This Just In

See this? A bakery exploded in my dining room.? Not really.? These were the cookies and goodies from our first annual cookie exchange.

This was from just three bakers, mid afternoon.

This is my mother, Betty Crocker.? She worked so hard to make all this, isn’t she amazing? Just kidding.? This is actually the handiwork of?eight people.

There were so many delicious, yummy things to enjoy.? Some of my guests actually walked out with laundry baskets full of cookies.? They also walked out with some cute party favors and prizes, like these:

4-packs of custom wrapped mini candy bars, created especially for the cookie exchange.? I got the graphics for these adorable wrappers from PcCrafter.? They’re a great place to go if you need really cute clip art for projects like this.? The clip art set that I used was Holiday Delights by Joy Hall.

6-packs of recipe cards in protectors with two?matching chocolate themed dishtowels.? I created the recipe cards with Sweet Shoppe by Senta Plyer.? This is a very versatile set of dessert/sweets graphics.

Wrapped up with a cute matching ribbon, it was a fun and practical prize.

Simply put, we had a blast.? The whole event last about an hour start to finish.? We introduced ourselves, although it was mostly friends and family, but hey, just incase you know.? We went around the table and told everyone about what we made to share, and boy that could have been a speech, let me tell ya, there was a?lot of cookies and more.? We drew a name for the doorprize–my sister Andrea won a two quart batter bowl, 6 recipe cards in protectors and a package of King Arthur Flour?Scone Mix.

The planning has begun for next year’s exchange! I would like to have a few awards for things like “Most Festive Packaging”, “The Overachiever” (the person who brought the most cookies), etc. as well as a door prize and attendance gifts.? This was my first time organizing/hosting an exchange, and I think the overwhelming consensus is “See you again next year!”.

I will be posting recipes for the goodies the ladies made for the cookie exchange in the coming weeks.? You can find the majority of my recipes already here on the blog.? I will be posting a couple of recipes today in fact–Peppermint Crunch Sugar Cookies and Sweet and Spicy Pecans are on deck, so stay tuned!

Merry Christmas Baking from My Kitchen to Yours,

S.