Cookie Exchange Party - we all want to be successful when hosting a party. Here are a few of my cookie exchange ideas for large groups and small groups. Let me show you how easy it is to host an event that focuses on Christmas Cookies over the holiday season.
Have you ever hosted a cookie exchange party? Hosting a cookie exchange party can be a lot of work while at the same time a lot of fun.
Why not plan one this holiday season with a few of your friends? After you read through this post, check out my Cookie Party Ideas as well for more fun tips.
Invite Guests
Here are a few cookie exchange party ideas to help you have a fun and successful party:
- Decide on how many guests you want to invite. The bigger your guest list is, the more baking everyone has to do.
- Last year I went to an insanely big Christmas Cookie Exchange Party. I baked close to 300 cookies; but I also came home with an incredible amount of cookies that I was able to use for most all my Christmas entertaining.
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Here are some really cute invitations you can order from Amazon:
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Set Ground Rules
- Give an exact number of cookies that everyone needs to bring. The few cookie exchange parties I have been to, the host let us know at least a week or so before the party how many cookies we needed to bake and bring with us.
- A good rule of thumb is to ask everyone to bring a dozen cookies per guest invited. So if you have invited six guests, as each one to bring 72 cookies.
Have your Guests Bring a Copy of their Recipe
Ask each guest to bring their recipe written out on recipe cards to include with each package of cookies they bring for the exchange. Here's a cute FREE Christmas Recipe Card for you to use and share with your guests.
When to Bake your Cookies
Now that you have the rules and cookie exchange party ideas in place, let's talk cookies!
Check out my huge list of Christmas Cookies to help you find the perfect cookie to bake and bring to the cookie exchange party.
Try to have your cookies baked a few days before the exchange. You don't want to be up late the night before baking 72 or more cookies. Trust me, that's what I did one year and my husband had to help as it became obvious I wasn't ever going to finish baking cookies.
It helps to plan ahead and maybe choose a cookie that can be frozen. There are a lot of recipes that you can freeze the dough ahead of time and then bake the day before the cookie exchange as well.
My Freezer Friendly Slice and Bake Cookies for a cookie exchange party. You can also read up on a few tips on How to Freeze Cookie Dough from my blog.
Ask your Guests to Bring a Tray of Cookies
In addition to the cookies your guests are preparing to exchange, have them also bring a tray of cookies for everyone to taste. This works nice if you're also planning on having a brunch or light lunch. You can use the trays of cookies for dessert.
I set up a separate dessert buffet table for guests to place their cookie trays on when they arrive.
Offer Gift Boxes or Bags for the Cookies
Your guests will need a way to bring home all the cookies. There are many great ideas that you can find online at Amazon or at your local Dollar Tree Store.
Here are a few ideas:
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Provide Brunch or a Light Lunch
Enjoy the time catching up with your friends as you all enjoy something yummy to eat. You can either provide all the food yourself or you can have everyone bring a dish to share.
Here are a few ideas from my Christmas Breakfast Recipes index:
- Christmas Tree Cheese Board - this is such a cute way to serve cheese to your guests.
- Candy Cane Danish - I made this recipe one year for a cookie exchange and it looked so great on the buffet table.
- Mini Pizza Appetizers - use cookie cutters to make cute individual sized pizzas!
- Christmas Tree Cream Cheese Danish - this recipe is really easy to make and looks so cute sitting on the buffet.
Set up a Hot Cocoa Bar
Cookies always taste better with hot cocoa, right? Here's a fun idea that we did at one of our cookie exchange parties.
Time to Swap Cookies
After you spend some time socializing with your friends, have each guest tell a little story about the cookie recipe they brought with them.
Some ladies like to make a recipe that was their grandmother's favorite and have a lovely story to tell. Take the time to swap the cookies with each other.
Maybe you want to play a game where everyone votes for their favorite cookie. Most importantly enjoy each other's company for the few hours you are together.
This recipe has been updated since it first appeared in 2016 with new photos and new information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!
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