Cookie exchanges. Anyone do them?

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

I've never been involved in a cookie exchange. Was wondering if anyone here has.

Did you enjoy it? Was it worth it? Were the other's offerings up to par with what you expected? Care to share exactly how it worked? Does it double as a 'party' or strictly gets down to the business of exchanging cookies?

Thanks for any input.

YellowLabMom · ‎09-20-2014

I participated in my first cookie exchange this past weekend with the ladies at church. I REALLY enjoyed it. There were 11 ladies that participated (supposed to have been 12). We took six dozen cookies a piece. We each ended up taking six dozen cookies back home. That was a lot of cookies so I shared with friends and a neighbor. Everyone also brought copies of their recipes to give out. The only thing I would have changed would be for each person to have told the coordinator what kind of cookies they were bringing. There were two sets of cookies that were similar. I would definitely do again. We also had a luncheon as well.

PamelaSue72 · ‎09-22-2011

This is my third year in a cookie exchange. It's a lot of fun and we all enjoy ourselves.

ValuSkr · ‎03-15-2014

On 12/8/2014 PamelaSue72 said:
This is my third year in a cookie exchange. But I'm sorry. I really don't want to go into a lot of detail about making cookies and exchanging them. Yes, it's a lot of fun and we all enjoy ourselves. But I don't need a bunch of people here telling us that it's unhealthy to accept gifts of food and they would throw the cookies out, etc. etc. etc. And that's what will happen.

LOL. That other thread is the first thing I thought of when I saw this. Oh well.

Havarti · ‎03-08-2014

PamelaSue72: If that is what you choose to do, with other people who also choose to participate, what is wrong with that? A cookie exchange is a great idea since everyone knows going into what it is all about, and everyone has fun in the process.

Snarky responders need not reply. Move along and share your views elsewhere.

debic · ‎09-02-2010

I think they're a lot of fun. The one's I've been to have been great. The person who hosts it generally has a small brunch. Some even have a door prize. Generally a cookie cookbook, decorated cake or something similar. Usually you take how many people come to decide how many cookies you bring. The more cookies, the more variety and amount you get.

Some bring gift bags and put one of each and give them as gifts to teachers, their mailmen, whoever. After the first one you learn to bring a container to pack them home in.

Some are really great, some are store bought and some not so good. It's all about getting together for me. I generally bring double what I should, 2 different kinds, always rosettes and something else. I also bring something for the host of the party.

I bring stuff like this.

~~
*Off The Deep End~A very short trip for some!*

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

On 12/8/2014 ValuSkr said:
On 12/8/2014 PamelaSue72 said:
This is my third year in a cookie exchange. But I'm sorry. I really don't want to go into a lot of detail about making cookies and exchanging them. Yes, it's a lot of fun and we all enjoy ourselves. But I don't need a bunch of people here telling us that it's unhealthy to accept gifts of food and they would throw the cookies out, etc. etc. etc. And that's what will happen.

LOL. That other thread is the first thing I thought of when I saw this. Oh well.

I was beyond fed up with the other thread. I guess as long as we don't invite those who just dump other's homemade goods into the garbage, we will all have a good time!

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

I have always thought if you found a bunch of good bakers, it would be a really fun and labor saving thing to do. I think it would be fun to combine it with homemade candy as well, if people have good recipes and wish to bring that as well.

Does anyone ever pre package the cookies in fancy bags and such, then you just take a bag of each variety (kind of like a bake sale, but with decorative cellophane bags, tied up and labeled with seasonal ribbons and tags)? Or does everyone just bring them in big containers and trays and people assemble their own for take home? I would think it would be nice to have them packaged up already, and they could go home or to gifting or whatever without being handled so many times.

I have heard that some cookie exchanges have some pretty tight rules. No store bought or from a mix (or tub or tube) cookies. No cut out sugar cookies (too bad, that is one of my specialties, made with buttermilk, soft, thick and chewy). No regular cookies, like chocolate chips, they have to be holidayish. Anyone experience something like that, or have they been 'less formal'?

PamelaSue72 · ‎09-22-2011

This year, I'm involved in two exchanges: one at work and one with my family. I think there are twelve of us now at work and it is a lot of fun. We do a bit of a brunch-type gathering, even with mimosas. And we have a blast. One of the ladies has it at her house, but we all help out with bringing foods and such, in addition to our cookies. She goes all out with decorating. Oh, and we even bring a little gift, for about $10.00 or so...all the gifts go onto a table and then each person chooses something. Each person gets one dozen cookies from every other person. No "regular" cookies, meaning no chocolate chip, no peanut butter. It has to be a holiday-type cookie, so peanut blossoms are OK (as they're decorated with colored sugar or shot), rolled cookies (I love making rolled cookies).

The one with my family has five of us now, but I think next year, we shall be adding two more people. That one is at my house and it's pretty much the same thing. I do a holiday brunch (ours is usually on a Thursday night, but brunch is still something nice for all of us, even if it is a weeknight; at least nobody has ever complained.

I always bag my cookies in pretty bags tied with red and green ribbon. I make up my own cookie tags so people know what kind of cookie it is (and I will include the recipe, so that they know there are nuts in the cookie or it's made with white flour, things like that. Many of us bag our cookies, but even regular freezer bags work.

The important thing is to have fun!

ETA: Bring an extra dozen of cookies for the table. So if there are 12 people, bring 13 dozen. That way you have 12 cookies for the table and you can enjoy some cookies with your "evening brunch".

Stevie Nix · ‎03-09-2010

I participated in a few years of cookie exchange parties with neighbors several years ago. In the beginning it was great, cookies were great. But then the number of participants began expanding to "friends" of the neighbor's daughters and the cookie quality went down hill. Some of us made our time-consuming specialty cookies and the new-comers brought common cookies like choc. chip and sugar cookies from pre-packaged dough. The next year I bowed out and did not go back. The whole exchange may have gone away in later years.