Think about it: A day filled with the aroma of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, cookie dough to eat off the spoon and freshly baked gooey cookies to shove into your mouth. What could be better than that? Observe Sunday, Dec. 4, National Cookie Day, as an excuse to indulge in three or 15 of your favorite cookies.
Instead of simply baking treats for the family to enjoy, you can host a cookie swap party. This time of the year is perfect to get together with friends and swap cookie recipes for the upcoming holidays. Invite a group of friends over and have each friend bake a different cookie. At the party, friends can sample the different recipes, trade cookies and package an assortment to bring home to their families.
Six tips on hosting a cookie swap in honor of National Cookie Day:
Send out invites. You can either go old school and mail out invitations or simply make a Facebook event or group chat. Let your friends know a week or two in advance, so they can plan their baking time around their schedule.
Choose your cookies. Coordinate ahead of time so your friends aren’t making the same cookies. Avoid cookies that need to be refrigerated at all times or cookies that can’t sit out for a few hours.
Provide savory snacks and refreshments. Your party-goers might want something savory after chowing down on all of that sugar. Be sure to provide some hors d’oeuvres for your guests along with tea, coffee, water or punch.
Provide packaging. Buy some inexpensive bakery boxes that can be found at the dollar store or most craft stores for guests to package their cookies in when the party is over. You can buy some festive ribbon as well.
Decorate. Set up platters for your friends to place their cookies on. Provide note cards with the name of the cookie and who made them for easy identification. Decorate your house in a seasonal manner to create a fun atmosphere. You can even set up a cookie decorating station for kids if you plan to have them at the party.
Swap. Exchange your cookies and take home your new delicious treats for your family to enjoy. You can even create a word document that lists the recipe for each cookie at the party and print one out for each of your guests. Your guests can make any day National Cookie Day with their new list of recipes.
