Planning the Perfect Holiday Cookie Swap

[Sue Lau]

Planning the Perfect Holiday Cookie Swap

-Send out invitations to your swap as soon as you can before the party! This way everyone can make plans and find childcare if necessary.
About 2 weeks before the holidays is a great date.

-Have everyone bake their cookies about 3 days in advance, so if they start to forget, they still have a couple of days to catch up. This also helps the cookie dry out a bit and makes them better to store in a tin.

-7 dozen cookies is a great amount for each person to bake. Each person should be able to leave with about the same amount.

-You can also have types of candy included in the swap, such as pralines or fudge!

-It is a great idea to suggest to your guests that they bake at least some of their cookies that freeze well, so people can pop their cookies into the freezer and bring them out later.

Plan an "Adults Only" party, to give a break from all the stresses of the holiday season. No children allowed!
Don't plan on eating the cookies, only to swap them.
For food, plan on having hors d'oeuvres and other finger foods, set out buffet style, along with some "adult" type holiday drinks, such as spiked eggnog and wassail.

After serving some of the food and drink and having time to socialize, everyone can get down to swapping cookies.
It's a nice idea to have them all laid out in the dining area on the table (you can decorate the table with a holiday tablecloth and a centerpiece if you like).
Everyone can then talk about the cookies they have brought, where the recipe came from, why they like it, any adventures they had while making them, etc.
Everyone should have brought an empty container or cookie tin to put some cookies in.
Everyone can go around the table and take several cookies from each plate or platter and add them to their tin. This will continue until the cookies are gone.
It is also a great idea if any of the people wish to print out recipes for the cookies and lay them by the plates for anyone who might want them.

[* Pamela *]

I hosted 2 swaps this year. One on a Friday night and I served appetizers and the next morning I had a brunch. Brunch is a great idea, as around this time a year it is hard to get everyone together in the evening due to other Christmas plans such as work parties, kids Christmas concerts etc. I invited 10 (+ myself) people to each swap and everyone brought 10 dozen, so everyone got 1 dozen from each person. I also had the swaps the last weekend in November and sent out my invitations just before Rememberance day (Nov 11). I find this date works better than having it closer to Christmas, as you can do all of your baking in Novemeber and begin December with it all completed. I also make sure everyone brings an item that is freezable so that it will actually make it through December. These are just some ideas that I thought I would add. This is my second year of hosting.