How to: Host a Kid-Friendly Cookie Swap

It’s starting to smell a lot like Christmas: ’tis the season of fresh baked cookies! 

Christmas Butter Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Dulcineas; so many delicious cookie recipes, and yet so little time! Enter the cookie swap solution, a way to mark the beginning of the holiday season, spend time with friends, and simplify your holiday baking all at once. Not to mention, it gets the kids involved. This holiday season, set out some baking supplies, decorate the table, and host a kid-friendly cookie swap! For expert party planning tips, techniques, and ideas, we chatted with Laura Forer of Waltzing Matilda’s NYC bakery and Carly Cylinder of Flour La Jr! Here’s how to throw a simple, beautiful, delicious, and fun children’s cookie party! [pagebreak]

Guest List

First, decide on the number of guests for your setting. Cylinder recommends keeping the party intimate. Remember, however, that the holidays are a busy time of year for people so you might be surprised by how many are unable to attend. Ask each person to bring a dozen cookies for each guest plus an additional dozen for tasting, not including the children.

Cookie Swap Snacks and Beverages

It’s easy to fill up on cookies at a cookie swap, but providing additional light fare insures that the children don’t get too much of a sugar high and the adults have something to cleanse their palate. “Whether it’s mini pizza strips, pretzel bites, potato chips and dip, you never want to be empty-handed with a house full of hungry guests and even worse…hungry children!” said Cylinder. 

Forer also likes to provide non-sweet food at the party to snack on. “The idea of a cookie swap is to take the cookies home, but of course that requires a lot of willpower,” Forer said. “We usually end up munching on our cookies after we swap, so it’s nice to have healthier snacks to fill out the food table.” Try these Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers and Bacon Wrapped Fennel for the adults and Fruteria Style Pineapple, Jicama and Cucumber Sticks and Black Bean Hummus for the kids. Provide holiday themed beverages such as hot chocolate, hot apple cider, wine, and of course milk.

Next up, entertainment and cookie recipes! [pagebreak]

Activities and Entertainment

Have a music playlist for the party complete with holiday songs. Then set up a couple of tables; an adult table for the cookies, food, and drinks and a kid-friendly table that is set up with activities. Kid-friendly activities could include cookie decorating (ask anyone bringing sugar cookies to leave them undecorated), cookie box decorating (you’ll need construction paper, glitter, plus plain boxes from a craft store), or holiday-themed games.

Cookie Swap

When it’s time for the actual cookie swap let each guest go around the table, taking a dozen cookies to start. After everyone has a turn, continue until all the cookies are gone. Each guest should go home with a ton of new cookies. Forer recommends asking invitees to email the recipes to you beforehand. You can print off the recipes for guests to take at the party or send them as a thank you email with recipes attached.

Now all you have to do is decide which cookies you’re going to bake for your swap. If you need some inspiration try one of our favorites: Snow Day Alfajores, Ginger Snap Cookies, and Pati Jinich’s Piggies Cookies.

‘Tis the season, indeed.