What Is a Christmas Cookie Exchange? (2024)

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A Christmas cookie exchange is a holiday season get-together, sometimes called a “cookie swap.” Each guest brings a different type of homemade cookies to swap with each other.

What Is a Christmas Cookie Exchange? (2)

Cookie exchanges can be as simple or as elaborate as you like and can include games, activities, and socializing. It’s a holiday tradition that dates back at least to the 1930s.

What The Elf Loves About Cookie Exchanges

Bake Once, Save Time

A Christmas cookie exchange saves you lots of time in the kitchen, especially if you enjoy setting your holiday table with an assortment of cookies but don’t have time to make them all. If you host or attend a cookie exchange. You can bake cookies once – a couple of batches of one kind – and then swap with other people at the party. You come home with a beautiful collection of Christmas cookies to enjoy for the rest of the season.

Get New Recipes

Part of the fun of a cookie exchange is sampling cookies. You can enjoy new recipes without making an entire batch. When you go home, you will have a ready source of Christmas cookie recipes that have passed your palate taste test! You can try your new recipes during the season or save them and bake all year long.

Kick Off The Season

When you attend or host a cookie exchange early in the season, you launch your season on a festive note. And you spend time with family and friends (and new friends) before the crush of the holidays. Cookie exchanges are also the ideal start to your holiday festivities. When you’re planning to host or attend a cookie exchange, you can’t help but look forward to the season ahead.

Pass Along Traditions

A holiday cookie exchange is the perfect way to bring back those childhood memories and pass along your family’s cookie traditions to others.

Top Tips for Hosting a Cookie Exchange

  1. Schedule your event well in advance. People get busy beginning in mid-November, so make sure your exchange is on their calendars. You may want to consider sending “Save The Date” notices early in the fall.
  2. You and those you know may be new to the concept of cookie exchanges. Don’t let their confusion deter you – use it as an opportunity to start a new tradition. Along those lines, be ready to answer all kinds of questions: is it a get-together to bake? Is it just a recipe exchange? Is it just an excuse to eat cookies? Is it a party at which only cookies are served? Once you attend or host an exchange, you and your friends will agree that it needs to be an annual tradition.

Get more ideas on our Christmas Cookie Exchange Pinterest board.

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What Is a Christmas Cookie Exchange? (2024)

FAQs

What is a Christmas cookie exchange? ›

The idea is simple: Everyone brings a big batch of (hopefully homemade) cookies and distributes roughly 6 - 12 cookies each to the other attendees. So at the end of the event, you and your guests will each have your own delectable assortment.

How many cookies do you get at a cookie exchange? ›

How many cookies should each guest bring? Remember, the party is about tasting and sampling the cookies but also about each guest bringing some home to enjoy with the rest of their family later. 2 dozen per guest is a good minimum so everyone has a few to bring home.

What are the rules for a cookie exchange? ›

The Etiquette Of The Cookie Swap
  1. Remember: It's not a competition. ...
  2. Coordinate ahead of time. ...
  3. Make enough for everyone. ...
  4. Bring something homemade. ...
  5. Yes, you should still bring a host gift. ...
  6. Label your cookies for allergens. ...
  7. Bring cookies and a story. ...
  8. Hold off on seconds.
Jan 5, 2022

What is the formula for the cookie exchange? ›

Formula: # of cookies divided by # of guests = total number of cookies to take from each guest. Example: If you have everyone make 12 dozen cookies and you are planning on 20 guests you will take 12 dozen multiplied by 12 cookies= 144 cookies; then divide by 20 guests = 7.2 cookies of each variety for each guest.

How to package cookies for a cookie exchange? ›

Stack up several cookies right in the center of a sheet of wax or parchment paper. Fold the paper around your cookies like a gift package and tie it with a colorful ribbon. It's a festive way to wrap your cookies as gifts or to store them neatly in a container.

How does the Christmas cookie challenge work? ›

About the show

In Christmas Cookie Challenge, five confident and daring bakers compete to prove their holiday cookie-making skills. Tough-love judges are on hand to crown the holiday cookie master, who will go home with a $10,000 prize!

Can you bring store-bought cookies to a cookie exchange? ›

Anyone who is not a good baker might feel like they can't attend. If you're fine with store bought consider specifying that they need to be high quality cookies from a real bakery, not a grocery store bakery.

What is the ideal number for a cookie exchange? ›

Christmas cookie swap parties usually work best with groups of 8-12 guests. You'll want to keep your guest list modest so it's easier to keep track of who's bringing what. Think of all the bakers, foodies, and festive friends in your group when creating your guest list.

How much does 1 cookie sell for? ›

Many simple cookies sell for between $2.00 and $5.00 each, but it's not uncommon to see a dozen cookies cost $55 or more depending on the time and ingredients that went into making them. Some people charge $10 or more per cookie because of their decorative, custom designs.

What can I use instead of a cookie exchange? ›

Chocolate dipped pretzels

Buy some big pretzel rods, dip them or drizzle them with chocolate, and sprinkle away. They are so festive and look great amongst a mix of other festive treats.

How do I run a successful cookie exchange? ›

Tips for a Cookie Exchange
  1. Have 8-12 people participate. You get a great selection of cookies that everyone can try and plenty for your guests to take home to share with their families. ...
  2. Timing matters. ...
  3. Be mindful of allergies. ...
  4. Prepare for extra guests. ...
  5. Consider donating cookies to charity.
Sep 14, 2023

How many cookies to give as a gift? ›

How many cookies should you gift?
Party sizeNumber of guestsNumber of cookies
Little party5 to 1015-30 cookies
Medium party10 to 1530 – 45
Big party20 – 5075 – 150

How many cookies should you make for a cookie exchange? ›

A good rule to follow is for every guest to bake a half dozen cookies per each attendee. So, if 10 people attend, each guest would bring five dozen cookies to share. We've put together a chart to help you figure out just how many cookies to ask your guests to make.

What is the cookie exchange tradition? ›

Cookie exchanges are a centuries-old tradition dating back to medieval times. The classic idea is of a holiday party in which guests bring a selection of homemade cookies to trade with one another.

How to do a cookie exchange with a large group? ›

Cookie Exchange Rules
  1. Homemade Cookies. ...
  2. Give an exact number of cookies that everyone needs to bring. ...
  3. A good rule of thumb is to ask everyone to bring a dozen cookies per guest invited. ...
  4. Have everyone bring a copy of their cookie recipe. ...
  5. It's helpful to label cookies with their name or flavor.
Dec 8, 2023

What is the cookie swap tradition? ›

Cookie exchanges are a century-old tradition in which participants bake dozens of their favorite cookie, then take them to a party where guests trade their cache and wind up with a variety of cookies from everybody else.

What is the tradition of cookies at Christmas? ›

The practice of putting out cookies for Santa began in the 1930s during the Great Depression, when parents were trying to instill a sense of thankfulness in their children. Leaving goodies, perhaps in a sweet cookie jar, continues to be a way of sharing the holiday bounty.

What is mean by Christmas cookie? ›

Christmas cookies or Christmas biscuits are traditionally sugar cookies or biscuits (though other flavours may be used based on family traditions and individual preferences) cut into various shapes related to Christmas.

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