HOW TO HOST A HOLIDAY COOKIE EXCHANGE + COOKIE RECIPES

December 2, 2016

Have you got a stellar cookie recipe that you’re antsy to show off? You should host a cookie exchange. Here, you can A) impress friends with your cookies B) acquire new cookies C) turn this into a charity event and D) get together with friends for a darn good time.

How to host a cookie exchange:

A host (you) invites guests to come join you for an afternoon or evening of cookie swapping fun. You, and each of your guests bakes a batch of cookies to bring and offer (I would suggest bringing at least 10 cookies). On the day of, everybody shows up with their cookies in hand. You will prepare a table with the same amount of platters on it as you have guests (10 guests = 10 platters). Invite your guests to transfer their cookies from their containers to your platters. Then, everyone can grab one cookie from each platter. Everybody leaves with at least one of everyone else’s cookies!

Easy, right? Here are a few tips to help prepare you for a flawless swap:

1. Get a headcount.

Try to get an approximate headcount of how many people are coming. A simple Facebook invitation, or E-vite, is helpful to easily keep track of people who have RSVP’d. When you’ve got a good idea of how many people are coming, you’ve got a better idea of how many cookies each person should be baking. I mean, nobody ever cried about having too many cookies, but there are a few bonafide Scrooges out there that will mope if they end up getting shorted cookies.

2. Provide some savoury snacks and beverages.

I don’t know about you, but when I attend a cookie exchange, I plan on eating some damn cookies. In this scenario, a good host will count on this and really deliver by providing some savoury snacks to offset all of the sugar their guests are consuming. If you’re the host and are in need of some ideas, here are some tried and true appy ideas that are sure to please. You’ll also want to have some tea, coffee, holiday punch, or vegan nog available!

3. Bake for a cause.

The holidays are for giving back, so beyond baking a batch of cookies for your friends this season, why not extend the holiday cheer one step further and do something nice for your community? You can make this a giveback operation in a number of ways, including:

Ask guests to bring nonperishable food donations that you can collect, and drop off at your local food bank.

Investigate some of your local charities, and find out what are on their wishlists. Send this out with your invitation and ask people to bring whatever they can from the list. Gifts often include toiletries, gift certificates, bus passes, and more.

Having participants bake extra cookies that you can be donated to a local neighbourhood house, or sold at work bake-sale style to fundraise for a particular cause.

Ask participants to also bring any winter clothing donations they have along with their cookies, you’ll drive the donations to an organization in need afterwards.

4. Bring the best batch of cookies.

The intention of this event is to bring people together and to work together to give back to a cause of your choosing–but there’s nothing wrong with a little healthy competition, right? Besides, the higher the bar is set, the better the cookies you’re taking home will be. So if you’re looking for a little cookie inspo, you can bet your bottom dollar that these recipes will impress.

And there you have it! Better get a move on and send out those invitations STAT.