Cookie Swap Invitation Wording and Rules

What to include

• The date, with a start time and an end time. Two hours is plenty.
• The full address.
• How many cookies each guest should bring.
• The rules: homemade or not, one kind per person, any theme.
• A request to share what they are baking, so there are no doubles.
• A note on allergies and labels.
• What to bring for the trip home: a tin, a box or a tray.
• An RSVP deadline, about ten days before the swap.

How many cookies to ask for

The rule is half a dozen cookies for every baker, yourself included. Each person takes home six of every other kind, and the last six go on the tasting plate. Six bakers means three dozen each; eight bakers means four dozen each.

Stop at four dozen. With more than eight bakers, keep the batch the same size and have everyone take three or four of each kind instead of six, because nobody wants to bake a hundred cookies.

The number depends on the head count, so send the invitation three to four weeks ahead with a rough figure such as "three to four dozen" and confirm the exact number in a reminder once the replies are in.

Wording to copy

• "You're invited to a cookie swap! Eight of us are baking, so please bring four dozen of one kind and take home a mix of everyone else's. December 7, from 2 to 4 pm, at 15 Juniper Lane. Please RSVP by November 27."
• "Bake one kind, go home with seven. Holiday cookie exchange on December 10, at 6:30 pm. Plan on three to four dozen; we'll confirm the number when we know who is coming. Coffee and cocoa are on us."
• "Small swap at Hannah's: six bakers, three dozen cookies each. December 6, at 10 am. Bring the recipe and an empty tin. Kids are welcome to come and decorate."
• "Too busy to bake eight kinds of cookies? Bake one. Join our cookie exchange on December 14, at 3 pm, and reply with your cookie so we don't end up with six batches of gingerbread."

Rules worth stating

• Homemade: "Homemade only, please. Simple is fine."
• Relaxed: "Baked, bought or decorated by your kids. All cookies welcome."
• One kind: "One kind of cookie per person, so the mix stays varied."
• Recipes: "Bring your recipe on a card, or be ready to text it to the group."
• Labels: "Please label your cookies and list nuts, dairy, eggs and gluten."
• Packing: "Bring a tin or box to carry your cookies home."

Allergies

Ask about allergies when guests reply, and share what you learn with the group before anyone bakes. If a guest has a nut allergy, you can ask everyone to bake nut-free, or keep nut cookies on a separate table with separate tongs.

Neither option makes the swap safe by itself. A home kitchen can't guarantee nut-free, and cookies from eight different kitchens even less so. Tell the guest exactly what is planned and let them decide whether to come, what to take home, or whether to bring their own box.

Labels help everyone else. Put out blank cards and a pen so every plate has a name and a list of the main allergens.

Host checklist

• A long table with space for every plate.
• Cards and pens for labels.
• Tongs or gloves for picking up cookies.
• Spare boxes, bags and parchment paper.
• Something savory to eat. After the tenth cookie, people want cheese.
• Coffee, tea, milk or cocoa.
• A reminder three days ahead with the final count and the list of cookies.

Getting the head count before anyone bakes

A cookie swap is the rare party where the guest count changes everyone's homework: one more baker means half a dozen more cookies from each person. Blast is an animated video invitation with music, sent as a link by text, WhatsApp or email, and guests RSVP from the invite without an account. That gives you a firm count by your deadline, so you can announce the number of dozens before the ovens go on. Blast is free to create and send.