Cookie Exchange!

8th Annual Cookie Exchange!

It's almost here.

December 4th to be exact.

Each year my sister, daughter and I host a crazy cookie exchange.

It's not your normal bring a few cookies and call it good type of deal...

It's out of control..

It's crazy...

It's really fun...

Here's the secret to an out of control, crazy, fun cookie exchange...

Make it a contest!

Oh yeah...

We have categories for the following:

Best Tasting Chocolate

Best Tasting Non-chocolate

Best Presentation

Best Recipe Card

Best Tasting Under age 18

Everybody gets to vote for their favorites.

  

The first year was simply for the Best Tasting cookie.  End of story.  Things seemed to have morphed and taken on a life of their own.

 It's out of my hands.  These categories have created themselves 

over the years...

One year I went over to my mother-in-laws house to ask her for something.  She stopped me at the door, threw a towel over the cookies she had been slaving over all day then invited me in!  I loved it.  Such commitment, such passion, such competitive secrecy...

Another year my sister-in-law Nancy, was awarded a prize for the most tested recipes.  She tried eleven different cookies before settling on one!

My friend Laurie's husband has already been been trying to sell me her secret recipes for $50 bucks a piece (btw...she's won several times)...  hmmmm... 

Last year we invited friend and professional baker Kimberly Koch of truly scrumptious boutique bakery

to cast her favorite vote.  The winner was JoAnn Taylor, owner of Camas Antiques!  JoAnn won Kimberly's vote and best tasting non-chocolate with a recipe from Romancing the West cookbook which was written by another friend, Fran Gillette!  The love just goes full circle doesn't it?

The winner of each category gets a fabulous prize.  Usually cooking related.  It sounds a little crazy and it is.  But we all have so much fun  browsing through recipes, planning our displays and watching each other enjoy the cookies we've put so much thought and preparation into.  

Here's a little inspiration...

 

it's a cookie pie... does that count?

Hosting a cookie exchange is a great way to start off the holiday season with friends and family.  If you've ever considered hosting one, I would encourage you to try it!  You won't regret it.  If you need any tips let me know...

Cookie Exchange 2008

Welcome to my home and the 2008 ANNUAL COOKIE EXCHANGE...

This past Saturday was the big event! A great time was had by all. There was champagne and sparkling cider, appetizers and cookies. Oh the cookies. FABULOUS!!!

There were about 32 bakers who participated this year and everyone outdid themselves! I heard over and over how hard it was to make a decision. Good job everyone!!!

Pictured below is a sampling of the Best Tasting winners... (They were boxed up, sent home and half eaten by the time my camera got to them)!

AND THE WINNERS ARE... In the under 18 yr. old group: Best tasting chocolate was won by Jessica Melberg for her creamy and delicious chocolate fudge, also tied for first was Savannah Smith for her Red Velvet Cookies, Best Tasting Non-Chocolate went to Jenna Reed for her Peppermint Meltaways, Best Presentation and Best Recipe card both went to Faith Burton! Congratulations girls!!!

Faith, Hope, Hannah and Sam...

In the over 18 group the coveted wins went to: Best tasting chocolate - Shawna Danberg for her divine Toffee Bar Cookies , Best Tasting Non-Chocolate went to Natalie Anderson for her fabulous Carrot Cookies, there was a tie for Best Presentation - the deserving winners are Brittany Birnel and Julie Martin..., Julie also won for Best Recipe Card. Congratulaions everyone!!!

This is my mother-in-law Carolyn, and my niece Brittany who won for Best Presentation...

This is Julie who also won for best presentation and best recipe card...

more beautiful cookies...

Somewhere in this post I have to make a confession... things got so crazy I completely forgot about my camera! I have great before and after pictures, but not many during... I hope you can still get the idea...

What I do have are great pictures of what went on to make the cookie exchange so beautiful.

Meet my Mom and Aunt Susie, they came over and spent an afternoon decorating and putting together these beautiful boxes for everyone to take their cookies home in...

My husband and son climbed up and down this ladder many times. Blake told me that he's never getting married, it's too much work! I told him I'm training him for his future wife!

With the help of my husband, son, mom, aunt, niece Kelly, sister-in-law Debbie, father and mother-in-law, friends Natalie and Joe everything looked great and went off without a hitch. Thanks you guys!!!

The cookie exchange is a great way to start off the holiday season. Thanks for being a part of it...

I'll give you some of the winning recipes in my next post!

Cookie Exchange 2008

For the past seven years, my daughter, sister and I have hosted a cookie exchange. It all started innocently enough, just some fun and holiday cheer with friends and family... It became more interesting when we decided to give a grand prize for the best tasting cookie. The coveted trophy our first year was a copy of the re-issued Betty Crocker Cooky Book. It was the cook book Sis and I cut our Christmas Cookie Baking teeth on...

Things have grown wildly out of control since that innocent first year and we love it! Wow! These women are competitive! The competition is what makes it so much fun! I mean you have to spend time going through cookbooks, looking up recipes online. Innocently asking people what they are making this year in hopes that they will slip and actually tell you (some people just aren't as generous as you thought they were, it's so disappointing)...

No one will tell what they are making. I was recently harrassed in several text messages by a freinds husband (you know who you are Jeff). He said he would take $1000 in small bills for his wife's winning recipe or $500 for a small taste...

Another year, I went over to my mother-in-laws house the day before the cookie exchange. I barely had one foot in the door and she cries out, "just a minute" and throws a towel over her cookies so I couldn't see what she made!!! They were fabulous by the way Carolyn...

One year my sister-in-law (you know who you are Nancy) tried 11 recipes before she decided on one. We gave her a prize for the greatest effort!

This year's Best Presentation will be going to my niece Kelly and my sister-in-law (Kelly's mom) Debbie. They both gave their time and talent to help me decorate. Everything is so sparkly and beautiful. Thanks you guys...

The table looks a little empty because that's where all the cookies will go. This is how it works; each person brings 6 dozen cookies and then a bunch of little bite sized samples. When they come in their cookies go on the table and a number is put on the display. Later everyone comes through with a voting card and votes for their favorites in these categories... Best Tasting Chocolate, Best Tasting Non-Chocolate, Best Presentation and Best Recipe Card... we also do the same thing for the girls who are 18 and younger.

It's really fun but you have to go in shifts because a sugar coma will set in if you sample everything at once!

We serve these fabulous chicken legs my sister makes and other protein to balance out the coma! People even voted for the chicken the first year Sis made it. If it's okay with her I'll share the recipe in the next post. They are easy and delicous!!!

After all the voting is done and the very deserving winners have collected their prizes, everyone goes home with a beautiful box full of gorgeous cookies.

Here are a few more pictures of the pre-cookie exchange decorating...

Yes we wrapped all of the pictures in my dining room like presents and hot glued those ceramic trees to the candles stands (it's all a bit neurotic but we had so much fun and doesn't it look great?)...

This is only the dining room, I'll share more later...