How do you host a cookie exchange?

[Celina]

From what I've heard is that everyone brings cookies to share and enough cookies to send home with each guest so that in the end everyone leaves with a good size tray/basket full of home made cookies. YUMMY!!

 

I've heard about these and they sound fun and practical for those of us that bake. I love having the girls over and have lots of cute Christmas stuff that I never get to use.

 

I totally want to do this but I just can't figure out what the ratio is for cookies to bring per person.

 

I am inviting 14 girlfriends and want to have cookies to taste and cookies to share.

 

Any help please??

[Cattie]

We used to do this at my old casino. All the girls that dealt craps got together and had our annual cookie party. We would use about a dozen per person, maybe a little less if they don't have kids and all.

[kellywinter1]

We are doing a cookie exchange at my office. We even have some of the guys in the office involved. We are doing around 5 cookies. We also have a couple rules like no chocolate chip and no store bought items. We are all so excited to be trying different types of cookies. And the only person who knows what kind of cookies every one is bringing is the girl running the exchange, that way it will be a surprise to all of us involved what cookies we will try. Good luck with your exchange!

[Celina]

Okay - so if I have 14 girls - I have them bring 42 cookies - 14 to share at the party and 28 left over so everyone can take two home. All of my friends have kids and are married so they'll want extra.

 

That makes sense doesn't it?

[jrodsgirl]

I actually just went to one of these hosted by my FSIL and FMIL. There were 15 ladies total. We had to bring a dozen cookies for each person and one to share for the night. I had to make 16 dozen (1 to share, 1 for me, and the other 14 were for everyone else). Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. Each kind of cookie was tracked by FSIL and FMIL so that there were no duplicates. Hope that helps!

[cdc0427]

Celina,

I don't think that's enough cookies. At my old job, everyone brought about a dozen for each person wrapped already. I don't recall bringing them to eat at that time but that is a great idea. So....I would have everyone bring in a dozen for each person, already wrapped and ready to be passed out and a dozen to eat at that time.

[cdc0427]

I forgot, this is a great idea if someone will be hosting a holiday party later. You already have the cookies to share. Just thing 14 dozen, umm that's 168 cookies. I don't think your family can eat all those alone!

[Jessica]

I have no idea what the answer is to your question, but I sure do want some cookies now!

[Maura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrodsgirl I actually just went to one of these hosted by my FSIL and FMIL. There were 15 ladies total. We had to bring a dozen cookies for each person and one to share for the night. I had to make 16 dozen (1 to share, 1 for me, and the other 14 were for everyone else). Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. Each kind of cookie was tracked by FSIL and FMIL so that there were no duplicates. Hope that helps!

this is how i do it. except if there are over 12 people coming, i ask that they bring enough for each person to taste test 2 cookies from the share batch. so sometimes that means bringing 3 doz for sharing.

also, dont forget to have everybody bring printouts of their recipes! if you tell everybody to make their recipe the same size (i usually ask people to do half of an 8.5x11 piece of computer paper), you can have a hole puncher & some ribbon to string them all into a little booklet, and the hostess provides a little booklet cover that has their name & the holiday cookie exchange date. make sure you tell each participant to also put their name on their own recipe cards so people know where they came from, as well as label what the cookies are for each little sack you give away to other guests.

the way i do that is i go buy holiday cellophane bags from target or a party store & then just close them up with ribbon & make return address size labels on the computer that have my name & the kind of cookie. you should track what each guest plans to make so there are no dulipcates, and yes we also have the rule about no choc chip cookies or store-bought items.

now that my closest gfs are so far flung, we do an elfster style cookie exchange where you only get one person you have to send cookies to, but you send 3-4 different kinds. i've been wanting to host a cookie exchange for my friends here, but i've just been too busy lately with work to organize & send out invitations, so maybe next year. have fun!!!

[Celina]

Maura - you tied it all up for me! This sounds great! Now I just have to figure out when I can get this done!

 

I'm never worried about too many cookies....I work in a firehouse and I have lots of hungry firefighters I give my leftovers to. I swear, they are eating machines!