COOKIE EXCHANGES: BAKE A LITTLE EAT A LOT
Social gatherings the perfect place to share traditions
A cookie exchange is our kind of party.
“You make a little and end up getting a lot,” says Erin Clarke, executive chef at Casa Luca in Washington, D.C. And that’s our kind of math. Pretty much everything Clarke knows about cookie exchanges she learned from her mother, Becky. The chef’s mom participated in, and hosted, many of these holiday season events for almost 35 years.
Becky Clarke says her interest in cooking and baked goods goes back to her childhood in Virginia when family members often exchanged sweets during the holidays.
About 40 years ago, Becky Clarke went to her first official cookie exchange, urged to attend by a friend after a particularly trying time in her life. “It was very meaningful to me,” Becky Clarke says. She remembers what she took to the party: chocolate drop cookies.
In the years that followed, cookie exchanges became a way for Becky Clarke to get together with friends she may not have seen that often.
If you’re considering putting on your own exchange — ideally not too close to Christmas Eve or Day, says Becky Clarke — here are some tips from the Clarkes:
Prepare a bit of food other than cookies. Leave the cookies for the actual exchange. Becky Clarke liked to make a cake to cut up and serve to her friends. Have wine or coffee also available.
Do some advance math. You want enough people to make all the cookies, but not so many that you’re overwhelmed. Becky Clarke recommends 15 as a nice number. Figure on guests bringing a dozen or half-dozen of their cookies for each person, depending on how many people you’re having. Be sure to tell guests the quantity they should be baking.
Don’t micromanage. Let guests bring whatever kind of cookie they want. If you’re really concerned that everyone might bake the same thing, suggest that your friends use a family recipe that means something to them. That might help cut down on the duplication.
Put some thought into what you bake. Delicate cookies are a no-no. You want something that won’t break or crumble and that has a good shelf life at room temperature or in the freezer.
Have appropriate supplies on hand. Provide cards and markers so guests can label their treats, including any specific dietary information (gluten free, vegan, contains nuts, etc.). Decide whether you want guests to bring their treats in one container or already packaged up for everyone.
Have fun. A cookie exchange should not be something that stresses you out. Because, hello, cookies. As Becky Clarke says, you’re with friends: “It’s not like you had to have everything perfect.”