I am hosting my 3rd annual cookie exchange this year, and still trying to make it run smoothly. Can anyone share their tips with me if they have a cookie exchange? I usually have 15 women over for brunch, and we each make a cookie. Then you sample, and take 3-5 cookies of each kind. Last year, I found some women didn't get all the cookies they should have, and others took too many. I was thinking of telling everyone to pre-package their 5 cookies in a ziploc bag? Any other tips??
My neighbor does one each year and it's a huge success! We go to her house for cocktails and hors d'ouerves and each bring 1/2 dozen cookies pre-packaged for each person. She provides boxes or large shopping bags and lines them up with our names on them at the entry. When you come in, put one package in each box/bag and go grab a glass of wine! When you leave, take your box.
Here's my suggestion:
However many women are attending, have everyone make that many cookies for everyone. "Their" bag would be shared at the party, the rest distributed to everyone else so everyone walks in with the same number of cookies that they walk out with (minus the shared cookies).
Example: Have 16 people make 16 bags with 16 cookies each. Then one bag of each cookie gets opened for the tasting, and everyone walks away with 15 bags of 16 cookies each, that they did not bring.
To make less cookies: You have 15 guests, so that makes 16 women total attending. Everyone makes 112 cookies (16 bags with 6 cookies to distribute to everyone, plus 16 cookies for all to taste).
Want to make even less? Fine: Have everyone bring 16 so everyone gets to try one, then 32 more so everyone leaves with two of each cookie. Make 48 cookies total, or 4 dozen.
As guests arrive, take ALL the cookies to the kitchen and have one bag opened and set out (on a tray? in seperate bowls?) and numbered for the tasting, then seperate the rest of the bags to be distributed into sacks with guest names on them, so they all have the same thing and number of cookies to take with them. Once everyone has arrived, you can have a tasting and award a prize for prettiest cookie, best tasting, best presentation, or whatever.
My mom's sorority used to do a candy exchange for years! She would bring home peanut butter balls, fudge, peanut brittle, homemade caramels, 'strawberry' candies, peanut butter fudge, etc. It was fantastic!
My mom and I are on our 11th annual cookie exchange this year and we have a process that makes everything go pretty smoothly. Everyone makes a type of cookie in 1/2 dozen packages for each other person. They also bring a copy of or attach a copy of the recipe. We have two contests - one for the best tasting cookie and one for the nicest packaging. The voting is done by the guests. We give a prize for each. The guests also bring an ornament to play "white elephant or dirty santa".
Every guest leaves with a 1/2 dozen cookies of each kind that were made. If you bring 15 1/2 dozen cookies, you leave with 15 1/2 dozen cookies.
Good luck and have fun. Message me if you have any more questions.
Rachel, that is way too many cookies to make. NO WAY would I be able to attend that party.
We ask the gals and now a couple of dads who like to bake to bring 2 dozen cookies each. 1 dozen to share. The 2nd dozen split in 1/2 and pre-packaged, usually on a nice paper plate, covered. There is one table for eating and one table for taking. Each person usually leaves with 2 plates.
I have noticed the older guests enjoy bringing cookies, but not taking any home. There is always a hoarder who didn't have time to bake, so brings a store bought item then loads up on the way out the door...they are not invited back...
We have held ours on the weekend so kids and working neighbors can attend too.
The hostess provides coffee/tea/water.
We somehow always end up with way more cookies than expected. So I think the guest are bringing more than the requested 2 plates to go.
We've been doing cookie exchange for about 15 years now! We actually also have a competition where people put their cookies on the table, each tray receives a number and then everyone votes after tasting! The winner hosts the next year. To distribute the cookies, the hostess always gets some type of take out box or basket with wax and tissue paper, etc. Each person receives one and everyone goes around the table getting at least two. For the big batches people can get more. This is done at one time, so you can stress that people are only allowed to take 2 or 5 or however many cookies and if there are leftovers whoever wants them gets them first come / first served. I wouldn't urge ziplocks because baked goods left in them for more than a day usually have a decidedly plastic taste to them.
When I went to a cookie party, I was looking for the salty food - it became too much sweet for me. I gobbled up the queso and chips.
I can't believe women would disobey the 'rules' and take more cookies than they should. Don't invite them again. :) JK. Just make sure you make an announcement and say "Last year everyone didn't get to take home some of the cookies. Please take no more than 2 of each cookie so that everyone can get a sample to share with their husbands at home."
But in the end, I'm sure the women that didn't get to take home a certain cookie got over it and won't hold a grudge. It's just a cookie btw. And the party I went to, I only took home the cookies I wanted to take home. I didn't take the chocolate ones with cherries on top. Me & Hubby wouldn't have liked them. Make it simple and relaxed and no pressure.
