vanilla cookies

I just realized this is only the second time I've baked cookies this year. The beginning of the year I made chocolate crinkles. I should make more time for baking. For the cookie swap party I made vanilla cookies. I wanted to use my cookie press for the first time. Thanks to my mother-in-laws advice, I used the recipe that came with the cookie press. My first batch went to waste as I learned the how to use the cookie press. Of course, I made a mess but once I got the hang of it, I was able to flow with it. The cookie press makes cookies look lovely and time consuming (which it isn't). I added frosting from a tube I got from the market and I also added red sparkles to the cookies.

cookie swap

Last year I hosted a craft night. This year was my first time hosting a cookie swap. This was also the first time all the ladies and myself had been to one. I really enjoyed having a them come over for the afternoon; we drank wine and ate cookies. It was nice to get together with them and catch-up before the holidays. We laughed and shared our cookie experiences, some of us had to make two batches in order to get it right. All the efforts were well worth it.

I added a little competition to this cookie swap. When I invited the ladies, I made sure to mention that there would be prizes for the most creative cookie, the most creative packaging of cookies and the best tasting cookies. After we passed around each cookie, we tasted them and explained our recipes a little bit. We then voted. While I tallied the votes,  the ladies wrote down their recipes on cute little note cards that I provided so that we all got each other's recipe. Then I gave the prizes to the winners.

Overall, my cookie swap party was a success. Is anyone else doing a cookie swap this year?

books on my mind

Craft Inc.: This book has been out for a while. (now there is even a revised copy) Either way it was insightful and money well spent considering I am new to this craft/business world. I do think it's more for beginners. I may be referencing it time to time. As far as the revised copy I may pick it up at the library at some point. I wish there were more books like this. I haven't find anything yet. Any suggestions?

The Great Christmas Cookie Swap: I've had this book in my bookshelf for a while, I've made chocolate crinkles and other yummy cookies.  What I've really been wanting to do is to host a cookie swap. So this year I'm doing it. This is the book that gave me that extra push I needed. I already sent out the emails inviting about 11 ladies to join the fun. I'm excited to see how everyone will package their cookies. I'll also be giving out prizes for the most creative cookie, most creative packaging and best liked tasting cookie. Great way to start the holidays.