For the past four years I have attended a Christmas cookie exchange. You stay up until 3 am the night before, baking eight dozen tasty treats to bring to the party, but it’s all worth it when you come home with a massive tupperware container filled to the brim with nearly 100 new cookies and bars to have on hand for the holidays (or for those midnight chocolate cravings).
This year I brought homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars and while I don’t want to toot my own horn, I think they put Starbucks’ to shame.
Usually at the exchange there are a few duds, like fruit cake plops or something nasty like that, but I still love it because it’s so nice to have a beautiful variety to offer guests, without the endless hours of preparing them all yourself.
Do you attend cookie exchanges? Love them or hate them?
I think I’m neither a lover or a hater on this one. It all depends on what else is going on..but done early enough in the season (and then stick them in the freezer) is when I most enjoy these exchanges.
I enjoy them! My favourite was hosted by my mom’s group. 12 of us exchanged, and beforehand we gave the recipe to the group coordinator. She created a lovely recipe book that we all got a copy of the night of the exchange. I’ve baked out of that recipe book many times in the years since!
I have never been to a cookie exchange but I love the idea. What a great way to try out new things! FYI: I saved the recipe for the Cranberry Bliss Bars because they look and sound so delish- thanks for posting the link to the recipe!
Love them. There are a couple friends whose make my favourites that I look forwards to each year. I have tried to duplicate but there is just something special about the way they make ’em. Somehow eating a dozen different cookies doesn’t seem as bad as eating a dozen of the same cookies.
doing my first today. it’s only me and one friend but it’s a start! 🙂
I haven’t attended a cookie exchange but may consider joining a group in the future. I do love to bake!
I have attended a couple of exchanges, but concensus in my family is to keep what I make (a known entity) rather than trade it for something that I consider delicious, but my family won’t eat because it may contain nuts (not an allergy, just a dislike), oatmeal or, heaven forbid, raisins! They’re a discerning (read: picky) bunch.
*snicker* fruit cake plops. Gross.
I don’t bake but would love to pay my way into a cookie exchange. Yum.