When I lived in Jacksonville, I would bake cookies with Jeff’s family every year, right before Christmas. And we’d all bring some that were already made too, so we’d have a TON of cookies to swap at the end of the day. And since moving to Atlanta a few years ago, I’ve really been missing those annual cookie swaps.
So, I talked to Cori and Jess about recreating a cookie / sweets swap of our own, as a team building exercise and partnered with Uber to make it all happen! Since none of us had to worry about driving, we were able to make spiked hot chocolate (yum)! And we just listened to Christmas music and baked for most of the day. It was so much fun. Though there were a few stressful moments in the kitchen. Ha! Click through to see how it all turned out.
Cookie recipes! We made star-shaped shortbread cookies (this recipe), classic chocolate chip, mini peppermint cupcakes, gingersnaps (modified from this recipe), and a bunch more. I can’t even remember them all. I also brought in some fancy pastries for us to munch on during the baking – just in case we didn’t fully launch into a sugar comma from the get-go. And then we packed everything up in hand-stamped muslin bags and hand-painted pink and green bakers boxes.
Aside from the cookies and cupcakes, a holiday celebration wouldn’t be complete without a little hot chocolate. Especially if its spiked! So we made a big batch and sipped on those (in between waters to counteract all the sweets) and decorated gingerbread houses after all the cookies were made. Can you guess which gingerbread house is mine?
And here’s how we made the spiked hot chocolate! Not much of a recipe, to be honest, but just in case you want to try this at home… I used a pre-packaged hot chocolate mix (the good kind though- it wasn’t the cheap stuff), heated up the milk according to the instructions and then mixed it up (sans the last 2 oz of milk – which I swapped out for 2 oz of Kahlúa – or Baileys Irish Cream). That’s it! Super easy if you’re short on time, or just feel a little lazy like me.
At the end of a very long baking day, we opened up the Uber app and I got an uberXL using the NEW multiple destinations feature, so that we could all leave together in one car. It was the first time I used this new feature and I’m obsessed already. Totally hassle-free and couldn’t have been more perfect for this occasion. We all wanted to stay safe after those spiked hot chocolates and keep the party going just a little bit longer. Not to mention, parking is kind of a nightmare at the studio, especially during the holidays because there are other businesses in the building, so its amazing on many levels. BTW- I gave our Uber driver some cookies as I was getting out to go home – we had SO many sweets!
How to use the multiple destinations feature in the Uber app! It’s super easy. When you’re ready to ride, just open up the app as you normally would (if you don’t already have the Uber app, you can find it on the app store) and tap on the Where to? box at the top. From there, you’ll see a plus sign next to the Where to? box and you can add additional destinations. Then press done at the bottom and confirm your uberX or uberXL. That’s it!
Have you ever done a cookie swap before?! How did it go? And (most importantly) how did you avoid a total sugar crash at the end of the day? I was feeling it at the end of the day.
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This post is in partnership with Uber. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Paper and Stitch running.
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[…] you’re hosting a cookie exchange or a Christmas cookie making party, it’s nice to have little candy cane or peppermint pieces […]
(Christmas) Cookie Monster: An Easy Gingerbread Egg Nog Xmas Cookie Recipe - Paper and StitchYummy all looks so delicious
The pink pineapplehttp://thepinkpineappleblog.blogspot.com/2017/12/5-ways-to-dress-in-holidays_19.html
Totally agree Sophie. You should definitely try a cookie/sweets swap sometime. It was fun!
BrittniI’d love to host a cookie swap! They’re such a great way to get different types of cookies without spending a lot of money.
SophieGlad to hear that, Daeyz. If you like to bake, I bet you’d be pretty popular at a cookie swap like this. 🙂
BrittniI love this post! Baking is one of my favorite activities in the holidays!
xx
Daeyzdaeyz
www.daeyz.com
Yay! happy to hear that… I’d love to be on a cookie swap that you’re involved in, Naomi! Drooling at the thought of it. 🙂
BrittniLove the idea of cookie swapping with friends! Such a fun way to learn new recipes and share yours!
NaomiThat would be amazing Gemma. I love holiday traditions – things to look forward to each year. And I’m so happy that I was able to keep an old tradition going, even though its a little different than it once was. 🙂
BrittniI would love to start a tradition like this! Such a great idea to spend time together and of course to score some sweet treats!
Gemma
Gemmawww.fadedwindmills.com
Thanks Courtney. That was one of my favorite parts of the swap – decorating gingerbread houses. They’re all still pretty minimally decorated (for gingerbread houses at least), but all three turned out so different and showed are personalities a little bit. 🙂
BrittniThe gingerbread houses turned out so good. I love them!
Courtneyhttp://sugarcoatedbears.blogspot.com/