Supplies: Friends, cookies, beverages and conversations
Don’t spend your holidays baking cookies every weekend, invite friends and family together for a fun cookie exchange party and go home with lots of different cookies. The goal of a Cookie Exchange Party also known as a Cookie Swap is to socialize, have fun and end up with a good variety of holiday cookies, even though each guest brings one type of cookies.
Christmas Cookie Exchanges can be held any time of day and any day of the week guests can make it. For some mornings when the kids are at school is perfect, for other a weekday night allows everyone to relax after work and for others a mid-afternoon event is perfect because they already did Holiday shopping and are ready to kick back and relax with friends.
So How Do You Plan for Your Cookie Exchange?
1. First invite friends and family to your cookie swap
2. Ask each guest to make 1 dozen or ½ a dozen cookies per guest in attendance. And ask them to bring an extra dozen for the Christmas Cookie Exchange Party.
3. Set some guideline so you get a wide mix of cookies and types of cookies. You may want to include a list of cookie categories or a cookie list from which they can choose from: decorated cookies, bar cookies, drop cookies.
– If needed you can expand your Cookie party to include other treats such as fudge, chocolate covered pretzels, toy candy or other holiday themed food and snacks.
4. Have guests RSVP and let you know the type of cookies they plan to make, if there is a duplicate type of cookie ask if it is a unique recipe or ask them to select another cookie to make for the cookie exchange party. (This is optional but does help encourage variety)
5. Guests should bring cookies already packaged in dozen or half dozen groups and there should be extra for sampling during the party. Cookies can be divided during or at the end of the party, just make sure everyone gets their set of cookies.
6. During Christmas Cookie Exchange each guest will get a chance to share what cookies they brought and tell a story about where the recipe came from and how they are made. This makes the Cookie Exchange Party more interesting and fun.
7. Optional: Some Cookie Exchange Parties also involve Cookie Recipe Sharing, where guests bring the cookies and copies of the recipes for others to take home with them. The host can ask everyone to include the recipe with their cookies or send it to her before the event so a Cookie recipe booklet can be produced for your event. However, if recipes are family secrets or some of the guys bring in store slice and bake cookies then you might pass on trading recipes.
Here are a few Cookie Ideas to get you started
Sugar Cookies, Molasses Sugar Cookies
Gingerbread Cookies, Meringues
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pinwheel Cookies, Magic Bars
Christmas Cookie Pary Variation – Christmas Cookie Baking Party
Instead of having guests bring cookies to exchange and divide up, have guests bring specific items used to make and decorate cookies.
Then divide guests into cookie teams, have them select which cookies they want to make and have the groups make and bake the cookies. Be sure to have the basics like milk, butter and eggs ready to go for this event.
During this time you can be sharing Holiday shopping stories, enjoying eggnog, coming up with gift ideas, playing a few Holiday trivia games and listening to Christmas music.
