Easiest Ever Cookie Exchange Party for Busy Moms
This easy Cookie Exchange Party idea is perfect for busy moms! If you’ve been wanting to have friends over this is a great excuse, especially near the holidays. A little sparkling wine, sweet treats and good company are all you need. No baking required!
This fun holiday cookie exchange party idea for busy moms was sponsored by Gloria Ferrer.
How to plan the easiest Cookie Exchange Party ever
A traditional cookie exchange is a lot of work. Who has time to bake dozens of cookies? I decided to make it easier but no less fun by making store-bought cookies the star of the show.
But to keep it interesting, encourage your guests to be creative and think outside the normal grocery store bakery department. If your friends are like mine, they’ll drive a little out of their way if it means they don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen.
Related post: 10 Gift Ideas Using Store-Bought Desserts
Don’t put so many stipulations on it that it becomes a chore. We’re trying to keep it easy, remember?! But remind your friends it will be more fun if there is a variety of cookies that are unique.
A cookie exchange is a fun party idea that works year-round. To make it work best with your busy mom friends, try to keep it away from major holidays (you know like it can be in December but not the week before Christmas) and don’t even think about doing it on a weekend.
This cookie party doesn’t need to last all night, after all, it’s a school night and you’ve all got kids to wrangle in the morning. But for those few hours, you’ll all get to sit down, enjoy some sweet treats and sip on some delicious wine.
The best part is each guest will get to take home a variety of delicious cookies to share with their families. And you will get to spend time with your girlfriends, enjoying a little sparkling wine for a few hours during a typically stressful time of year.
1. Get the table ready
To prep for the party, pull out your platters and have them ready to go. Of course, you can put out the containers of cookies that they came home from the store in, but the table can look really gorgeous if you take just a minute to replate everything.
You don’t have to get crazy. Just have the table set before your friends get there and the serving pieces ready. Use a variety of types of vessels because, for sure, there will be all kinds of different cookies.
Have them display their cookies as they arrive.
2. Have extra
If you are hosting, I suggest picking up a few dozen different types of cookies to ensure that there is a nice variety. Also, life gets busy and if one of your friends doesn’t have time to pick up cookies, there will still be plenty for everyone to take home.
And don’t forget to pick up several bottles of Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine. You might not get through it all during the party, but extra sparkling wine is never a bad thing!
3. Make sure the sparkling wine is chilled
The purpose of the party is to enjoy each other’s company and get caught up and what better way to celebrate those friendships than with some sparkling wine.
Gloria Ferrer was the first sparkling wine house in Sonoma Carneros and the first to bring back clones from France to plant in their vineyard. 30 years later, the estate vineyards of Gloria Ferrer are known as experts in the production of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and estate grown still and sparkling wines that rival some of the world’s finest.
Gloria Ferrer wines have earned over 500 gold medals and 50 90+ scores in the last 5 years. When I started working in restaurants in college, this was some of the first sparkling wine I tasted. Since then, I’ve had MANY others, but Gloria Ferrer is always where I turn for a delicious bottle of sparkling wine that I can afford.
4. Keep decor simple
The only other decor you might want is some fresh flowers. You don’t need to go to a florist, just visit the floral department of your local grocery store. Arrange the bouquets in a large vase and clip some stems and greens to tuck around your platters.
If you are hosting this for the holidays, you can add in more festive decor pieces like some ornaments or candy canes. But keep it simple!
5. Mix and match your glassware
And don’t get hung up on having the right glassware. A flute is quite elegant and are perfect to see the bubbles. But if you don’t have enough, or any at all, don’t fret!
A normal wine glass will not change the taste of your sparkling wine. I would suggest using clear glass, but other than that, you could drink your sparkling wine out of a mason jar.
Your friends will be able to “cheers” just the same.
6. Set the mood
While the table might look a little fancy, you can totally keep things casual by telling your friends to come in comfortable clothes. Moms love that. And sometimes the idea of putting on a dress is enough to make a gal cancel plans.
Put on a relaxed but fun playlist and make sure you have enough seating so everyone can snack on cookies and chat comfortably.
Your friends have been to cookie exchange parties before. But not like this. Sparkling wine helps to elevate your entertaining without adding extra effort. Every occasion can be made glorious with Gloria Ferrer.
7. To-go boxes
And when it’s time for the party to be over, have your guests put together their cookies to take home.
Small, disposable cookie boxes are a perfect way for them to gather up their treats.
Set up an area where they can pack up the cookies and tie on a tag for their family. Your more health-conscious friends might not want to bring a dozen cookies home with them (because they can be eaten for breakfast – not that I’ve done that…) so these cookie gifts could be taken to school teachers, neighbors or in-laws.
And may I just point out that I used a recipe box to hold another small arrangement of flowers in the photo above? Because we don’t need recipes for this party. Boom.
Now doesn’t this sound like the kind of party any busy mom would want to attend? There are just 3 things you need to pull off a successful cookie exchange party, good friends, delicious cookies and glorious Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine!
Host one for your girlfriends soon! Find out more about Gloria Ferrer by heading to their website.