Host a Cookie Exchange
Swap stories and delicious treats with friends, plus find yummy recipes.
As a typical time-stressed mom who grows even more frazzled during the holidays, the concept of the cookie exchange appeals to me in a Santa-sized way. You spend a fun evening with friends, sample delicious home-baked treats, and end the party with a large batch of assorted holiday cookies to take home! When I have company during this busy season, I impress guests with plates of beautifully decorated homemade cookies (most of which I didn't make myself but that's my secret).
Hosting a cookie exhange can be a simple way to share holiday cheer with friends as well as stock your cookie jar. It gives you the chance for a much-needed break from the seasonal rush. If you're game to have the gala at your house, here are some of my tried and true tips for how to keep it easy, fun and as merry as the season.
Do the numbers: Ask each guest to bring a half-dozen cookies per person, plus an extra dozen. That means if youre having 10 people, ask each to bring six dozen cookies. Each of you will take home 6 of each type of cookie, and there'll be 12 left for tasting at the party. Another nice gesture is for everyone to bring an extra dozen or so cookies and make up plates of cookies for senior citizens who can no longer bake on their own.
Set cookie guidelines: Nearly all types of cookies work well, though you may want to suggest that people avoid no-bake cookies. Some tasters are squeamish about eating goodies that have been handled (or kid-handled) by dirty hands. And if you want to stick to a holiday theme, ask guests to stay away from chocolate chip cookies, too. See below for some recipes, excerpted from my book, The Kids' Holiday Baking Book: 150 Dessert Recipes from Around the World (St. Martins Griffin):
Turkish Butter Cookies
German Spritz Cookies
Cookie Cut Outs with Vanilla Icing
Swap recipes, too: Remind your friends to bring copies of their recipe to share! It's frustrating to taste a melt-in-your-mouth Mexican wedding cake or a sublime rum ball and then not have the means to go home and duplicate it yourself.
Serve easy party fare: Your menu is a matter of individual preference. I've been to cookie exchanges where the hors doeuvres were unbelievably elaborate and others where the only thing served with the cookies is coffee. I like to put out cheese, crackers, fresh fruit, and maybe some salted nuts. Then after everyone has arrived and has sampled the non-sweets, we get to the main attraction: the cookies! With them, it's nice to offer hot cider and cocoa, plus tea and coffee.
Try a theme: For variation, consider asking everyone to bring a cookie that's typically made in their country of origin. (Since I am Scottish, I often bring shortbread.) You could also have a party featuring cookies kids love, or cookies that are rolled into a shape and then creatively iced and decorated.
Play some games: It's also fun to plan some games, like Holiday Jeopardy. For instance, a sample question might be: This well-known, indispensable reindeer accompanies Santa on his sleigh each year and has a very red nose. The answer would be: Who is Rudolph? Telling guests in advance that you will be giving a prize for the most original (or funniest, or prettiest) holiday outfit encourages guests to come festively dressed.
Make it moms only: I think a cookie exchange works best when it's girls only. It's better not to be distracted by children and husbands. If there's any grumbling, tell your family (with a straight face, please!) that you need to try out all the cookies so you can recommend the best ones to them. They'll have plenty of time to taste later.
Turkish Butter CookiesAfter baking, coat these melt-in-your-mouth morsels with a shower of confectioners sugar so they're pure white.
Makes 20
½ cup confectioners sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
- Additional confectioners sugar for the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the sugar, vanilla extract and butter together for 2 or 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Measure the flour into a sifter. Sift it into the butter mixture in 3 parts, beating well after each addition.
- Pat the dough into a rectangle. Cut into 20 squares. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and onto a wire rack, using a spatula.
- Place the confectioners sugar on a shallow dinner plate. Coat the warm cookies with plenty of the sugar. Store in an airtight container.
Youll need a cookie press to make these buttery cookies. If you form the dough into wreaths, tint it green and then decorate each cookie with red hots or red sprinkles.
Makes about 5 dozen
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the baking sheets
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour
Sprinkles, jimmies, and red hots for decorating, if you like
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter some baking sheets.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter for 2 minutes, until little tails form and it's pale yellow. Gradually add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla extract and the egg. Beat thoroughly.
- Sift in half the flour and beat again. Sift in the remaining flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until you have a nice soft dough.
- Spoon the dough into a cookie press and pipe out cookies onto the prepared baking sheets. You can make wreaths, stars, candy canes, squiggles or any shape that you like. Press jimmies, sprinkles or red hots into the tops of the cookies.
- Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden. With a spatula, remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Start with these basics to make endless variations on holiday themes.
Makes 3 dozen
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, and more for the work surface
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray
- In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed of an electric mixer for 1 minute.
- Gradually add the sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Measure flour into a large sifter set over a dinner plate. Add baking soda and salt to flour. Sift flour mixture into the egg-butter mixture and beat on medium speed until smooth. If the dough seems sticky, beat in a few more tablespoons of flour.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, form it into 3 balls, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight. (The dough may also be frozen for up to a month.)
- When ready to bake, set the dough on the work surface for 5 minutes or until pliable. Knead it briefly with your hands if necessary until it is pliable. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle work surface with flour.
- Roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out cookies with a table knife or holiday cookie cutters. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are just starting to brown and the tops are firm. Remove cookies with a spatula to a wire rack. Let cool about 15 minutes before icing.
This frosting dries quickly and is so versatile you'll use it on cupcakes and cakes, too. To vary the flavor, substitute lemon or almond extract for the vanilla extract.
Makes enough for 3 to 4 dozen cookies
3 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup milk, plus more as needed
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Beat well with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes or until the icing is creamy and smooth.
- Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
