How to Have a Holiday Cookie Swap

A Cookie Swap is a great idea for a fun evening with friends, with the added bonus of having lots of cookies for holiday entertaining. Be sure to spend some time together exchanging stories about the recipes, as well as the cookies themselves. 1. Invite several friends over for punch or coffee and light refreshments. 2. Ask everyone to bring 3 dozen of her favorite cookies and several copies of the recipe. 3. Arrange all the cookies on trays on a table. 4. Give everyone a plate or box and let each one take samples of each cookie. 5. Have extra wax paper and boxes or tins on hand to pack the treats to take home. 6. Everyone ends up with a plate of greater variety than they would bake. Hostess hint: Bake extras in case there’s a disaster — a burned batch, a dropped container, a hungry family member. To freeze cookies: place waxed paper between layers and pack in airtight containers. The wax paper and containers are reusable year after year. Read more:Wellesley Cookie Exchange