Host a Cookie Exchange Party // Starbucks Giveaway

on Monday, December 17, 2012 about Cooking, Giveaways
Leave a comment!
70

I love baking cookies. It’s one of the things I really look forward to each holiday season. I usually set aside a day or two and bake up a storm. Since it’s just me here, this leaves me with a lot of cookies. Thankfully my mom and grandma are able to take some off my hands.

Unfortunately, for some of you, this tradition of making a beautiful variety of cookies may have become a dreaded chore. Well, not any more! This year consider having a Cookie Exchange Party.

Here’s how it works.


When hosting a Cookie Exchange Party, you bake up one big batch of a particular type of cookie (or fudge, chocolate covered pretzels, candy, etc.) as do your friends. Then everyone joins you at your house with a large supply of treats. During the party (after sampling a few cookies, of course) you swap cookies and recipes.


When you leave the party, you have a huge variety of holiday treats and you only had the stress of baking one item.Plus, you’ve had a chance to get together with family and friends. Isn’t that what the holidays are truly about? Spending time and making memories with loved ones. A Cookie Exchange Party will give you a selection of great treats and a new holiday tradition! Sounds pretty fun, right?

So whether you are considering holding a cookie exchange or doing all the baking yourself, I found 12 fabulous cookie recipes that will leave your guests satisfied and impressed. Some are classics and some are new favorites.

1. White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread // 2. Candy Cane Cookies // 3. Peanut Butter and Mocha Checkerboards // 4. Glazed Spritz Cookies // 5.†Mini Raspberry and White Chocolate Whoopie Pies // 6. Ultimate Chocolate-Dipped Cookies // 7. Chocolate Palmiers // 8. Cherry Surprise Crinkles // 9. Surprise Cookies //†10. Buried Cherry Cookies // 11. Sugar Cookie Trees // 12. Peppermint-Meringue Cups With Ganache

I also took things a bit further and created a little round up of my favorite holiday-inspired platters, trays and cake stands. I mean if you are going to all the trouble of baking these delicious treats, you want them to look as scrumptious as they taste, right? You could even fill one of these delightful pieces with a variety of homemade sweets and you’d have an instant gift. Too perfect!


1. Mikasa Scarlet Vine // 2. White Enamel Cake Stand // 3. Williams Sonoma Vintage Footed Platter // 4. Plaid Platter // 5. Dancing Dreidel Platter // 6. Rectangular Plates // 7. French Bull Ziggy Plate // 8. Williams Sonoma Christmas Tree Platter // 9. Artist Palette Tray // 10. Jadeite Cake Stand // 11. CB2 Clarity Plate // 12. French Bull Black and White Platter


How do spend time with your family and friends over the holidays? Do you host a cookie exchange? What is your most favorite holiday tradition?

Answer one of the above questions to be entered for a chance to win a $50 Starbucks gift card, courtesy of BlogHer.

Rules:

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the

following unique term in your tweet message: “”#SweepstakesEntry”"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

No duplicate comments, please. 


This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. 

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. 

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 12/17/12-12/28/12.

Visit the Starbucks brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers posts and find more chances to win!

Want More Inspired By Charm?

Leave a comment
70
Share It!
  1. karen408 at

    My favorite part of the holidays is the Christmas dinner; we all gather at my mom’s and everyone brings something. It’s great quality time with everyone in the same place.

    Reply
  2. Katie at

    My favorite holiday tradition is seeing a movie that comes out on Christmas day as a family. This is the only time all 6 of us see a movie together since we’re all spread out over the country it’s nice to have some time to just sit and enjoy a movie with your family.

    Reply
  6. Leticia at

    Our whole family taking regular nightly strolls in our neighborhood with a hot cup of cocoa and enjoying all those Christmas lights lights is my very favorite!!!

