Here’s everything you need to know about How to Host a Cookie Exchange along with an amazing Caramel Macchiato Cookie Recipe!

A cookie exchange is a fun way to share holiday cookie recipes. This is what you need to know to plan and host a cookie exchange.


 

There are so many amazing Christmas cookie recipes out there and the best way to get to taste them all is to host a cookie exchange. Have you ever been to one? It’s so much fun, you get to try lots of new Christmas cookie recipes and at the end you take some home, along with the recipes so you can make them yourself! Today we’re going to give you some tips on how to plan a cookie exchange this holiday season.

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  1. Bake Cookies – Each guest makes a cookie recipe of their choice.
  2. Share Cookies – They need to bring 1 dozen of those cookies to the party for tasting, and 1 dozen per guest to share. So, if you have 10 guests each person will make 10 dozen cookies, 1 dozen per guest (not counting themselves), and one dozen for the cookie table. Now, if you are having more than 10 guests you might only want to have your guests make half a dozen cookies per guest to share. That’s totally up to you, just make sure everyone brings cookies for your guests to take home and some cookies to serve at the party.
  3. Share Cookie Recipes – Each guest will also need to bring recipe cards with their cookie recipe on them for each guest. Fun right?
  4. Take Cookies Home – Since your guests are all going to be bringing cookies to share you’ll want to make sure you tell everyone to bring some extra containers so they can take home all of the cookies they will be receiving, or, you can provide boxes for your guests. I personally prefer to just bring my own reusable plastic containers.  I go home with so many cookies that I usually stick half of them in the freezer so they stay fresh until I’m ready to eat them.

HOW TO HOST A COOKIE EXCHANGE
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The hardest part about hosting a cookie exchange is deciding what cookie to make! Here is a list of some of our favorite easy Christmas cookies for a cookie exchange including a recipe for Caramel Macchiato Cookie below!

To make sharing your cookie exchange recipes a little easier you can DOWNLOAD these super cute recipes cards for your party. Add your cookie recipe to it to hand out to your friends, and send them to your guests before the party so they can print them out for their own recipes!

I also made a recipe card that fits right on top of a resealable container for our Mad About Plaid cookie exchange. It is perfect for sending your cookies home with people! DOWNLOAD HERE.

A cookie exchange is a fun way to share holiday cookie recipes. This is what you need to know to plan and host a cookie exchange.

Right after eating cookies my favorite part of hosting a cookie exchange is decorating. I LOVE holiday decorations and this year I’m all about the rustic Christmas look. I used galvanized chargers as my cookie trays, and I found this awesome metal box at Home Goods that I used to hold some of the coffee flavored cookies. I filled the bottom of the box with paper and covered the paper with a Christmas napkin, then I placed the cookies in it. I love the look!!

If you’re looking for something different check out our Mad for Plaid Cookie Exchange. We have free printable labels and more ideas for hosting a cookie exchange.

A cookie exchange is a fun way to share holiday cookie recipes. This is what you need to know to plan and host a cookie exchange.

I have one last thing to help you out with your first, or next, cookie exchange, this Caramel Macchiato cookie recipe. It’s the perfect cookie for your favorite coffee lover. One of my friends described it as eating a cup of coffee :).

CARAMEL MACCHIATO COOKIE
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Servings: 36
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Caramel Macchiato Cookies

These caramel macchiato cookies are filled with real coffee flavor and topped with creamy caramel and chocolate.
Print Recipe
4.19 from 106 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup Butter, , unsalted, room temperature
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 1 Egg, , large
  • 3 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoon Starbucks VIA Instant Latte White Chocolate Mocha
  • 16 Caramels
  • 2 tablespoon Heavy Cream
  • 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • In a large bowl use a mixer to beat the butter and sugar together.
  • Add egg and continue to mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
  • In a small bowl mix together flour and coffee powder.
  • Turn mixer to low and add flour mixture. Do not over mix. Stop as soon as flour is combined.
  • Make dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet 3-4 inches apart.
  • Use the back of a teaspoon, or your thumb, to press down in the center of the ball to make an indentation.
  • Bake until cookies are golden brown around edges, 18 – 20 minutes.
  • When cookies come out of the oven use the back of the teaspoon to gently press the centers down again.
  • Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack.
  • Unwrap caramel candies and place them in a microwave safe bowl. Add heavy cream and microwave, 15 seconds at a time, until melted.
  • Once the cookies have cooled fill each indentation with the caramel.
  • Let caramel cool and then place the chocolate chips in a microwaveable dish and microwave for 15 seconds at a time until they are completely melted. Drizzle the top of the cookies with melted chocolate.
  • Once chocolate has hardened serve and enjoy!

Notes

Note: If you are placing these cookies in a container where they will be stacked on top of each other I suggest putting wax paper between each layer. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 164kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 82mg, Potassium: 29mg, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 265IU, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 0.6mg
Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.
Author: Kat Jeter & Melinda Caldwell
Course: Dessert

I hope this has helped answer some of your questions on how to host a cookie exchange. If you decide to host a cookie exchange this year let us know what cookies you serve!

kat