Keep the Fun in the Holidays with a Cookie Swap

Send the invites out now!  A cookie exchange is fun and can help you meet new people and share time with family and friends. And of course, swaps provide each guest with an instant variety cookie tray for holiday gatherings.

Tips for Your Swap

Twelve guests is a good amount for the exchange.  Be sure the invitations have all the details about what to bring, such as: 

• How many cookies to bring.  Three dozen of one kind cookie is about right. Make it clear if store-bought is okay or not. 
• Copies of the recipe to share with others. 
• A small sign that lists the name of the cookie and its ingredients in case people have dietary restrictions.
• Some swaps ask invitees to bring inexpensive gifts for a grab bag during the party, or ask each person to bring extra cookies to eat at the party!

Tell everyone to feel free to be creative while making their cookies. And if several people bring the same cookie, it’s no problem. Each will taste different when made by different people. 

As the host, have extra containers, foil or wrap on hand. Or you can provide empty cookie tins or fancy holiday paper plates for take-home cookies.  Have a large area ready for everyone to set out the cookies, and serve snacks and drinks. 

Then the fun begins!  Everyone circulates with an empty cookie bin and fills it with different cookies.  Some cookie swaps include awards by a small panel or based on the entire group’s votes. You can give awards for the most chocolate, the prettiest, the more creative, etc.  Final tip: never make fun of anyone else’s cookie offering, even if it’s something you would never eat! 

Here’s some True Citrus ideas for your swap: Lemon Bars, Lemon Refrigerator Cookies, Sunshine Biscotti, True Lime Cooler Bars, True Lemon Cookies.