    Reply
  7. suburban prep at

    When we were growing up my siblings and I would come home from late Christmas Eve mass and bake up a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies for Santa. As we got older it was a time to catch up with each other. Now that most of us are married we have brought this tradition to our own families.
    (I have six younger siblings –so there is a lot of catching up sometimes)

    Reply
  8. Anonymous at

    We love to drive around the neighborhoods to look at all the decorations. I bring along the hot chocolate so we have something to drink as we compare our favorites

    Reply
  16. Jane S. at

    When I was a kid and still living at home, we had fondue for dinner every Christmas Eve. That was the only time of year that we had it, so it was very special. Later on in the evening, we’d hear “reindeer hooves” on the ceiling and my Dad would go outside to check, and he’d be back with a Whitman’s Sampler, did we hear Santa making the early stop? Then on Christmas morning we’d get our stocking and all climb into bed with Mom & Dad, and we’d take turns pulling out one item at a time. Great fun!

    Thank you for the wonderful blog posts, and for the giveaway. :)

    Reply
  19. dorotheaspears964 at

    We don’t usually host a cookie exchange, but when our extended family gets together on Christmas Eve, everyone always brings their favorite cookies to share. Our favorite Christmas tradition on Christmas Day is to stay in our pj’s all day!

    Reply
  24. motherchic at

    Our family are always so happy to all be together. We play games, talk, eat and laugh allot. Also I love to bake, so far I have baked 29 different types of cookies. On Christmas eve day we take platters of cookies to our friends. We love it and I believe they do too:)

    Reply
  25. Jessica To at

    Our favorite tradition is to ride around town and look at Christmas decorations and lights.
    reklaw422 at hotmail dot com

    Reply
  28. Kathy at

    Hi Michael,
    One of our favorite family traditions is to make & decorate gingerbread houses – we have done this for over 40 years. We keep some and we donate some to fundraisers.
    Kathy D

    Reply
  31. April was in CT now CA at

    Since we live across country from family we do different things each year. This year we’re lucky enough to have some wonderful neighbors and they’ll be coming over to spend some time with us and enjoy some food!

    Reply
  34. MarvelousMrsP at

    We always do Christmas Eve at my mom’s house, have lasagna and salad, and open gifts to each other. Then I host Christmas at my house, where we do more gifts, and eat the traditional ham dinner.

    Reply
  35. MarvelousMrsP at

    We always do Christmas Eve at my mom’s house, have lasagna and salad, and open gifts to each other. Then I host Christmas at my house, where we do more gifts, and eat the traditional ham dinner.

    Reply
  36. Oatie at

    My favorite tradition is baking cookies for family and friends. I still use my granny’s recipes as well as some new ones I’ve collected over the years!

    Reply
  39. kellyr78 at

    Our tradition is baking Christmas cookies & decorating a Gingerbread house every year. My family and I enjoy good food and conversation on the holidays and the kids play together.
    kellywcuATyahooDOTcom

    Reply
  42. Emily at

    I love watching a marathon of the different variations of the Nutcracker Ballet with my family – it’s gorgeous, and each Ballet’s interpretation is different. Also,I love all of the cooking and baking – so much amazing food!

    Reply
  43. Alison at

    I love having my friends over for a hot chocolate party in January. This year will be my twelfth year and I love it more every year. It gives me a reason to leave my decorations up longer and friends get to enjoy a gathering after the hustle and bustle of the December party commitments.

    Reply
  45. Jennifer Bussey at

    Oh, Michael, do we ever have a cookie exchange. My friend and I just hosted our 6th annual Cookie Party. The draw is that it is kooky and over the top. No “Winter Wonderland” or “Visions of Sugar Plums” themes here. Past themes have included Cookie Dough A-Go-Go, The Spatula Strikes Back (Star Wars), Cookie Night Fever (disco), Vegas Wedding, and Toffees and Tiaras (pageant). Our friends look forward to it all year! Who will win next year’s Spirit Stick? Michael, will it be YOU?!?

    Reply
  56. Anonymous at

    My most favorite holiday tradition is going out to a friends property and cutting down the christmas tree! We than decorate it as a family while listening to Christmas carols!
    bjn1957{at}gmail{dot}com

    Reply
  61. sy at

    We play games and cook together. My parents and I cook spring rolls and dumplings together for holidays. Cookie exchange is a good idea, the recipes look yummy. thanks for the giveaway.
    songyueyu at gmail

    Reply
  63. Michelle at

    We don’t live near any family but we do celebrate by having close friends over to share our Christmas dinner with us. It is a relaxing and fun time!
    the palins at gmail dot com

    Reply

Post a comment! (Need an avatar?)


5 + 7 =