Seems simple, right? Invite a few friends over, ask them to bring some cookies, and call it a day. Cookie exchange parties are an anticipated tradition for many during the holidays, but there are ways to both make them epic and to help them run smoothly.
First and foremost, you must decide what kind of party this will be. I’ve seen it all… from actually baking the cookies during the party, to serving lunch and refreshments during the gathering, to a simple swap involving only sharing the goods and having a nice chat with friends.
No matter how you want to host, gathering friends together during the busy holiday season for a morning or afternoon of flavorful conversation can be a fun and worthy endeavor. Here are four plans for hosting a cookie exchange, plus my favorite cookie recipes to get you inspired.
Option 1: A Cocktail Party
A happy hour cookie swap can be a fun and festive event with friends during the holidays. Set a time in the early evening that works best for you, and invite your friends to bring their cookies along with boxes to pack the exchanged cookies home in. Or you could provide everyone with cookie boxes if you prefer, just make sure to communicate to your guests what to expect.
Come up with a few different cocktails for your guests to choose from. I like to have a mimosa option, and perhaps a holiday sangria that you can make ahead. A homemade spiked cider is fun and easy, and my new cranberry margarita is also quite festive, and easy to put together.
Set up your bar with a bucket of ice, appropriate glassware and your chosen cocktails. I also like to put out a few mixers along with basics like gin, tequila and rum, to give guests more options, as well as wine, a pitcher of water and sparkling waters. Check out mycollection of cocktailsfrom my recipe box for more inspiration.
It is always important when serving drinks to have some finger foods and snacks available. It goes without saying there will be nibbles on cookies, but a few savory treats like a cheese board, dip, olives and charcuterie, and a plate of crisp cut vegetables are no-fuss options. This simple flatbread would also work well. Think effortless and delicious. Be sure to have cocktail napkins and appetizer plates for serving.
Option 2: A Simple Gathering
The holidays can be a busy, hectic time and you may want to have a cookie exchange party, without any extra to-dos. Inviting friends over with their baked cookies, their own containers, and no extra frills is a completely fine way to roll. At the very least though you must have a few beverage options for your guests, such as sparkling waters, or whatever else you prefer to serve. I find mid afternoon is the best time for this type of gathering, but late morning also works. You may want to offer coffee or tea if you have a morning gathering.
Option 3: An Intimate Bake-Off
If the idea of fresh, hot cookies right out of the oven excites you, you may opt for a baking party. This is best done in a smaller group, even if you do have double ovens. Instead of mixing and scooping the cookie batter during the party, ask your guests to bring with them their premade dough, all ready to bake and decorate.
You’ll need to provide baking sheets, parchment paper, and cooling racks. Also, it’s a nice gesture to provide cookie tins, though if you’d rather not, make sure to ask your guests to bring their own to transport the spoils of the cookie swap.
Of course, you should provide refreshments. Beside water and sparkling waters, offering tea and coffee is a nice touch, or you could serve festive alcoholic drinks like mimosas or mulled wine.
Option 4: An Elegant Luncheon
If you really want to make an event out of it, opt to have a seated luncheon along with your cookie exchange. A winter soup, such as a butternut or a parsnip, along with a saladand a loaf of bread is really all you need. Set the table, set up a buffet, and provide refreshments such as sparkling waters, wine, or prosecco. Dessert, of course, can be a cookie tasting along with the exchange.
These richly spiced chocolate cookies are traditional in Sicily around the holidays. Made of flour, almond flour, cocoa, and lots of butter, they are spiked with cinnamon, cloves and orange zest for a dense, moist and flavorful cookie.
These cookies are best if you can refrigerate the dough overnight, so try to plan ahead. If you are short on time, the minimum is 2 hours of refrigeration. It is important that the dough is chilled when it goes into the oven. Pop them back in the fridge for 20 minutes after you've rolled them before baking. This will ensure a fluffy, not flat, cookie.
These biscotti are a little more tender, due to the butter in the dough. Many biscotti I find the need to dunk in a steaming mug of tea or coffee, but these can be enjoyed without any softening. They are a perfect fall and wintertime cookie for any occasion, or no occasion at all.
These are called Amaretti in Modena, Italy, which is where I first tried them. In true Italian fashion, they are amazing for their simplicity and pure, unadulterated flavor. Just five ingredients and very little effort make a soft and chewy almond cookie that keeps well and tastes incredible.
Adapted from Martha StewartA chewy, chocolate gingerbread cookie is a welcome addition to any holiday cookie platter. This cookie dough is very simple to make and can be stored in the freezer until ready to bake, as you prepare for the holiday season. I like to form into cookie dough balls before they go in the freezer, that way when the craving strikes, I can bake one or two off at a time and enjoy a fresh, warm cookie straight from the oven.
I wish I could say these are a special holiday treat for my family, but they are so good I often find myself making a batch in the middle of the summer, when most in their right mind aren't thinking about gingerbread. All of the traditional flavors are here but made better when enhanced by browned butter and chocolate. While the crunch of the double-baked cookie is addictive, I also enjoy dunking my biscotti in a mug of hot tea or coffee to soften.
Thumbprint cookies provide the perfect little indent for filling, adding richness and moisture, and the chance for an additional flavor pop. Here, chocolate cookies are filled with a creamy peppermint ganache, making for a most excellent holiday cookie. Though they are called "thumbprints", I recommend using a melon baller or back of a measuring spoon to indent, as the cookies are quite hot while forming. The utensils will also provide a more uniform indent and result in a prettier form.
These only take a short time to make. Everything goes into the food processor, the bourbon and honey make everything stick together, and you simply roll into balls and coat with powdered sugar. After a day or two, the powdered sugar will absorb into the balls and the bright white will fade, but it’s easy enough to reroll in the sugar to spruce them up for serving. They are punchy, sweet, and fudgy with a smidge of ginger and are a wonderful holiday treat.
Baci di dama often find their way onto my Christmas cookie platter, but really they are great for any time of year. The name means "lady's kiss," and are two hazelnut cookies sandwiched together with bittersweet chocolate. For those wishing to adjust, you may substitute rice flour for all-purpose to make them gluten free. If your grocer does not cary hazelnut flour, you may use almond flour instead.
A perfect holiday cookie – moist and fudgy with a spike of peppermint extract. The powdered sugar coating makes for a pretty and festive appearance, but it will meld into the cookie the longer they sit. If this happens, simply dust a little more powdered sugar over the tops using a mesh strainer.
These go by a couple of different names, including Wedding Cookies and Polvorones. My grandmother always called them Snowballs, and so I do, too. They are a festive looking cookie for the holidays, one that comes together quickly and easily, and has a lovely spiced cinnamon and pecan flavor. My grandmother’s original recipe came from her beloved 1940s era Slovak-American cookbook, from which many of her other treasures were found. I’ve tweaked it slightly.
Christmas Day at my aunt’s house was filled with all sorts of “must-haves.” From buttery rolls to her mother-in-law’s creamed pearl onions, her table was loaded with tradition. Once the turkey, oyster stuffing and other savories had been devoured, she’d bring out a tray of Forgottens. As kids, we preferred these to Ambrosia and fruit cake- her Christmas standbys. Nowadays, I like to add chopped hazelnuts to my Forgottens for textural interest, and a large pinch of cinnamon for festive spice. Note that the cook time is long, but it is not active time. The name Forgottens is derived from the cooking method – turning the oven off and leaving the cookies to finish until the oven fully cools.
Despite its name, apple butter doesn't contain butter. Instead, it refers to a thick spread made by slow cooking apples and spices until concentrated and jammy. It makes the perfect filling for these cookies, which herald in fall baking season like no other.
