How many is too many cookies to bake?

[heather]

I would like everyone to bring 1/2 dozen cookies per person...I am guessing about 20 - 25 people will come...Is that too many cookies?

[Robin]

Many cookie exchanges have 20 or more people. It never makes sense to me when I see the rule, "Bake 1 dozen cookies per person". Or, 1/2 dozen per person.... In my opinion, that is too many cookies to ask people to bake.

First of all, you never know how many will show up until the actual party. People that tell you 10 times over 3 months they will definitely be there, end up not showing up and people that say they can't come, will suddenly appear.

Plus, at the half dozen per person rate, 10-13 dozen cookies is a huge amount of work for anyone, especially non bakers.
I always think the writers who states that "one Dozen" per person have never actually given a cookie exchange. Or the attendees are professional bakers!

If this works for some people --more power to them! But for regular people I think 6 dozen is the perfect amount to ask during the already busy Christmas season. Then it doesn't matter how many show up. Come with 6 dozen, leave with 6 dozen. If you want more cookies, you could make it 8 dozen but I wouldn't go higher than that.

[strembiski]

I, personally, have never had a problem with each person bringing one dozen per person. If you figure that each cookie recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies, and my average exchange is about 12 people, that's only 4 batches of cookies. Easily done in a day, especially since most people I talk to already usually double a recipe when they're baking for themselves.
And, no one I know is a professional baker.

[Terri]

:)I have hosted a Christmas Cookie Exchange for about 5 years now... it is an idea that is almost unheard of here in Australia but that did not stop me from trying it with my friends. It was a hit from the very first year! So... five years on we are still loving it!

I decided early on that what would work for me was (and this is not what many people do) to ask my guests (there are 7 of us including myself) to bake 7 lots of one dozen Christmas cookies and they must be presented in a way that can be given as a gift - the minimum requirement is to place them on a paper plate, wrapped in cellophane and a Christmassy bow added.

The first year most people did the minimum I asked for... but now my friends seem to spend some time hunting for a nice serving container to serve there ccokies in / on.

My Cookie Exchange was fine tuned after my first one when we all ended up taking home one of everyones... including our own! I thought that bringing one of them that will be given to yourself to take home was a bit silly(!) so now I ask people to bake extra for their family and leave them at home... and the seventh dozen goes to a family (usually connected with our Church who have been doing it tough that year).

One year the seventh dozen from each person went to a gentleman who's wife had recently passed away. Another year they were given to a family who had a premature baby still in hospital and they were spending a good part of every day at the hospital with the baby, the past two years we have given the cookies to a family who have been doing it tough (Mum was on dialysis for many months while awaiting a kidney transplant, then she was recovering from her transplant). This year the cookies will be given to a lovely family who's Dad was involved in a motor cycle accident almost a year ago and he has been left a quadriplegic. How that family's life has been turned upside down... not to mention Stanley who is now confined to his wheelchair (and still in hospital - he is allowed occasional one night stays at home).

For us, we love the exchanging of cookies between friends but it has been very special to share the love of Christmas with others who are in need of a special blessing... these cookies made with love are always a blessing.

I just LOVE hosting our Cookie Exchange... and I know my friends just LOVE to be a part of it.

Thanks Robin for all your inspiration!