No time to bake Christmas cookies? Tired of making the same recipes year after year?
We have the answer—a Christmas Cookie Exchange!
The basic idea is simple. Bake one type of cookie, take home a variety of others. With the help of the internet, there are countless ways to pull off a successful cookie swap, but we at Suburban Living want to help make your cookie exchange party the easiest party you host over the holidays.
Here Are Some Things To Think About:
Set a Date and Time
December is hit-or-miss when it comes to people’s availability. Give guests a few weeks’ notice and your party may be the one that they work around as other events are scheduled. Think through the start and end time. A party held from 2pm-4pm is a good length as it gives guests time to visit and yet still allow partygoers time to do some Christmas shopping on the way home or squeeze in photos with Santa in the morning. At that time of day, serving light snacks is appropriate for an event that lands between lunch and dinner.
Decide on Quantities
No one likes being last in line at the buffet when there isn’t enough food for all the guests. For a successful cookie exchange, you want each friend to bring equal numbers of cookies for everyone, plus an extra portion for sampling. This ensures that everyone goes home with the same quantity of cookies they came with. So, if you plan to have 10 guests, including yourself, you’ll want everyone to bring 11 dozen cookies. Depending on your guest list, or if a dozen sounds overwhelming, you can certainly cut the requirement to a half-dozen each.
Avoid Cookie Overlap
Decide whether your party is for homemade goodies only, or if it’s no big deal when your neighbor comes in with cookies from Trader Joe’s or a local bakery. If you go homemade, and prefer to not end up having a 10-way contest for the best snickerdoodle, prevent cookie duplication by expanding the definition of “cookie.” This means your best friend can bring her famous lemon bars, or your sister-in-law can make her wildly popular peanut brittle. Another way to avoid overlap is to encourage use of heirloom or ethnic recipes that are unique to each family. You could also ask guests to RSVP publicly with a note as to what they’re bringing.
Invite Your Friends
Keep your guest list to 8 to 10 friends. Since everyone who attends will be asked to bake 6 to 12 cookies per guest, plus some extras, you don’t want your friends spending hours in the kitchen before coming to the party. Send invitations out the old-fashioned way (i.e. the mail) or create an online invitation, such as Evite, using a party-themed template. Include plenty of information so your guests know how many cookies to bring, how the swap will be done, how many cookies they should expect to take home, and other details.
Offer Additional Snacks
The extra dozen (or half-dozen) cookies each guest brings will be set out for nibbling, but that’s a lot of sugar! You might want to consider putting out a fruit platter with small bunches of grapes, pineapple chunks, or a variety of berries, along with something salty, such as mixed nuts, pretzels, popcorn, or cheese and crackers. For a mid-afternoon timeframe, have plain and flavored waters, tea and coffee, hot chocolate, or a simple warm spiced cider punch available.
Organize the Swap
Here’s where you can really go crazy or choose to keep it super-simple. You can request that each guest bring their cookie dozens already packaged up for each additional guest. You can request that each guest bring her own container in which to put her take-home dozens. You can supply bakery boxes, cookie tins, Tupperware, cellophane bags, or some other container for packing up the goodies to take home. You can put the cookies on pretty plates and have your guests go around the table taking and packaging their portion. You can add a note by each plate with the name of the cookie and the baker, as well as caution guests with allergies about certain ingredients. There are as many ways to do this part as there are cookie varieties! Regardless of how you handle the sweets swapping, consider giving every guest a chance to “introduce” her cookie contribution to the group. You’ll be surprised how many recipes come with good stories!
Share Recipes with Guests
The best part of a cookie exchange is not just having dozens of cookies to take home, but taking home each recipe so that you can make them again on your own. It’s easy enough to ask your guests to bring copies of their recipe to give to everyone. Or, request the recipes in advance of the party and create simple booklets by copying the recipes and binding the pages together with red or green ribbon and some themed cardstock as a cover. A custom cookie cookbook is a fun and practical favor to send home with your friends.
Put your most festive Christmas décor on display, light up the Christmas tree, and play some Christmas music in the background. Add red and green napkins, white tablecloths, and your holiday dishes. Or, keep it simple and dress up sturdy disposable plates with small paper doilies.
At this time of year, every gathering should be meaningful, peaceful, and enjoyable. Don’t put pressure on yourself to create the perfect ambiance. Your Christmas Cookie Exchange should be about delicious treats and treasured friends. A little bit of planning, and sharing expectations with your guests, will ensure everyone has a good time. And who knows…you might just be starting an annual tradition.
