The Rules of the Cookie Exchange
by Robin Olson ©1997

  1. All cookies must be homemade, baked & main ingredient must be flour.
    No "no-bake" cookies, meringues or bars are allowed.

  2. Please bring 6 dozen total cookies.

  3. The theme is "Christmas Cookies" - no chocolate chip cookies allowed
    - unless they are really different! No "no-bake" cookies. (You can make any theme you like.)

  4. Arrange cookies in a basket or platter and be creative! Bring a large container (i.e., Tupperware) to carry away your cookies and bring a copy of your recipe. (Or you may email it.)

  5. Christmas attire is encouraged!

  6. RSVP as soon as you can and let me know what type of cookies you are planning on baking - no duplicate recipes are allowed.

  7. If you cannot attend but would like to exchange cookies, you may deliver your cookies the day before the party. I'll exchange them for you.

  8. There's a prize for the best (most outrageous) Christmas outfit. First, second & third place!!

  9. If you don't have time to bake, or have ruined your recipe, but still want to attend, you must go to a real bakery and buy 6 dozen yummy cookies.


The Rules of the Cookie Exchange
- Explained
There's reason for everything

  1. All cookies must be homemade, baked & main ingredient must be flour. No "no-bake" cookies.
    The "must be baked and use flour rule" was started when three participants brought no-bake cookies to one exchange. Most of them were terrible anyway and were just thrown away. (One of them had the main ingredient of saltine crackers.) Another mom proclaimed; "My kids helped roll these cookies (dirty lil' fingers and non baked cookies = a lot of germs in my book, very unappetizing.) Coupled with that fact was that another attendee spent three days making her cookies. They were a 'work of art' that she really spent the time on. As I recall, it was multi-layered apricot filled delicacy. The playing field just wasn't level! I needed to see that everyone made the same effort, time commitment and spent approximately the same amount of money. I also don't care for meringue cookies. They're too simple (heat oven to 350, turn off and leave overnight) and most people don't care for them anyway. It was an Exchange that I remember getting negative comments back on and I thought, if I don't tighten up the rules, I'll loose the bakers. The party is about "the people" but when people go home to their families, you don't want to hear that the families thought the cookie were awful and that they got tossed.  You'll loose people forever if they get the idea that the cookies at your party are boring, cheap or just plain bad. Christmas is a busy time for everyone and people have to make choices about what they want to do.  Make your party something they want to do.


    :::IMPORTANT NOTE:::
    Even though I post all these rules on my website and in my invitation, people don't always pay attention and bring items that they shouldn't. I NEVER say anything to them. It's not my intention to make people feel bad, we're having a party and the main reason for the party is to have fun and get together.

    I just make available the guidelines, so that the majority will hopefully follow the rules and a few bad cookies can get lost in the shuffle without major consequences. It becomes a problem if people go home and throw away all the cookies due to a lack of quality. Also, the stories at the swap are not nearly as interesting as with the "real" cookies anyway.

  2. Please bring 6 dozen total. You can split 2 recipes into 3 dozen each if you wish.
    This is an oft asked question.

    Question:     "Why 6 dozen?  I went to an exchange where we only had to bring 1 dozen."

    Answer: My primary reason? I knock myself out for this party. Not only is my house completely decorated by the first week-end of December, but on top of baking cookies for the exchange I also make a spread of hot and cold hors de oeuvres and usually spend about $150.00 on the food and drink. I'd rather not go to all of this effort for only 12 cookies !

    As it is, 6 dozen usually only lasts 2-3 days in my house. I have three kids and a chocoholic husband. My kids, (especially the boys!) can inhale 12 cookies in about 2 minutes! I really don't think my attendees would be so excited about making childcare arrangements, getting all dressed up and driving to my house for 12 cookies either.

    The table would look so sparse with only one dozen, the party is a feast for the eyes --as well as taste! (We don't eat the cookies at my party, we only swap.)     Six dozen is only one batch of a large yield recipe, or two batches of a smaller one.     That's why I suggest people can bring 3 dozen of 2 types of cookies, if a particular recipe doesn't yield enough.

    The only time I would suggest one dozen is if:

    1. You were doing an office cookie exchange and the cookies were only going to be eaten by the attendees.

    2. A Children's Cookie Exchange

    3. The attendees do not have children or others to share their cookies with.

  3. The theme is "Christmas Cookies" - no chocolate chip cookies allowed - unless they are really different!
    I really don't want 7 types of toll house cookies showing up, as much I love them! Story time would be pretty boring, don't you agree?

  4. Arrange cookies in a basket or platter (be creative!) & a large container (i.e., Tupperware, basket, box) to carry away cookies and bring a copy of your recipe.
    Please think "portability". Have you used gooey icing? Cookies with icing need to sit out, air dry and harden before a Cookie Swap. I tell my participants to separate the cookies when they get home, so the flavors don't mix.

  5. Christmas attire is encouraged!
    This helps sets the mood. Not too dressy, just casual holiday wear, you know what I mean!  

  6. RSVP as soon as you can and let me know what type of cookies you are planning on baking - no duplicate recipes are allowed.
    No duplicates are allowed because invariably one person baked a better version of a cookie and then another person feels bad. No one wants to find out that their cherished family recipe is being done better by another family somewhere else.

  7. If you cannot attend but would like to exchange cookies, you may deliver your cookies the day before the party. I'll exchange them for you.
    If people want to participate and can't attend for whatever reason, I'll do this for them. I gather their cookies before the group swap begins. They usually pick up their cookies the next day.

  8. There's a prize for the best (most outrageous) Christmas outfit.
    This encourages people to dress festively. The person with the light up earrings usually wins!

  9. If you don't have time to bake, or have ruined your recipe, but still want to attend, you must go to a real bakery and buy 6 dozen really yummy cookies.
    What you lack in time spent baking --you must make up for in expense!


To see a lot more
Cookie Exchange ideas,
log on to the
Cookie Exchange Message Board



The Invitation and Rules for our Cookie Swap
was invented by:
Holly Murphy and Robin Olson ©1989


You may use our sample invitation
and rules for your party.

If you are using these rules for your online invitation,
please link back to this page and give credit where credit is due:
Cookie Exchange Rules
and Invitation Courtesy of
Robin's Cookie Exchange
http://www.robinsweb.com/cookies/cookie-invite.html

Permission required for reprint for reasons
other than hosting your own party.
(Example: sites using this copyrighted
information without permission.)

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Copyright©1997 Robin L. Olson, Robin's Web, All Rights Reserved.