Outdoor Entertaining: Let’s Host a Holiday Cookie & Cocktail Swap
Greetings, friends! While we’ve been savoring these crisp, sun-kissed beach days on the island, the holiday season is urgently tapping at our door. Time to start planning some holiday entertaining. Let’s kick it off with a fun outdoor cookie and cocktail exchange that’ll have your friends laughing, nibbling, and toasting to festive cheer. Picture a cozy fire pit casting a warm glow, a table brimming with treats, and the joy of swapping recipes while building your holiday cookie stash with a little help from your friends.
If you’re new to the whole cookie swap idea, no worries, it’s fairly simple. The idea is you spend some time baking multiple batches of one kind of cookie, but leave the party with a beautiful assortment ready for your holiday gifting and entertaining. Of course, you will need willing participants, so be sure to invite those who have the time and desire to bake. Send e-mail invites early so friends have time to whip up their masterpieces and share recipes to avoid any “Oops, we all made chocolate chip” moments. Here are the musts: Cookies should be homemade and ideally freeze well or stay fresh in airtight containers for holiday gifting. Each guest brings a dozen cookies per person (plus a dozen for nibbling), wrapped separately, with recipe cards. Cap the guest list at eight – nobody wants to bake dozens and dozens of cookies, and everyone will still go home with a nice mix of eight dozen different treats. For the cocktail swap, everyone brings a show-off drink, a batch in a pitcher for sharing, and recipe copies.
Now let’s set the scene. Grab four tables: one for the cookie display, one for wrapped cookie dozens and extra boxes (for the forgetful bakers), one for cocktails and cups, and one for sampling the goodies. Use your picnic table and outdoor chairs, but keep it casual – mingling’s the name of the game. Of course, the only way to make this work outdoors this time of year is with a fire pit or two. Skip fancy tablecloths but add some holiday table vibes with mason jars filled with salt, cranberries, and rosemary sprigs for half, and salt with a candle for the rest. Toss on some greens along with a few festive bows, queue up the holiday tunes, and you’re good to go.
For the cookie display, mix platters and cake stands for a fun, tiered setup. Use place cards to label each cookie type and baker – keeps things organized and gives everyone their moment of fame. Same goes for cocktails, and don’t forget small paper cups for sipping samples.
As the host, I’ll prepare and serve a warm maple bourbon toddy and keep it warm by simmering it on a low-heat gas grill. I’ll also have a booze-free version for those who prefer it, plus coffee, tea, and sodas. For snacks, I’ll keep it salty to balance the sugar rush with chili lime popcorn and a cheese board with crackers. My cookie offering is a fun chocolate peppermint crinkle cookie. Making multiple dozens of these is very doable.
When it’s time to sample, have each guest introduce their cookie and cocktail. Maybe it’s a treasured family treat, a Pinterest fail-turned-triumph, or good old Toll House favorites. Every baker has a story. When the introductions are complete, dive into the tasting, sipping, and holiday shenanigans!
As the fire pit crackles and the last crumbs of cookies disappear, you can relax and enjoy the success of completing another holiday cookie and cocktail swap. Guests are leaving happy, and cookie tins are overflowing with eight different kinds of homemade deliciousness without anyone spending weeks chained to an oven. And those cocktail recipes? They’re a secret weapon for every festive gathering from now until New Year’s Eve!
The real magic, though, happens in the stories and laughs shared around the fire. A simple swap becomes a memory that’ll warm your heart all season long. Plus, you’ve got a stack of new recipes to experiment with. So, as you pack away the last of the cookie boxes, let’s hope that you created a holiday tradition that’ll have your friends counting down to next year’s swap. Here’s to cookies, cocktails, and lots of holiday fun. Happy swapping!
Maple Bourbon Toddy
Serves 6–8
Ingredients:
4 cups apple cider
½ cup maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 ounces bourbon per serving
Garnish: lemon slices, cinnamon sticks
Instructions:
In a pot, mix cider, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then simmer 5-10 minutes. Strain into a pitcher and keep warm on the grill. Yields about 4 cups of cider mix, enough for 6-8 servings when combined with bourbon. Pour 2 ounces of bourbon into each mug, top with 1 cup cider mix, and garnish with a lemon slice and cinnamon stick. For a booze-free version, simply omit the bourbon and serve the spiced cider mix as is.
Chili Lime Popcorn
Ingredients:
½ cup popcorn kernels
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon lime zest
1 teaspoon chili powder
Sea salt to taste
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add popcorn, cover, and shake until popping stops. Toss popcorn with lime zest, chili powder, and salt in a bowl.
Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
½ cup powdered sugar (for rolling)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cream butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and peppermint extract, mixing well. Stir in dry ingredients until just combined. Chill dough 30 minutes. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, coat in powdered sugar, and place on baking sheets. Bake 10–12 minutes until crinkly. Cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store airtight.
