Guards stood at the auditorium door on Friday, anticipating the crowd at Lanier Village Estates.

But they weren’t guarding jewels or money — cookies were the prized possession for the day.

"Everybody likes homemade cookies," said Dee Klein, the cookie exchange coordinator at Lanier Village Estates. This is the third year they’ve held the cookie exchange, and this year more than 1,000 cookies waited behind guarded doors to be gobbled up by residents and employees of the community.

"Each year has been packed," Klein said. "This year they were waiting at the door. We did let them in a little bit early, but next year we are going to make them wait."

It took two months of preparation and 56 volunteers, each baking two dozen cookies, to complete this year’s exchange. The event is part of the employee appreciation Christmas party.

"We had six 8-foot tables filled with cookies," Klein added.

And just like Christmas cookies themselves, the exchange is now firmly rooted as a Lanier Village holiday tradition. From Klein’s Florentine cookies to Sarah Timpone’s Hello Dollys and Malee Hearin’s gluten-free brownies, there was something for every cookie lover.

Dee Klein’s Florentines

Klein’s Florentines came from a recipe given to her by an old friend and includes sliced almonds, candied fruit, butter, milk, sugar, honey, flour and a chocolate coating on the bottom of the cookie. The fruit and almonds should be mixed together first and set aside, according to Klein. Then bring the butter, sugar, milk and honey to a boil. Remove from heat and add the almonds, candied fruit and flour. Mix well and bake for eight to 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

"You have to work it with your hands a little bit (to form the cookies)," Klein said.

While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate morsels to coat the bottom of the cookie.

"A knife is real good to use," she said. "That is how I do it. Leave them upside down and they will dry in a minute or so."

Sarah Timpone’s Hello Dollys

Timpone’s contribution was a very rich and sweet cookie bar called a Hello Dolly.

"They are sweet but they are easy to make," Timpone said. "You don’t need to cut them too big because they are so rich."

The Hello Dolly is a recipe Timpone cut out of a newspaper years ago and starts with a cake pan, a stick of butter and chopped graham crackers.

To begin, spread the graham crackers over the butter, then add a layer of nuts. Timpone suggests using pecans "since they are the best."

Add a layer of chocolate chips and coconut and pour sweetened condensed milk over the dish.

Even though Timpone, 87, creates this decadent cookie bar each year, she said her two children and four grandchildren still love the old standard Christmas cookie.

"My kids just like plain old sugar cookies and I always make those," she said.

Malee Hearin’s gluten-free brownies

For Malee Hearin, traditions have changed from the standard Christmas cookies to gluten free.

"I made gluten-free cookies and brownies ... because we have quite a few people that can’t eat it any more," Hearin said.

Several years ago, Hearin’s husband had to go gluten free because of a health condition and she converted her kitchen into a flourless haven.

"I have a gluten-free kitchen here in my apartment, and I have no flour or anything that contains flour," she said.

The brownies that Hearin made for the cookie exchange were from a mix that she purchased at Austin’s Nutrition Center in Gainesville.

"It’s called Pamela’s Brownies and it is absolutely delicious," she said. "More people that don’t need to be gluten free like it; it’s a wonderful recipe. The only thing that I do different is that I ice the brownies with chocolate icing and put a pecan on top."