Store bought cookies for cookie exchange?

[Anonymous]

Maybe if people don’t like baking they could bring something else entirely like a dip to share or a couple bottles of wine.
If I enjoyed this persons company I wouldn’t stop inviting. Just be more clear next time.

[Anonymous]

Was she not born in the US? How do people not know these things? We have done cookie exchanges at our church and we do specify that everyone is welcome to attend the event and bring any kind of contribution to eat at the gathering, but if you want to participate in the exchange, you must bring homemade treats. I don’t have a pathological fear of a something baked in an oven in someone’s home and if one contribution looks dodgy (happened once with some kind of ‘fudge’) I discreetly pitch that cookie when I get home. A couple of people do bring the Lofthouse ones to the party and surprise surprise no one touches them and we put them aside for the next Sunday coffee hour. But they don’t get any side eye for showing up to play board games and drink cider and cocoa. And usually they get a bag of peanut blossoms to take home because we get so many of those and there’s only so many that we can put on each platter to redistribute.

[Anonymous]

Cookie exchanges are weird. I said it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cookies from a commercial kitchen > cookies from a home baker

Yeah, no. The Walmart frosting cookies are NASTY.

[Anonymous]

Question for the cookie exchange fans - what do you do with the cookies? For example, are they just for serving at home, or do you use them to make up gifts of baked goods, or ...?

I believe exchanges developed as a way to share the labor of making nice plates of cookies for parties and gifts, but that purpose has mostly died out which may be why people are confused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for the cookie exchange fans - what do you do with the cookies? For example, are they just for serving at home, or do you use them to make up gifts of baked goods, or ...?

I believe exchanges developed as a way to share the labor of making nice plates of cookies for parties and gifts, but that purpose has mostly died out which may be why people are confused.

Op here. This is my approach to them. They will be our snacks next week and i will put them out on Christmas Eve and Christmas for my extended family who come by.

Appreciate people’s responses and suggesting adjusting the invite next year.

[Anonymous]

Why so rigid about this? A neighborhood cookie exchange is a social event. If you're doing this through a meet-up with a purpose to share homebaked goods and rules that's one thing, but this is just a gathering. Food Network isn't filming you guys. Just throw them away or don't take them, or...you know, chill out and don't make a big deal about it. How are you obligated at all to put out cookies you don't want to put out? Just...dont!

Also, I personally get a major ick eating others' homebaked cookies. The majority are not good and some have questionable hygiene. But to each their own. I'd still go and enjoy the spectacle and be polite and take them....I just almost never actually eat these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cookies from a commercial kitchen > cookies from a home baker

I was just thinking based on other posts, those might be the only ones some people are willing to eat. I could believe some people do a cookie exchange to be social but theb toss then because Carol has a cat and Caroline's kids helped.

This!! One of my coworkers brought cookies to the office cookie swap yesterday. She announced that her toddler helped make them. No one took any! She was fuming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question for the cookie exchange fans - what do you do with the cookies? For example, are they just for serving at home, or do you use them to make up gifts of baked goods, or ...?

I believe exchanges developed as a way to share the labor of making nice plates of cookies for parties and gifts, but that purpose has mostly died out which may be why people are confused.

Op here. This is my approach to them. They will be our snacks next week and i will put them out on Christmas Eve and Christmas for my extended family who come by.

Appreciate people’s responses and suggesting adjusting the invite next year.

7-10 day old cookies are gross, OP. Don't do this.

[Anonymous]

It’s wrong to profit from the labor of everyone else while putting in no labor of their own. If people wanted a box of cookies from the store they would just go a buy them. People who join cookie exchanges do so to get homemade treats to share over the holidays. Not Walmart cookies.

Definitely change the invite next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for the cookie exchange fans - what do you do with the cookies? For example, are they just for serving at home, or do you use them to make up gifts of baked goods, or ...?

I believe exchanges developed as a way to share the labor of making nice plates of cookies for parties and gifts, but that purpose has mostly died out which may be why people are confused.

Yeah I thought they were just for fun and to eat with family or friends. My church's exchange was 12/7. I'm not saving 3 week old cookies to serve on Christmas Eve or gift.

I spent multiple baking sessions over a week making dough for the required 5 dozen cookies for that exchange and then baking them all fresh the morning of. I have a full time job and kids. There were definitely some store-bought cookies on the table and I do not begrudge them one bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question for the cookie exchange fans - what do you do with the cookies? For example, are they just for serving at home, or do you use them to make up gifts of baked goods, or ...?

I believe exchanges developed as a way to share the labor of making nice plates of cookies for parties and gifts, but that purpose has mostly died out which may be why people are confused.

Op here. This is my approach to them. They will be our snacks next week and i will put them out on Christmas Eve and Christmas for my extended family who come by.

Appreciate people’s responses and suggesting adjusting the invite next year.

7-10 day old cookies are gross, OP. Don't do this.

Not that PP, but cookies freeze really well. To do it right: freeze them flat and uncovered for an hour or so, like on a cookie sheet (this is optional
but it will keep them from getting smooshed and/or stuck together). Then put them in a freezer ziploc or a box wrapped well in Saran. Defrost IN the packaging, if possible, but that’s more important in summer and right now you can probably just toss them frozen on a plate.

[Anonymous]

Yes it's rude. My mother did this when I was little even though neighbors made it clear it was only homemade. She had no excuse. She was not working, and she was not a hands-on mother. She just felt entitled to get her plate of homemade cookies and thought she was clever.

[Anonymous]

Is the point of the party to walk away with cookies or is the point to socialize with friends? I personally wouldn’t want any cookies to take home and definitely wouldn’t want the burden of making cookies (I don’t bake). I would love to visit with friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s so gross to bring store bought cookies. I don’t even waste calories on those things. They taste awful.

One of my very nice coworkers only brings something store bought like that to the work potluck. She was so upset that not one person tried her pie last time. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it’s because it wasn’t homemade. No one wants that junk! I will eat Costco treats but won’t even try any others, especially not something from Giant.

Meanwhile every other thread on DCUM for years says people won't touch food made in people's homes because people have gross homes with cats and who knows what. So which is it?