Spring
Cookie Exchange Party
By Laura Ferrante
Most people think this is only a Christmas type of party.
I find that I am so busy at Christmas time I don't have
the time to devote to making dozens of cookies.
However, during the Spring months things have slowed down
a bit. This would be a great time of year to have a Cookie
Exchange Party. Plan it the week before Easter. You can
have a simple exchange among co-workers or something as
elaborate as a Spring Luncheon.
Here is how the party works. Each participant brings enough
cookies to trade and sample during the gathering. The
hostess should establish the number of cookies to bring
prior to
sending out invitations. This depends on the number
of persons expected to attend. It’s a good idea while
making the guest list to take a verbal poll to determine
the expected response.
On the day of the exchange, offer guests coffee, tea and
punch. You may want to even serve some finger sandwiches
to balance the high sugar content of the cookies. Be
sure to set aside enough room for trays of cookies for
sampling.
Identify each contributor's cookies with a printed sign
such as "Suzie Jones' Toffee Squares".
To avoid confusion, assign several friends to help sort
the packages of wrapped cookies as they arrive. Use grocery
bags or shopping bags marked with each participant’s
name. When the party is over, guest pick up their bags
filled with cookies. It’s always fun to see how
creatively guest wrap their cookies. Use paper plates
or bowls, foil-covered
cardboard, baskets, ribbons and colored cellophane to
get in the Spring season.
Here is a sample invitation:
You are cordially invited to a
Cookie Exchange
And
Recipe Swap
On
_______________
At
________________
Here is your chance to exchange your favorite
cookie and have a variety of goodies to serve in your home.
How
does it work? You bring a total of six dozen cookies,
all of one kind. Have one dozen attractively arranged
on a plate and 10 packages of six cookies each. You’ll
have the opportunity to taste everyone’s cookies
and have six of each kind to take home. You will also
receive copies of the recipes. Please send me your typed
recipe by _____. If I haven’t received your recipe
by the date, I will know you can’t make it to
the party.
While all this may sound complicated, it’s really
not. The sample invitation here, based on 10 guests,
will serve as a guideline. It shows how easily the party
is
done.
Some people on your guest list may think the number of
cookies is high, but when making one favorite cookie recipe,
only a few batches will be needed. All of the ingredients
will be the same and baking will go much faster.
By Planning this before Easter, when the little ones invade
your house looking for eggs you will have plenty of
cookies to keep them going. You will also have extra to
put in
the children’s Easter baskets.
About
Laura...
She
is a sugar art lover currently living in Jacksonville,
Florida. Originally from Tampa, I grew-up with the beautiful
Florida sunshine and beaches.
She
is married and has a charming little girl that was born
in October 2000. You can normally find them at Disney
World on the weekends. Her husband and her love all the
restaurants and her daughter can’t resist “The
Mouse”.
She
has a passion for decorating cakes and trying new decorating
techniques. She has found a lot of people like her cakes
because they are something unique and different.
She
enjoys sharing her cakes and party ideas on this site.
She hope you find them helpful.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
An all-time favorite flavor combination; chocolate and
peanut butter morsels combine in a melt-in-your-mouth
cookie treat.
Estimated Times:
Preparation - 10 min | Cooking - 10 min | Yields - 60
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Baking Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, (2 sticks)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Peanut Butter & Milk
Chocolate Morsels, (11-oz.pkg.)
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small
bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla
extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs.
Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop
by well-rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE for 8 to 10 minutes or until centers are set. Cool
on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to
cool completely.
Recipe & photo is from Very Best Baking's web site.
For more great recipes, visit VeryBestBaking.com
©
2002 Nestlé
