How to Host a Cookie Exchange (+ Free Printables & Invitation Templates)

I love baking, especially holiday baking. All those cookies, candies, and cakes. What fun! But who actually has time to be in the kitchen and bake it ALL? Honestly, not me!! Luckily, you can share the holiday baking workload by hosting a cookie exchange. To get you started, I’m sharing everything you need (except for the baking – that part is up to you) in order to host a successful cookie swap.

A few years ago, I started hosting a Holiday Cookie Exchange party with friends and neighbors, because I missed the holiday baking tradition I grew up with. Now it’s become a yearly event that I look forward to! Even during that year of social distancing and no public gatherings, we still managed to do a modified swap outdoors with neighbors. It was so much fun. You’ll have a great time hosting your own swap this year!

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To get you started, I have tips on choosing the right date, sending out invitations, and any additional food and drinks you want to serve. I also have free printables with the rules and invitations. I also include having to create these invitations using free Canva templates to help make your cookie swap easy and fun for everyone. So why wait? Get started on planning your next holiday party today!

Table Of Contents

How do Cookie Exchanges Work
How to Host a Cookie Exchange
Cookie Exchange Rules
Send Cookie Exchange Rules
Party Decorations
Bake (or buy) Cookies
Set Up the Cookie Swap Table
What Do You Serve At A Cookie Swap Party
- Put Out Plates, Napkins, etc.
Arrange games or activities for guests to enjoy (if doing them)
Other Things to Consider About Cookie Exchanges

A holiday cookie exchange is a great way to get into the festive spirit while spending time with friends. Here’s how it works: You invite friends and family to bake their favorite holiday cookies, then come over and trade with each other. This way, everyone gets to sample a variety of delicious treats, without having to do all the baking themselves. You can also set a theme for the cookie exchange so that all the cookies are thematically linked. But that part isn’t required!

Choose the right date and time

The cookie swap should be close to the holidays, but not too close so that people are already feeling stressed out. Pick a day that works best for everyone in your group, considering work and school schedules. Two weeks before Christmas is usually a good time frame.

As for the time of day, an afternoon or early evening works well. These types of casual parties usually last for 90 to 120 minutes. So people can come after work or school and then continue on to do other things.

Optional Theme Ideas:

Choose a theme

A cookie swap doesn’t have to have a theme, but if you want to add one, it can make things more fun. For example, you could ask everyone to bring cookies that start with a certain letter of the alphabet or are shaped like a certain holiday object.

Secret Santa

If you want to do a gift exchange (maybe board games or stocking stuffers)in addition to the cookie swap, you can assign each person a name and have them bring a small wrapped gift for that person. This is a great way to add an extra element of fun to the party.

This is entirely optional, but if you want to go the extra mile, it’s worth considering.

Make your guest list

Make sure to invite enough people so that you have a good variety of cookies. I think nine to eleven guests is a good number. If each person brings one type of cookie, everyone will go home with 10-12 different cookie varieties. (Remember you’ll be baking too!)

Send out the invitations

When it comes to invitations, you could give a verbal invitation, but a written or digital invitation is better so that people have all the details in one place.

For printed invitations, you can either hand-deliver them or mail them out. If you want to be extra festive, you can even send cookie cutters with the invitation.

If you prefer to keep things digital, you can always send an email, create a Facebook event, or use evite.com.

In terms of what information to include, I would recommend the following:

The date and time of the party
The address of the party
What type of cookies to bring (homemade, store-bought, etc.)
How many cookies to bring
RSVP information

If you want to be extra organized, you can create a sign-up sheet for people to fill out when they RSVP. This way you’ll know ahead of time what kind of cookies everyone is bringing. A simple way to do this is with a shared Google Sheet that everyone has access to as an editor.

You could also create a website, blog, Facebook group, or Slack channel dedicated to the cookie swap. This is a great way to share recipes and ideas leading up to the party.

Free printable – free cookie exchange invitation templates

I created these free printables for invitation templates in CANVA. Click this link to receive them. If you don’t already have a Canva account, you can sign up for free here. Aside from these templates, Canva also has other invitation templates you can use and customize for free.

Send Cookie Exchange Rules

No cookie exchange would be complete without making sure everyone knows the rules. You can send these rules along with your invitation. I’ve included a few basic rules here plus a free printable you can follow:

Each guest is to bring at XX cookies set number of cookies (i.e at least 2 dozen cookies, one dozen per guest, etc.)
Cookies should be homemade.
RSVP as soon as possible with the type of cookie you are bringing.
Bring copies of your recipe to share with others
Cookies should arrive on a platter or in a container and be labeled with the type of cookie it is and if it contains nuts (not everyone likes or can eat nuts).
Bring a container to take your traded cookies home.
Arrive on time for the party.
Once everyone has arrived, guests can start trading their cookies. At the end of the exchange, everyone should leave with an equal number of cookies

Party Decorations

The beautiful thing about hosting a cookie exchange in mid-December is your house is probably already decorated for the season. So you really don’t have to do much.

