Holiday Cookies and Cookie Exchanges

The Thanksgiving leftovers have barely been put away when I begin to think about what I am going to bake for the December holidays. Whether you celebrate a holiday this month or not, there are so many parties and special occasions, almost everyone can find a reason to bake cookies.

I have such wonderful memories of baking cookies with my grandmother, mom and children. I can still remember the way Gramma’s kitchen smelled when we made spritz cookies. She had what must have been the world’s smallest oven, but we would make dozens of cookies, one pan at a time. It took all day, but it was one of my favorite days of the year. I still smile when I think of the time spent in her kitchen.

I first heard of cookie exchanges after moving to a new subdivision when my oldest was very young. The neighborhood was filled with lots of young families and the first holiday season we were there, I was invited to an exchange. I think I made about five dozen cookies. I met a lot of great people and came home with a ridiculously fabulous tray of cookies! Now that we are gluten free, I don’t go to that many exchanges, but I love having lots of options for parties, guests, or hostess gifts. If you know others who are gluten free, organize your own cookie exchange. You don’t need many people to be successful. Even three or four people will give you a nice variety of cookies.

While more delicate cookies can not be may ahead of time there are cookies and cookie dough that can be made and frozen. I like to make up several cookies dough and freeze them, just in case. When company shows up, I just pull out some dough and get some cookies in the oven so that everyone can have a sweet treat. And every once in a while, I will pop my children’s favorite cookies in the oven right before they walk in the door from school. The smiles always make it worthwhile.

I love that baking cookies is something that my whole family can do together and it is a great way to teach children the basics of baking. Chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies are simple to make and do not require a delicate hand, which makes them perfect for young children to put together.

Don’t have an occasion to bake cookies? Think about sharing the holiday spirit by remembering your local fire, police departments or the local senior center with a platter of cookies.

From simple and child friendly, to fancy and delicate, we will be posting a succession of cookie recipes this month that we hope will become your holiday favorites. Keep checking back with us to see all the new cookie postings.