How To Have A Cookie Exchange Party This Year
Today it’s all about how to have a cookie exchange party this year! My daughter, Alli, has a friend named Charla who is amazing in everything she puts her mind to! Well, every year she has a cookie exchange party with friends and family.
I know we have virtual cookie exchanges sometimes, but I’m talking about planning a real cookie exchange party. You know you grab a piece of paper and start numbering it with all your friends and if they have emails, yay!
You can put together an email list to send out the invitation to everyone this year, next year, and the year after that. Social media is fabulous, don’t get me wrong, but there is something about that face-to-face conversation that is so important. Cookie exchange party, here we come!!
Here’s how it works, one person is the host, in this case, Charla is the host and therefore opens up her home to friends and family to exchange cookies.
Now, typically the party is around the holidays so you bring cookies for everyone attending to exchange. Let’s say you have invited 15 people and then only ten people can make it. No worries, not everyone can come to the party on the date you have planned.
Each guest brings a dozen cookies based on their recipe with enough to provide for ten people. In other words, you bring enough cookies to taste and trade for cookies at the party.
How To Have A Cookie Exchange Party This Year
Cookie Exchange Party Tips:
- Send out the invitations about 4 weeks in advance with instructions where the cookie exchange party is, the date and time. You will let them know how many are invited to attend. You will instruct them to bring a dozen cookies for each person attending. I would keep the party at 8-12 people otherwise it may seem overwhelming to make a LOT of cookies. Instruct them to make copies of their cookie or bar recipes to trade with each other. R.S.V.P. is very important for this party to be successful.
- The host will have a table decorated to place your cookies on a cake platter, large trays, etc. If you want to bring your own display tray, do it.
- It’s fun to bring small boxes with parchment paper to place your cookies in after the cookie exchange.
- Bring your own ribbon, twine or tags to decorate your cookie boxes to deliver to neighbors and family for the holidays.
- Here’s the deal if you want to bring cookies you bake from a package, go for it. This is a party to meet up with friends and family. If you work two jobs pay someone to make some from scratch for you. You can also purchase them already made that taste yummy from Costco, for instance. Yes, they are pricey but life is busy sometimes. No recipe card, no worries. Just come and enjoy the party.
- The host will provide lemon water, milk, coffee or tea to sip on while tasting the extra cookies.
- The party can last two to three hours or less depending on the time schedule of those attending. Who loves cookies, I know I do!!!
My Favorite Cookie Recipes:
1. Super Soft Sugar Cookies
- cup softened butter no substitute
- 3/4 cup oil I use vegetable oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 5 cups freshly ground hard white wheat flour or white bread flour
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Cream all the ingredients together, except the flour. Slowly add the flour until blended with heavy duty mixer.
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Use a cookie scoop (I used the purple-1/8 cup scoop) and place each scoop about two inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Parchment paper or Silpat mat works great too. Next, push the center of the cookies as illustrated below with a small glass bottom or tart pusher, but not all the way through. I bake my cookies for 8-10 minutes. (please note: whole wheat takes longer to bake, 9-10 minutes). Frost with cream cheese frosting! Yummy!
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1- eight-ounce cream cheese softened
- 3 to 3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla
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Cream the butter with the cream cheese and slowly add the powdered sugar to the thickness you desire. Add the vanilla until blended.
2. Softest Peanut Butter Cookies Ever
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose white flour (I use bread flour)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup salted or unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 bag chocolate Hershey Kisses-unwrapped
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Gather all of your ingredients. Preheat the oven to (375°F) = (190°C) degrees. Allow the butter to soften. Grease your cookie sheets, or place parchment paper on them. Allow the butter to soften at room temperature.
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Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter, white granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, baking soda, sea salt, creamy peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Whip until creamed.
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Gradually add the flour until the flour mixture is blended well.
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Once blended, shape the cookie dough into 1-inch balls and place them on a greased cookie sheet or baking sheet with parchment paper. I use a 1/8 cup cookie scoop to make these yummy cookies.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of the balls you make, the cooking time may vary.
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Unwrap the Hershey Kisses before you bake them so they are ready when needed. You may want to chill the "kisses" because they may start to melt when placed on a hot cookie. After baking, immediately add an unwrapped chocolate kiss in the center of each cookie. By doing so, the "kisses" melt just a bit into the hot peanut butter cookies, which helps them to stick. So delicious!
3. Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookies
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup cocoa unsweetened natural cocoa Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, 8-Ounce Container (Pack of 2)
- 2 cups flour I used white bread flour because that’s what I store
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Cream all the ingredients, as in dump/cream all the ingredients in your mixer bowl and then add the flour. Blend until thoroughly mixed. I used my 1/8 cup cookie scoop similar to this one: OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of cookie scoop you use. Of course, spoons work just as well. I used spoons growing up! I taught classes at a kitchen store and learned about cookie scoops. Life is good with cookie scoops, just saying.
Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, 8-Ounce Container (Pack of 2)
OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop
Mint Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 1 8-ounce softened cream cheese
- 3 to 3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or a few drops of peppermint essential oils
- Food coloring if desired
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Combine all of the ingredients and use a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
I love this frosting because I can make it ahead of time and freeze it. I thaw it in the refrigerator and it will be ready when I need it the next day. With the delicious cookies above, covered with this wonderful frosting you have the best of both worlds.
4. The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2-1/2 cups bread flour
- 2 cups chocolate chips 12-ounce package semi-sweet or milk chocolate
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
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Cream the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Gradually add the flour until blended. Fold in the chocolate chips. Grease the cookie sheets and spoon onto the cookie sheets. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cookies from the cookie sheets and cool on wire racks. I use my 1/8 cup cookie scoop when I make these cookies.
Please let me know what the name of your favorite cookie recipe is, I love to hear those things! Let me know if you have done a cookie exchange party before. Thanks for being prepared for the unexpected.
My favorite things:
Norpro 3253 Tart Tamper, Brown
KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
OXO Good Grips Silicone Cookie Spatula
Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet
Silpat AE420295-07 Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, Half Sheet Size, 11-5/8″ x 16-1/2″
KitchenAid KP26M1XNP Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer – Nickel Pearl
