Written by Joanne M. Anderson
The cookie exchange is some kind of wonderful because it’s ageless … great for kids, tweens, teens, young professionals and all the rest of us! It is also appealing because you make one kind of cookie, go to the cookie exchange and come home with many different kinds of cookies. And, while it’s perhaps most often a holiday event, there are no rules against holding a cookie exchange any time of year.
Date, time, location. Any day. Any time. Usually at someone’s house, though it can be held at a community center, church or elsewhere that’s convenient for everyone. Establishing an end time, like two hours from start time, is helpful.
How many cookies. This is adjustable depending on number of people, but several dozen, let’s say nine dozen for this example. And nine participants.
Cookie information. Wrap or baggie one dozen cookies together with a label with name of cookie and ingredients (full recipe or just a list), your name and anything special like “sugar-free” or “gluten-free” or other details.
Cookie display. On a table, group each person’s dozens of cookies together, taking one dozen to open and serve with one dozen from everyone.
Drinks, snacks and activities. This can be as simple as water, soda, coffee, tea or punch, coffee and tea flavors, wine, beer, martinis. For activities, one can simply mix and mingle and enjoy socializing. If children or teens participate, perhaps have a decorating station with basic sugar cookies. Older kids can help with snacks and drinks, take photos, decorate cookies and socialize as well. The host[ess] can have organized games, too.
Going home. When things wrap up, each cookie participant can go to the display table and pick up one dozen of each of the cookies others brought.
No rules. You can host a granola or brownie, trail mix or something else exchange. If you get recipes in advance, assemble and print them so everyone goes home with samples and the recipes. For the ultra-harried individual or couple, nothing wrong with popping into a bakery or the cookie aisle for your contribution. We all know that no one can home bake an Oreo, for example! Ghirardelli and others have wonderful box mixes to simplify the process.
The important part is showing up, enjoying cookies and drink and schmoozing with others, unless you are the introvert who needs to carefully manage your holiday outings.
This story appears in the November–December issue of New River Valley Magazine.
