Second Annual Cookie Swap - an Entire Season Later.

I can't even start with my list of excuses reasons why this was not up in late December. I just thought to share a few photos from my second cookie swap. This one had more attendees, which meant more cookies. It also meant more recipe books to put together. I never actually ended up giving these out and they are still sitting on my desk - halfway done. I plan to get to these soon, but well see!

I used a beautiful wrapping paper I got from Target (don't even get me started on how upset I am about that...) as a table runner. I also used plain white dishes to hold the cookies as well as a cute tiered tray that I've had for some time now which coincidentally matched the themed signage. I actually printed these from the Creative Bag blog. Creative Bag in Toronto is a wonderful store to find great supplies for parties and gift-wrapping. I love putting together fun tablescapes and having it all tie into a single theme. 

I also prepared a very rich sipping chocolate and made a whipped topping in little mini cups for those who wanted to top off their drink. The whipped topping was quite easy - vanilla and whipping cream in your stand mixer with whisk attachment on high for a few minutes and that's it!  To balance all that sweet, I put together a cheeseboard with some spicy goat cheese, brie and of course - cheddar and mozzarella. 

The colours I worked with this time around were light blue, red, gold and white. Recipe for a quick and easy sipping chocolate is at the end of the post.

Enjoy! 

Sipping Chocolate

Ingredients

1.5 cups whipping cream

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

6 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups of chocolate chips (milk chocolate OR semi-sweet depending on how sweet you like it. I have a heck of a sweet tooth, and I love the milk chocolate, but others prefer the semi-sweet)

Instructions

Stir together the whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips in a tall and deep pot.

Cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted. Stir again before serving. Garnish as desired.

That Cookie Swap I once had

I wanted to make sure I had at least one blog post before January ended - borderline, I know, I know... I have been telling myself that I will share my Cookie Swap ideas, everyday since it happened (35 days ago to be exact).

It all started with me reorganizing my baking-supplies cabinet. I was going through my cookie cutters, tins and a ton of other baking tools that I think I need to have on hand (note: when I get into something...I really get into it!)I usually end up buying every possible tool because I tend to think I'm going to need it. I quickly got the idea of participating in a cookie swap just by looking at a tin I had hidden within the jam-packed cabinet.

I quickly searched online to see if there were any Cookie Swaps in Toronto, or the GTA. I was specifically looking to see if I could join any community swaps going on in the city, and wasn't able to find anything. This still kinda surprises me since this city is huge and all (if anyone knows of any, please leave a comment), but all that searching pushed me just enough to want to host my very own first-ever cookie swap!

I quickly gathered a list of 12 people who I knew would enjoy being a part of the swap, sent out online invites via Paperless Post and put together a Google doc with instructions and a sign up sheet. All this happened in a matter of a few hours and I was pumped! Here's another pro tip about me: When I plan something...I really get into it! (see a pattern forming here?)

On the day of the swap I had set up the dining table with everyone's cookies, made a delicious velvety hot chocolate to greet people with at the door, and decorated to my hearts content. I ensured there were enough cookies made so that everyone got to sample one at the swap and take two of each home with them. This was a good amount to start with, it meant each person was only making 36 cookies. For a first-time Cookie Swap host or attendee, it can get a little overwhelming. This resulted in more than enough for everybody.

The day I hosted my swap was the same day that Toronto decided it would like to host an ice storm! Two of my guests could not make it out due to weather issues and another got sick. I was pretty bummed and at one point almost considered rescheduling the event. I am glad I went ahead with it. Everything went as planned and some missing guests still sent their cookies and because we had extras, we were able to pack a set for each person who was missing.