Host a Christmas Cookie Exchange Party
A Cookie Exchange party is a fun way to try a variety of cookies without spending all your time in the kitchen baking.
Bar cookies are very popular in cookie trade parties. You want to bake cookies that are special, not something that people bake all the time, like chocolate chip cookies.
Make Your Invitations
Make your own cookie exchange party invitations easily by outlining a large cookie cutter on poster board and cutting out the shape. Add your party information using markers or print from your computer. Here are a few invitations that I made:
See this section for help with making your own invitations.
For invitations print party information on recipe cards or a small gift card and attach to cookie cutters with ribbon.
Ask the guests to bring one dozen cookies for eating at the party and 2 dozen cookies to exchange. A nice touch is to have the guests print out their cookie recipe onto index cards and bring those to the party.
Decorations for your Cookie Exchange Party
Set up a side table to hold all the cookies for the exchange.Set up another table complete with drinks, candles and Christmas decorations for the cookies you will be eating that evening.
Tune into some Christmas music on your stereo.
Let The Christmas Party Begin
As the guests arrive place the cookies on the assigned tables. If the guests brought cookie recipe cards, set those near the cookies that will be exchanged.
Christmas cookie boxes
Each guests gets a plain white box large enough to hold two dozen cookies. Provide markers, glitter pens, stickers and stencils for everyone to decorate their boxes. They don't get any cookies unless they decorate the box!
Place the boxes aside to dry.
The Fun Part: Eating Christmas Cookies
While the boxes are drying you can chatter about Christmas gifts you hope are under the tree, play word games like what's in the cookie jar? or cookies for Santa while eating cookies!Exchange Cookies
Provide guest with festive colored tissue paper to line their cookie boxes with.Everyone gets to take home two cookies of each variety.
Make sure they take home a recipe card too! They might want to bake the cookies at home to use for Christmas dessert.
Congratulate yourself for hosting another fine party and taking the time to spend with friends and family.