Christmas party idea: The holiday cookie swap

Before I left New York, I co-hosted a cookie swap with my bestie. 

We put together 12 bakers from our girl scout troop leaders, high school friends, and ladies from the neighborhood. We researched recipes, and planned for our drink menu. We all came together, and for our first cookie swap together we felt very accomplished. We made new friends. We picked up new recipes for our cookie jars. We enjoyed each other while the kids ran around the house and the first snow started to fall.

Since then, I have hosted a few more cookie swaps here in Manila, and I have found ways to make it easier on myself. I have also found ways to make it easier on my participants as well. 

We enjoy the time together and in fact, many of us mark our annual holiday cookie swap as the beginning of our baking season.  If you plan to host a cookie swap or would like to attend one, you can follow these simply steps to exchanging cookies with your baker friends.

The idea behind a cookie swap is simple. Bake your best cookie. Bring that cookie and swap with other bakers so that you have a variety of different cookies without having to be in the kitchen all day slaving. You come with a certain number of cookies to the party and leave with almost as many as you came. Of course you get to taste the cookies the other bakers bring, learn the stories behind the cookies, and find out how to make the cookies that are being shared so you can bake them in your own kitchen if your heart so desires.

Find your friends. Choose bakers who truly enjoy baking or even those bakers who are new to baking but would like to learn more. Keep the group small for your first time together, this way no one is overwhelmed with how many batches of cookies that need to be baked.

Plan ahead. Use the time before the holiday rush to choose your cookie, practice it before hand, and make adjustments in the recipe if you like. Start a Facebook group where everyone can communicate and share challenges or the cookie chosen to avoid repeat cookies. Set a date that works for everyone and mark it on the calendar.

Send an invitation. Your invitation does not have to be something hand stitched or even printed. But sending something is very important so that your bakers can prepare. Be it a Facebook invitation, a text, or a digital invite, it’s important for your bakers to know when and where to show up with how many cookies.

Set some guidelines. I learned from my first cookie swap that I didn’t enjoy “no bake” cookies. Since I was the one hosting, I felt that I needed to outline some guidelines so that we all brought cookies to share which fit the bill. Some guidelines I have asked my bakers to follow are the following:

• Cookies need to be baked and have flour as a main ingredient.
• Bakers need to bring 1 dozen cookies for each participant + 2 dozen to eat and share while we are swapping.
• Bakers can bring their containers to take home cookies.
• Encourage bakers to bake their cookies up to two days in advance so that they are not stressing out on the day of the swap.

Provide a light snack. I like to host our cookie swap at brunch time because I find serving brunch offers such a wide variety of dishes to put together. Keeping it simple is imperative for this light snack because if you are the hostess, you will be decorating, cooking, and of course baking your cookies all before your baker friends arrive.

I like adding a special touch by doing something like a coffee bar (complete with some fun liquors, cinnamon, and whipped cream) or a hot chocolate bar with different flavored marshmallows. You can even put together a themed mixed drink if your cookie swappers will be coming in the afternoon or evening.

• Provide fun and festive packaging. I don’t ask the bakers to bring a ton of things when they come. I just want them to have a good time bringing their baked treats to share with others and their Christmas spirit. I make sure to provide pretty packaging from containers, ribbons, and even tags, if they would be so inclined to share their cookie loot.
• Create an interesting tablescape to display cookies. I enjoy this one time of year where I truly indulge my creative side and come up with beautiful ideas for floral arrangements that tie in with the theme for the year. I love working with my florist in putting something extra special for my guests. I can easily get lost in the details because I love them so.
• Keep Calm and Bake On. Of all of the tips I have listed here, I think the most important thing to remember is to have fun. The idea is to kick off the start of Christmas with some cookies, some drinks, and some friends. 

Truth is, hosting a cookie swap can be as easy or as detailed as you choose to make it. Each year, I find myself adding something new to what I have already learned through my baker friends and by searching for ideas and inspiration on the Internet.

Scouring through new cookbooks, I also find myself experimenting with cookies and recipes leading up to the event gives me even more satisfaction when I find the perfect recipe to share. I enjoy the time I spend with all of my friends during the holidays, but my baker friends and I know how much effort goes into the baked treats that we prepare.

Sharing our cookies is not just about sharing what we put together on a pan that we bake in the oven. It’s about the friendship, that good old-fashioned Christmas feeling of giving, and of course about spreading the Christmas spirit – one cookie at a time. – Rappler.com

Michelle Ressa-Aventajado is a Filipina American who grew up in NY and now makes Manila her home. When she’s not busy raising her four children, she enjoys teaching, reading and writing about her passions. Follow her blog Momma ‘N Manila as she documents her adventures and growth in parenting.