This holiday season, invite guests to share their favorite homemade cookies at a ski-slope-inspired cookie swap. Bursting with the cozy, wintry details of a mountainside lodge and featuring a buffet full of mouthwatering treats, your bash will be the hit of the holiday party circuit.
Cookie Swap: Party in Five
To throw this woodsy, wintry affair you need just five essential ingredients: homemade cookies, mini faux pine trees, apple cider, recipe cards and paper cookie sleeves.
A Favor They'll Actually Use
One of the best parts of attending a cookie swap is the collaborative spirit, which enables guests to go home with a slew of recipes. Print these recipe card templates on 3x5" index cards and mail (or e-mail) the cards to guests along with your invitation. Ask participants to fill out as many recipe cards as the number of guests you're expecting. Display recipes beside each batch of cookies in vintage recipe card tins. They are easy to source — try thrift shops, Etsy or even your grandmother’s cabinets.
The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Set out colorful envelopes near your cookie buffet so that guests have a place to neatly stash all of the recipes they've collected.
One of Each
Personalized touches go a long way. Print these cookie sleeve templates on 8.5x11" sheets and fold to perfectly house an individual cookie. Trim the edges with scalloped scissors for a little extra flair that makes a big impact.
Pretty Parcel
Once guests have gotten their fill of cookies and recipe cards, they’ll need a simple way to carry them all home. A medium-sized kraft-paper gift box is easy to find at this time of year, and perfect for packing the filled cookie sleeves.
Bow Out
Tie the packed boxes with twine and tuck the recipe card envelopes under the bow along with a sprig of pine, tinsel or a green herb for a festive finish.
The Great Outdoors
To showcase the cookies like the centerpieces they are — and enhance your woodsy, wintry theme — display them on wooden tree stumps or birch disks of varying heights. (Feeling handy? Try repurposing a salvaged tree stump. For a simpler solution, look no further than the woodcraft section in your local craft store.)
On Display
A pretty doily separates cookies from the wooden surface and adds a sweet touch to the rougher rustic accents. On display here are Kelsey Nixon's Peppermint Fudge Crinkle Cookies, which pair two of the most classic holiday flavors: chocolate and mint. The powdered sugar finish makes these cookies like they've been kissed by a light snowfall.
This cookie recipe from Roger Mooking pairs two more of the season's most festive flavors — cranberry and ginger — by sandwiching two gingersnap cookies with a creamy cranberry filling.
You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't swoon over these Peppermint Meltaways: minty-fresh cookies with a surprising chocolate center. (Bonus: They are super easy to make.) Garnish with crushed peppermint candies and powdered sugar (and have plenty of recipe cards on hand).
Is there anything better on a chilly winter day than warming your hands with a piping hot mug? (Well, drinking what's inside the mug, too.) For a drink that will complement the cookies' sweetness, serve guests spiced cider — a true holiday season staple. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and serve in white teacups and saucers for a refined touch to an otherwise outdoorsy spread. (Feel free to offer both spiked and regular cider options.)
Bourbon, brandy, nutmeg and vanilla come together to make this seasonal brew. For an even more indulgent option, add homemade eggnog to your menu (best served in colorful glassware).
