Cookie Exchange Party

I was thinking of hosting a cookie exchange party for the holidays. I have a few questions about planning it.

First of all, how early should the exchange be? I want to host it early enough that everyone will benefit from the goodies and recipes, but late enough so that people are in the holiday mood.

Secondly, should I have the party be a recipe exchange and just have the guests bring samples for everyone? Or, should I have everyone bring a dozen of their dish to give to every other guest? I can see advantages and disadvantages to both ways.

Finally, do you think I should serve other foods at the exchange? If so, what? I was going to provide drinks and perhaps some vegetables, crackers, cheese and dip. Do you think that’s okay?

If you have any other tips, I’d love to hear them! Thanks!

I’ve never attended a cookie exchange party, but they’ve always sounded like a lot of fun.  I think which way you go (everyone taking home a dozen cookies from each guest or just a few of each type) can depend on your guest list.  For instance, if a lot of your guests have small families or are on restricted diets, dozens and dozens of cookies would be more of a hindrance for them. 

I think serving other foods makes sense because you’ll have lots of opportunities to sample the cookies when you take them home - you might as well enjoy some other snacks while you’re socializing.

An alternative I’ve heard of is to have an actual cookie baking party.  I remember this was a family tradition for one of my friends when I was younger.  This would require a lot more planning and a lot more kitchen space, though.

I had a chance to interview someone at Wilton about Christmas cookie exchange parties, and I thought of this discussion. One of the suggestions I really liked was to take some time at the party to share a story about the cookies each guest brought, whether it’s describing the family history behind them or passing on some cooking tips. I think this can help make the cookies you share even more special.  The interview has some other helpful suggestions for planning or attending a cookie exchange, too.

Lorie—I loved the interview you wrote! Thanks for sharing that! It definitely had some useful tips. I like the idea of everyone sharing background information about the cookie recipe/tips for baking. The decorating “station” is another great idea I might use!

Your idea of an actual baking party is a good one; however, the house we currently live in has a tiny kitchen. It wouldn’t be very good for hosting a party where we needed lots of kitchen space for several cooks! Thanks for the suggestion though—I’m sure other party planners will love it!