When it comes to decorating or cleaning for a party in your home, it’s important to remember the acronym KISS – Keep it Simple Sweetie (or Stupid – depending on which way you want to take it.) Most people gather in the living room or kitchen. So at a minimum, clean those areas plus the bathroom. Then decorate as you like.

Bake (or buy) Cookies

As the host, you should also bring cookies to the party. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy. You could bake your favorite recipe or pick up some store-bought cookies ( I won’t tell 😉 ). Just make sure you have enough for all of your guests, plus extras in case someone drops by unexpectedly.

Some of my favorite cookie exchange cookie recipes include:

Set Up the Cookie Swap Table

This is the most important part of the party – the cookies! You’ll want to set up a dedicated table for the cookies with some fun and festive signage.

Arrange the cookies on the table so they look nice and are easy to grab. I like to arrange by type (e.g. chocolate chip, sugar, gingerbread) or by flavor (e.g. lemon, mint, almond). This way, people can easily see what they are getting.

If you have guests with allergies, you can make a place card or small sign listing the ingredients or the specific allergy (dairy, nuts, soy, etc.) for each cookie. This is also a nice way to label the cookies if you want to get creative with the presentation.

What Do You Serve At A Cookie Swap Party

The party theme may be all cookies, but it’s always nice to have a few other treats and drinks for your guests. Set up a separate table from the cookie tables for drinks and other food.

As for drinks, holiday punch, hot chocolate, coffee, and or tea are all great options. If you want to get festive, you can make a spiced cider, festive mocktails, or cocktails. Just be sure to have some non-sugary drink options as well for people who are watching their intake.

Food at cookie exchanges varies widely. You can go as simple as beverages and then sample cookies prior to the exchange. You can add savory appetizers to balance out the sugar of the cookies. You can also make a full meal by serving soup, salads, and main dishes. In the end, it’s up to you how elaborate you want your cookie swap to be, but no matter what you choose, your guests are sure to have a great time!

For me, I generally hold my swaps in the evening between 6 pm to 8 pm. Typically, I go with a charcuterie board, a vegetable platter with hummus, two different soups (this Tomato Basil Soup is a hit), and rustic bread. It’s served buffet style and guests can start eating as they arrive. It goes back to the holiday tradition I grew up with Clam Chowder (Manhattan and New England styles) and cookies at my aunt’s house every Christmas Eve.

Put Out Plates, Napkins, etc.

Have enough plates, napkins, and cutlery for all of your guests, plus a few extra in case someone drops by unexpectedly. I like to use compostable plates and cutlery because it’s one less dish I have to worry about. But if you prefer real plates, just be sure to have enough for everyone plus extras.

For the cookie exchange, you can provide large lidded storage containers or disposable cookie boxes or guests to take home all their holiday cookies. This is optional but a nice touch. You could also provide small goodie bags or tins for guests to put their cookies in.

Arrange games or activities for guests to enjoy (if doing them)

If you decide to play a game, you’ll want to gather any necessary items and have them ready to go. For example, if playing the white elephant gift exchange game, have a wrapped present for each player plus a few extra in case someone drops out.

Other party games include:

Cookie swap bingo – create a bingo card with different cookie types listed. As guests choose their cookies, they mark off the items on their cards. The first person to get bingo wins a prize.
Guess the number of cookies – have guests guess how many cookies are on the table. The person who comes the closest without going over wins a prize.
Cookie jar guessing game – fill a jar with candy or other small objects (candy canes are great for this). Have guests guess how many are in the jar. The person who comes the closest without going over wins a prize.

Other Things to Consider About Cookie Exchanges

How many cookies should you bring to cookie exchanges?

It really depends on how many guests you have. Generally, each guest should bring enough cookies to give 8-12 of their creations to each other person. If there are 10 people attending, that would be 80-120 cookies total (8 x 10 = 80; 12 x 10 = 120).

Does it have to be homemade cookies?

No, not necessarily. If a participant does not have time to bake or doesn’t like to bake, store-bought cookies will work just fine. You can even make it a potluck-style cookie swap and let each guest bring their favorite type of store-bought cookie! You can also decide if you will also have guests bring dessert bars, brownies, or even cupcakes.

How do I organize the actual cookie exchange?

It’s good to have a plan for how the cookie exchange will work so everyone can stay organized. Here are some tips:

Ask each guest to provide a copy of the recipe for their cookie so others can make them at home.
Prior to the exchange, have each guest tell everyone about their recipe.
Set up a rotation so everyone can get their cookies without it getting too chaotic.
At the end of the exchange, remind everyone to take home what they brought plus any extras they’ve collected.
No matter how you choose to organize your cookie exchange, the important thing is to have fun!

How do I do a cookie exchange with a large group?

If you’re hosting a large group, it can be helpful to break up the exchange into smaller groups of 8-10 people. Assign each group a different type of cookie or flavor and have them exchange amongst themselves. This will help keep things organized and prevent overcrowding at the tables.

It’s also helpful to have a few extra people managing the exchange – making sure everyone gets their cookies and helping to clean up afterward.

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