{This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my full Disclosure Policy.}

Want to host a holiday cookie exchange this year? If you enjoy planning parties, or rounding up friends and family for a get-together, a cookie exchange is a fun and low-key way to celebrate the Christmas season. Plus, going to a cookie exchange will allow you to serve a platter of assorted homemade cookies at your Christmas dinner—even though you only baked one type of cookie!

If you’re interested in planning a holiday cookie exchange this year, read on for the simple steps to make it a success! I’ll outline everything you need to know—from inviting guests through the details after the party. (Don’t worry—we’ll keep it simple!) Enjoy!

What is a Cookie Exchange?

Before I provide the details of how to plan an exchange, let’s talk about what it is!

A cookie exchange is a party! More specifically, a party where friends or family members gather to swap their favorite holiday cookies (or cookie bars, bark, truffles, etc.) and the coordinating recipe. Each guest only needs to bring one type of cookie, and they will leave the swap with a variety of other homemade cookies from the other guests! It is a great way to simplify the time you spend baking for the holidays, benefit from others’ creativity, and try new treats!

How to Host a Holiday Cookie Exchange

1.  Decide on the “rules.”

To plan a cookie exchange, you’ll need to make a few decisions about the party you want to have. Ask yourself these questions:

• How many guests do I want to invite? (10 or less is best.)
• How many cookies should each guest bring? (Depending on the size of your group, guests should bring either a dozen cookies or a half dozen per guest attending the exchange.)
• Do I want each person to bring cookies “wrapped” (such as in a festive treat bag), or unwrapped (single cookies displayed on a decorative platter or in a large container)?
• Should I try to prevent duplicate cookies? (If so, plan to ask guests to communicate the type of treat they plan to bring before the party!)

Feel free to tweak these “rules” to work best for you and your guests.

2.  Invite guests. 

Send invitations out 1-2 weeks before the party. You can use paper invitations or online invitations, such as Evite.com or even a Facebook event. Aim for 5-10 guests; the larger the group, the more likely each person may feel overwhelmed by bringing enough cookies to share.

Details to include on the invitation:

• How many cookies to bring:  If you invite 5 guests, instruct them each to bring 5 dozen of their favorite cookie. If your group is larger, you may want to lower the amount to half a dozen cookies per guest. Also mention that, after swapping, they will leave with the same amount of assorted cookies!
• Other items to bring:  Each guest should bring copies of their recipe to share. This could be a hand-written recipe card or a piece of computer paper with the printed recipe. (Alternatively, each guest could pack their cookies in individual treat bags and attach the recipe for more of a cookie “gift” exchange.)
• RSVP cookie type (optional):  If you prefer to avoid having duplicate recipes at the party, ask guests to RSVP ahead of time with the type of treat they plan to bring. Communicate this information to all guests as soon as possible before the party.

3.  Prepare for the party.

Decide on a few simple party drinks and appetizers to serve during the exchange. Hot cider or coffee, and sangria or wine work well. Think savory foods, since guests will most likely be sampling the sweet treats while they swap them!

Several days before the exchange, gather supplies, such as gallon-sized ziptop bags for taking cookies home, cling wrap or aluminum foil, blank cards and a marker to create tent labels to identify each guest’s cookies (such as “sugar cookies by Kate”).

Decide which tabletops or countertops you’ll use to place guests’ cookies (and matching recipes). During the exchange, have each guest walk around and gather the appropriate number of cookies to take home, along with each recipe.

4.  After the party.

Thank everyone for coming! Evaluate what worked well and what you might want to do differently, if you plan to host another exchange next year. You may also want to combine all the recipes into a document to email to each guest.

Want to Join My Virtual Holiday Cookie Exchange?

I’m hosting a virtual holiday cookie exchange on December 17, 2017! Obviously, we can’t exchange tangible cookies, but we can still exchange our favorite recipes! 🙂

Update: The deadline to submit your recipe has already passed; go here to view the Virtual Holiday Cookie Exchange.

This article was featured on Adore Them, a site dedicated to helping you find joy in parenting through weekly topical collections of articles, videos, shareable quotes, and more. View the full collection here.