Where did they get all those cookies? And how do they find the time? They do not bake them all themselves—they participate in a cookie exchange!
Cookie exchanges are a fun way to kick off the holiday season, plus you go home with a bountiful booty. Cookie exchanges are parties where everyone comes with one kind of cookie and they leave with a variety of cookies. In between the exchanging of cookies, there's a lot of laughing, talking and eating. Sound like your kind of party? Get our your paper and pencil, because here's how you can plan your own cookie exchange.
As the host, you invite 19 (you can invite more or less) friends over for an evening or afternoon of holiday revelry. When you make out your guest list, you might want to keep in mind these people are going to be baking cookies. So if your best friend has trouble finding the microwave in her own kitchen and hasn't discovered the difference between a spatula and an egg beater, you might want to think again before adding her name to the guest list. The best cookie exchanges do not allow "purchased from-the-store" cookies. Heaven forbid!
Now you've got your guest list ready. Call them up, invite them and tell them the good news—each guest and the host bakes 10 dozen cookies. The cookies are then placed in baggies, each containing six cookies. This means each person will be bringing a total of 20 baggies filled with cookies.
Before the party, the host prepares 20 brown paper grocery bags and writes each guest's name on one bag. The host will write her name on a bag also, because she's gone to all this work and deserves some homemade cookies, too! After everyone has arrived give them the grocery bag with their name on it to place in front of them.
As the guests arrive, they give the host one baggie of cookies, which the host will put on trays and place on the refreshment table. A chance to sample will come later.
Now, bring on the cookies! Each person takes a turn at going around the room and placing a baggie of their cookies in each person's grocery bag. They can tell what type of cookie they baked and may even want to include a card with the recipe for each guest.
Many people add to the festivity of the cookie exchange by bringing their
cookies in decorated baskets, bags or boxes. No matter how you bring them, you will be going home with lots and lots of holiday cookies!
Your party can continue with refreshments. Now is the time to sample the cookies given to the host when the guests arrived.
We hope you have fun with your cookie
exchange. Once you've started this tradition, you'll want to continue it
each and every holiday season.