minutes

Recipes From Staci’s Kitchen

What do you make for holiday bake sales or cookie swaps? My favorite to bring is a batch of my imperfectly decorated but scrumptious cream cheese cookie cutouts.