Apparently, 2 is my magic cookie swap number. In 2010 I attended 2 swaps. In 2012 I attended 2 swaps. Don’t ask what happened in 2011, I think I was having an off year. Regardless, cookie swaps have become part of my holiday season. I love baking and any excuse to make (and eat) cookies is a good one.
My first swap of the 2013 season was the second annual #CDNYEatDrinkBlog swap at Alicia’s house last Friday. I hadn’t seen some of the Albany area bloggers for years and others since HLS in September and it was so good to see everyone. The weather on Friday was a little scary for a while, but it cleared up well in advance of my trip with Brian across state lines to exchange cookies.
The spread at this swap was pretty amazing. Everyone brought potluck dishes to share and 3 dozen cookies to exchange. Heather definitely outdid herself, providing all sorts of awesome food in addition to what everyone brought. I may have eaten my weight in cheese, but what else is new? For the swap, I made a double batch of the ginger snaps from The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread
Monday afternoon found me at another swap. I was “co-hosting” our work cookie swap with one of my co-workers, though she definitely did most of the heavy lifting. Despite my initial intentions to throw a really awesome party with snacks and tea and ambiance (in as much as I can create ambiance in my classroom), the time got away from me and before I knew it I was staring down the last week of school before break. It’s a busy week with holiday festivities and regularly scheduled meetings splashed across the calendar. We chose yesterday for the swap and combined it with another after school event. As a result, the swap was short and sweet, with everyone showing up, trading their 10 bags of six cookies each (That’s 5 dozen cookies in all) for one of each bag brought by everyone else.
For my work swap I once again relied on a tried and true favorite, Chocolate Chip Sable Cookies (I replace the cacao nibs with mini chocolate chips). I love these cookies because they’re super easy to make and each batch results in about 48 cookies. Every time I make these I think to myself that all cookies should be slice and bake. Everyone is always impressed with how they look, but I credit the 2 hours the rolls of dough spend in the fridge. In the past these cookies have been really well received and it’s possible that some of my other co-workers will be receiving them as gifts.
I think that’s all the cookie swaps on the agenda for 2013, but one never knows. I certainly don’t need anymore cookies, but if I was invited to another exchange, I’d probably show up. Regardless, I’d like to bring back the tradition of February swaps I tried starting a couple years ago.
