Christmas Cookie Bake Exchange Party

Hosting a cookie baking exchange party is alot of fun and a delicious way to start the holiday season. Invite as many people as you think your kitchen will comfortably handle. Have Christmas music softly playing, light a fire in your fireplace and burn some festively scented candles. Start early afternoon and serve easy fix ahead snacks before the baking begins. Here are some ideas for the snacks:

Pigs in a blanket: Purchase the cocktail size hotdogs from Hebrew National and Pillsbury crescent rolls. Cut each crescent roll in (3) pieces and roll the hot dog in it. Bake according to crescent roll package directions. Serve with toothpicks and have regular and honey mustard available for dipping.

Cheese and Cracker Platter: Purchase your favorite cheese and crackers and prepare a platter, add fresh purple and green grapes.

Chili Cheese Dip: Soften 8 ounces of creamcheese in a glass pie plate in the microwave oven. Spread the creamcheese around the plate. Carefully spread a can of Hormel chili with or without beans over creamcheese. Top with your favorite shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted. Serve with pita chips and tortilla chips.

Let the baking begin! Before your guests arrive decide which cookies you will bake and make sure you have all the ingredients, pans, utensils and kitchen tools ready to go. Have everything out on your counter and ready to go for easy access. Check out Northpole.com for some of the most scrumptious cookie recipes you will find.

Encourage your guests to arrive with their own ingredients already pre-measured in ziploc bags. It will shorten the clean-up time enabling everyone to get down to baking and enjoying each others company.

Use stackable cookie racks to bake the cookies allowing more baking in less time.

Have disposable pans and lids ready so everyone will leave with a tin of homebaked goodness. Check out Currentcatalog.com to purchase holiday tins to gift your goodies in.

Include the kids in the baking. Set off a small area of the table for them. Prepare bowls of melted chocolate and white chocolate and let them dip pretzels, fruit and marshmallows. Have waxed paper spread out for them to dry their creations on. They can make chocolate snowmen with large marshmallows held together with pretzel sticks, have mini M&M's, Reeses pieces, chocolate chips and mini gumdrops on hand for decorating. You could also consider having some yellow and chocolate cupcakes pre-baked for them to decorate as well.

Serve coffee and hot chocolate after the baking and cleaning is done and indulge in each others creations.

Happy Holidays!