Top Recipes for Christmas Cookie Exchange Parties

by Mimi Cummins

A frequent question on our (now defunct) Cookie Exchange bulletin board is what cookies are recommended for cookie exchanges? Usually the person asking the question wants a cookie that is not too difficult but will yield results that will impress the other partygoers for it's appearance and taste. Below is a baker's dozen of tried & true Christmas cookie recipes for just such occasions:

  • Mexican Wedding Cakes - these look like little snowballs and they have a wonderful tase and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Dress these up by sprinkling edible glitter over them.
  • Spritz - uses a cookie press to pump out all kinds of interesting shapes, has a buttery taste, and can be tinted in Christmas colors and decorated with dragées, sprinkles, and colored sugars.
  • Pecan Tarts (or tassies) - look and taste like miniature pecan pies.
  • Sugar Cookies - prettily decorated with Royal Icing, these could very well be the hit of the party.
  • Peanut Blossoms - the peanutty cookie topped with Hershey's Kiss. These can be dressed up with the striped Hugs instead of Kisses and topped with colored sugar.
  • Thumbprint Cookies - buttery cookies rolled in chopped walnuts and filled with your favorite jam. If you're worried about portability, place a half of a candied cherry in each center before baking, instead of the jam.
  • Pistachio Christmas Ribbon Bars - an amazingly easy bar that is quite festive with the green pistachios and red ribbon of jam in the center.
  • Santa's Whiskers - a slice-and-bake refrigerator cookie dressed up with chopped cherries and rolled in coconut.
  • Clothespin Cookies - hollow horns made of puff pastry filled with cream. Dress them up with colored sugars.
  • Pumpkin Pie Biscotti - wonderful for dunking in your coffee. Dress these up by dipping one end in melted white chocolate.
  • Springerle - an "old world" contribution that always looks fabulous. For the party these must be made with a real Springerle stamp. Dress them up by highlighting them with gold lustre dust.
  • Cathedral Windows - colored mini-marshmallows create a stained-glass effect in the chocolate cookie (it's really a candy, but that's OK). Kids adore these....grown-ups too.
  • Gingerbread People - pipe on their faces and clothes with Royal Icing and decorate with silver and gold dragées.

For more tips on hosting or attending Christmas cookie exchange parties, visit Robin's Christmas Cookie Exchange.

Copyright 2004 Mimi Cummins. All Rights Reserved.

Mimi Cummins is co-author of the book “Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories, and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts.” For more information, excerpts and sample recipes, visit http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com