A cookie exchange is simple until someone asks how many to bake. The answer depends on how many people come, and it changes every time someone joins. This page does the arithmetic for your party and prints it on the rules page, so the invitation says exactly how many dozen to bring.
How many dozen
| Bakers, host included | A dozen for each baker | Half a dozen for each baker |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6 dozen (72 cookies) | 3 dozen (36) |
| 8 | 8 dozen (96) | 4 dozen (48) |
| 10 | 10 dozen (120) | 5 dozen (60) |
| 12 | 12 dozen (144) | 6 dozen (72) |
| 15 | 15 dozen (180) | 7½ dozen (90) |
Everyone takes home as many as they baked, one portion of every kind. Tick the tasting dozen and each baker brings one dozen more for the table.
What the kit prints
- The rules page, with your numbers in four boxes and six rules, from baking to voting.
- A label for every platter: the cookie, the baker, and what is in it.
- A ballot for every baker: best tasting, most festive, most creative, best overall.
- A recipe card for every baker, if you want them.
What it costs
Nothing. No account, no watermark, no email. For the gift swap after the cookies, the white elephant kit prints the numbers and house rules, and a family recipe written by hand becomes a gift with the handwritten recipe gift.
Questions
How many cookies do you bring to a cookie exchange?
The usual rule is a dozen for every person at the party, the host included: with 8 bakers, each bakes 8 dozen (96 cookies) and goes home with 96 cookies of 8 kinds. For a big party, half a dozen for each baker: with 12 bakers, that is 6 dozen each. Some hosts ask for one dozen more to taste on the day.
How many people should bake?
As many as you like, but the dozens grow with the guest list: at a dozen each, 12 bakers means 12 dozen apiece. Switch to half a dozen each for a big party, and the page redoes the numbers for you.
What goes on the platter labels?
The name of the cookie, the baker's name (typed in when you give the names), and boxes to tick for nuts, dairy, eggs, gluten and soy, so nobody bites into something they cannot eat. Eight labels fit on a sheet.
What are the ballots for?
Prizes, if you want them: best tasting, most festive, most creative and best overall. Every baker gets a ballot to write a name for each, one vote each and not for themselves. Six fit on a sheet.
Are the recipe cards needed?
No, they are optional: a 4 × 6 inch card for every baker, with lines for the ingredients and the method, so everyone can bake their favorite cookie again. Two fit on a sheet.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The numbers are worked out and the sheets drawn in your browser. Closing the tab erases them.