A sweet read: Our annual Cookie Book is ready for release

Our annual Cookie Book is ready for release! This holiday favorite is available online and will be handed out at distribution events across Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula starting Oct. 30.

It has been 90 years since the first edition of the We Energies Cookie Book was printed. It was created as a gesture of goodwill by company home economists who hoped to encourage customers to use their new electric appliances. With that, a beloved tradition was born. To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Cookie Book’s first edition, we asked customers to submit their favorite recipes from a past book and to share their cherished Cookie Book memories. The 2018 Cookie Book includes 37 recipes that could become family favorites for years to come.

Customer Sarah Lake from New Berlin shared her favorite recipe and fond Cookie Book memory. She chose Christmas Miniatures from the 1984 Cookie Book. The petite sugar cookie, which features a beautiful rose created with decorating frosting, can be found on Page 5 of this year’s book. 

“We kick off our cookie-baking season with a trip to get our Cookie Book. We always feature a new cookie from that year’s Cookie Book (and some from past years). I can’t wait to pass on the tradition to my kids someday,” said Lake. 

The Cookie Book helped inspire a future career for customer Sarah Hoots of Whitewater: “When I was growing up, my dad had the 1998 edition. I have so many favorites from the Cookie Book. Fifteen years later, I am now a professional baker.”

Hoots chose a recipe that even nonbakers can enjoy. Her Easy No-Bake Cookies that feature cocoa powder, peanut butter and oats can be found on Page 6.

The 2018 signature distribution events will take place Nov. 3 at both Miller Park in Milwaukee and Fox Cities/Timber Rattlers Stadium in Appleton. The events will start at 9 a.m. and conclude at 1 p.m. Come enjoy some hot cocoa, and don’t forget your camera to take pictures with Santa’s reindeer.

View the distribution schedule.

Coming soon: 2018 We Energies Cookie Book to be distributed near you

Hot off the press!

As the holidays approach, so does the completion of the 2018 Cookie Book. This year, the Cookie Book is celebrating its 90th anniversary of its first edition. For decades, these books have helped customers bake sweet treats to help celebrate the holidays.

Creating the Cookie Book is a year-long process. We gather recipes, test cookies, conduct photo shoots, print books and distribute them to customers. The books recently were printed and are now being bound and boxed for distribution – a two-week process.

The photos and video below capture various stages of producing the Cookie Book.

 Mark your calendars to pick up a copy of the 2018 edition. We’ll be distributing the Cookie Book to customers at locations throughout our service area, including signature events in Milwaukee and Appleton on Nov. 3. View the distribution schedule.


Decades of deliciousness

It has been 90 years since the first edition of the We Energies Cookie Book was printed. The first Cookie Book was created as a gesture of goodwill by company home economists who hoped to encourage customers to use their appliances. With that, a beloved tradition was born. 

To celebrate the Cookie Book’s 90th anniversary of the Cookie Books first edition, we asked customers to submit their favorite recipes from a past book and to share their cherished Cookie Book memories. The 2018 Cookie Book includes 37 recipes that could become family favorites for years to come.

If you’re curious to see how the Cookie Book has changed over the years, you’ll find more than 50 editions in our Cookie Book archive. The 2018 Cookie Book will be available to view and download on Oct. 30.

Mark your calendars to pick up a copy of the 2018 edition. We’ll be distributing the Cookie Book to customers at locations throughout our service area, including signature events in Milwaukee and Appleton on Nov. 3. View the distribution schedule.

Energy assistance now available

Customers now can apply for energy assistance for the upcoming heating season.

It is simple to make an appointment to apply for energy assistance. Visit the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) website at homeenergyplus.wi.gov or call 866-432-8947.

Milwaukee County residents can apply for assistance in person at Community Advocates or United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS). Visit keepwarmmke.org or call 414-270-4653 for more information.

WHEAP provides qualified residents with a one-time grant to help pay energy bills. Qualification is based on income level, not on whether someone is behind on paying their energy bills.

Households with income at or below 60% of the Wisconsin state median income may be eligible for WHEAP. For example, a family of four that earns up to $52,846 per year may qualify.

Applicants must provide:

• Photo ID for applicant including name and address. 
• Proof of income for all household members for previous three months. 
• Social Security numbers and birthdates for everyone in the household. 
• Current energy bill or account number. 
• Phone number of landlord and rent certificate or statement (if applicant is a renter and heat is included in rent or a separate payment is made to the landlord). 
• The prior year’s entire tax package for seasonal employees and self-employed persons. Rental income must be verified by taxes and Schedule E. 

WHEAP provides assistance to more than 200,000 Wisconsin families annually.

Customers with questions about their energy bills or payment options should call our payment assistance line at 800-842-4565.

We Energies sponsors third year of China Lights

China Lights has returned for its third year at Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners. We are sponsoring the event once again as part of our commitment to supporting arts and culture in the communities we serve. Last year’s event sold out, attracting more than 100,000 visitors.

The gardens are illuminated by more than 40 handmade lantern sculptures, each assembled on-site by artisans from China. With the theme of Panda-Mania, this year’s festival features many new lanterns shaped like pandas, other endangered creatures and their environments. Visitors can take a walking tour through the displays, and children can swing and step on lights in a pair of interactive exhibits.

Two concession areas offer Asian and Western cuisine, and in the marketplace, vendors make and sell traditional Chinese handicrafts and gifts. A parade at about 6:15 p.m. every evening leads guests through the gardens. Following the parade, stages sponsored by our company host a variety of live performances, including spinning tops, Chinese string instruments, juggling, masked dances and martial arts demonstrations.

China Lights runs through Oct. 21 from 5:30 to 10 p.m. and is closed to the public on Mondays. Learn more about the event, including information on tickets and parking, at chinalights.org.

We Energies Foundation backs sturgeon release

Nearly 1,000 young lake sturgeon were added to the Lake Michigan ecosystem Sept. 29 as part of Sturgeon Fest 2018. The sturgeon were tagged before release to provide information about their lifecycle as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen sturgeon population.

The prehistoric fish once numbered millions in Lake Michigan but were decimated through intense fishing. In recent years, sturgeon have been making a comeback, with a little help from some friends. The We Energies Foundation is a longtime supporter of the Riveredge Nature Center’s lake sturgeon reintroduction project and Sturgeon Fest.

Sturgeon Fest celebrates Riveredge Nature Center’s 25-year partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to bring the sturgeon back to the Milwaukee River, where they haven’t been seen for more than a century.

Lakeshore State Park in downtown Milwaukee was the scene for the Sturgeon Fest release, an annual event that also includes games and crafts for kids, educational booths and food trucks.

“Supporting this sturgeon initiative aligns directly with our foundation’s environment and education focus areas,” said Tom Jansen, a manager in WEC Energy Group’s Environmental department and a Riveredge board member, who attended the event. “The event improves the environment and helps raise awareness about this threatened species.” 

The We Energies Foundation’s environment focus supports environmental education, resource preservation and conservation programs that guide communities in its service area toward a sustainable future.

We Energies is a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group. 

Related links:

Sturgeon Fest

Riveredge Nature Center

We Energies Foundation
WEC Energy Group

Sturgeon Fest attendees at Lake Shore State Park lined the park's banks to watch the sturgeon release.

One of the young sturgeon prior to release.

Nearly 1,000 young sturgeon were brought to the park for release in Lake Michigan.

Richard Gonzalez, a member of the Oneida Nation, Iroquois Confederation, Turtle Clan, 

conducted a blessing and released one of the sturgeon.