Host a Christmas Cookie Exchange!

By: Toronto4Kids

This year, host a Christmas Cookie Exchange! Swap delicious treats with friends, and discover new recipes!

While baking Christmas cookies is a greatly anticipated family tradition, it can be time consuming and stressful! And if you hope to bake many different varieties of cookies, this can indeed become quite a chore! So, why not invite some friends over for a Cookie exchange! You can still keep all the fun of family baking, while minimizing all the work and time pressures! It's an easy, practical and fun way to stock your cookie tins with fabulous homemade treats to share over the Holidays. Less time in the kitchen = more time with loved ones and more time to shop!!

Hosting a Great Cookie Exchange

When you host a cookie exchange party, you invite friends to bring a batch of one type of Christmas cookies to your home - each is packaged for the exact amount of guests coming to the party. Everyone goes home with a great assortment of home-baked cookies for the holiday season! And all they have to do is bake one kind! You can also include other treats such as home made candy, bars, or other seasonal sweets. Of course, everyone has to bring a few extras for sampling. Serve up refreshments and appetizers and voilà: you have the perfect festive get-together with friends! And, if you feel that hosting an exchange at your home would be too stressful, try holding one at work over lunch hour!

A few Tips…

1. Invite a group of 6 to 10 friends. Each person brings either a dozen or half dozen of their favourite cookies for each guest, plus a dozen for sampling at the party. Be aware of allergies, specifically peanut and nut allergies!

2. Send invitations and when your guests RSVP, have them confirm which cookie they are bringing (to avoid duplicates!).

3. Bring your treats in a festive wrapping. You can buy inexpensive seasonal cellophane treat bags, or seasonal boxes or cookies tins. Most are available at crafts stores, supermarkets or dollar stores. If you mix up different types of cookies, they will lose their flavor and texture so it's best to keep them separate.

4. Attach a photocopy of the recipe to share with others, either on a recipe card or festive paper. That way, everyone learns about new, tested recipes! Or, if you want to go "all out", have everyone submit their recipe so you can put together a Cookie Exchange Cookbook for all the guests.

5. Prepare a large table for everyone to set out their cookies. Spread a festive cloth on the table. Have dishes or platters ready to display the "samples"!

6. Have refreshments and appetizers available for your guests. Serve at least one holiday beverage such as eggnog or hot mulled cider along with coffee, tea, juices and, of course, milk!

7. Be sure the party room has some festive decorations and play Christmas tunes throughout the gathering.

8. But most of all, enjoy good friends and some delicious home baking …!