According to “The Food Timeline” the tradition began in WWWI as a fundraiser. The concept took off during the 1960s as a social event during the holidays.
The best known exchange is the Wellesley Cookie Exchange, which began in 1971 in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It became famous for the cookbook it spawned, “The Wellesley Cookie Exchange Cookbook” written by Susan Mahnke Peery in 1981.
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| The 2018 Cookie Exchange had our largest attendance to date. |
Hosting an Exchange
Why have an exchange?
There are many reasons to host an exchange. The primary one is that you can make one batch of cookies and leave with an assortment of holiday treats. It is an easy party to organize. I found that the exchange rarely takes more than a half hour. I added a social hour prior to the exchange with a simple meal of soup and sandwiches and some adult beverages. It allows latecomers to make the exchange portion of the evening and makes the exchange more of a holiday social event. For me, it makes me get my house clean and decorated, so my home is ready for the holidays.
How many cookies are needed?
My exchange is fairly relaxed. I don’t specify the number of cookies to bring. Everyone is just asked to bring whatever one recipe makes. Some exchanges require a certain number of dozen. I’ve never not had enough cookies and candy with their system, but if you’re nervous, specify a specific amount.Should you share recipes?
The first few years I asked people to bring their recipes. Some forgot, some brought only one copy, so I had to scan and make copies. Many recipes were left behind for me to recycle. I finally gave up this traditional cookie swap practice. The idea of a cookie exchange is to make one recipe at which you excel and then get everyone else’s best cookies. The idea of recreating their recipe is something a person motivated to atttend an exchange, probably will never make. Now, if someone want to bring their recipe, they are welcome to do so, but I no longer ask attendees to do so.
How do you handle the exchange?
I purchase paper trays for each attendee to assemble his/her assortment. I buy holiday ones at Hobby Lobby or you could get plain ones in a seasonal color. I provide food service gloves for each participant to use. The cookies are placed on my dining room table with all the chairs removed so we can walk easily around the table. I place a few stickers on the bottom of a couple of the trays and use this to give out door prizes. It adds a bit to the fun, and is a way to thank guests for their work.We then walk around the table taking 2-3 cookies from each plate. We continue around the table in this manner until all the cookies and candies are gone. Everyone is instructed to take what they need for their size family. I always make a couple of extra batches of cookies or candy so that we can assemble a couple of cookie plates for shut-in members of our church. I have never had a problem with someone taking too many and others not having enough. It seems to work out fine this way and people take as they need.
After we have our filled trays, I provide Press N Seal to cover the trays for transport home. Usually people hang around and socialize for awhile after the official exchange is over, and those with pressing schedules are free to leave with their cookies.
The cookie exchange is such a time saver for busy families who don’t have time to make 16 differ types of cookies and candies at the holidays. If you haven’t tried one, I encourage you to attend or sponsor one. It is a wonderful time to celebrate and save time during the holidays.
