Best Cookies for a Cookie Exchange

Too busy to host a dinner party, try a cookie exchange instead. You send everyone home with a variety of cookies to enjoy during the holidays and you get to hang out with friends.

There’s nothing like a cookie during the holidays and a cookie exchange is a great way to share your favorite recipe and gather some new ones from your friends. I don’t know about you, but at Christmas I tend to make the family favorites. Hosting a cookie swap allows you to try out some new recipes and maybe add to your favorite list. Need some help deciding on what are the best cookies for a cookie exchange, I’ve got some great ideas.

What is a cookie exchange

A cookie exchange or cookie swap is where you make several dozen of one type of cookie and invite several friends to do the same. Everyone brings their cookies and goes home with a variety to eat during the holidays. You end up with a wide variety of cookies and you only had to make one kind.

What I enjoy the most about cookie exchanges is having an excuse to get together with friends that doesn’t require a big time commitment. No dinner to fret over, just some snacks and drinks.

Why you’ll love it

• You get a wide variety of cookies to enjoy over the holidays.
• You only have to make one type of cookie which is much quicker and easier than making ten!
• If you’re hosting a party later, you already have cookies to serve.
• It’s a great way to get together with friends without having to do much work.

How to host a cookie swap

When hosting a cookie swap, have everyone bring enough cookies to share a dozen or half dozen with all the guests. If it’s a small group, 6-8, go with a dozen. If any larger, then go with a half dozen. Making 12 dozen cookies is a lot of work, 6 is manageable.

When you send out your invitations, ask your friends to tell you what type of cookie they are going to bring. You don’t want duplicates. If they don’t have a favorite cookie, a dessert bar or fudge are nice additions. Have them send you a copy of the recipe so you can print one out for everyone to take home with them.

If you want to be creative you could pick a theme and have everyone bring a peppermint dessert or cookies that have red or green in them, or frosted cookies.

Also plan ahead and have plastic bags or treat boxes to package their cookies in. You can find them on Amazon, this box should work for several dozen cookies.

What should you serve at a cookie swap

You don’t want to eat up all the beautiful cookies and not have enough to send home with your friends. So instead of eating cookies, try some simple appetizers and serve them with wine or a favorite holiday punch. Here are some favorite appetizers that you can make ahead and which are still scrumptious at room temperature if the party goes long.

If you want to make something more substantial, you could serve pulled pork or chicken sliders made in the slow cooker, or a big pot of chili and cornbread, all of these can be made in advance and won’t take you away from your guests.

For inspiration, whether you’re hosting or bringing cookies to a cookie swap, here are some of my favorites along with some from some fabulous bloggers that I know you’ll love. You’ll find some classics along with some twists.

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