Host the Ultimate Cookie Jar Exchange: A Creative Twist on Holiday Baking

Tired of the same old cookie exchanges where you bake dozens of identical cookies? The Cookie Jar Exchange offers a delightful and surprisingly easier alternative! Instead of baking endless batches, you’ll assemble beautifully layered cookie mix ingredients into charming cookie jars. This method not only simplifies your holiday preparations but also provides a thoughtful, personalized gift that your friends and family will adore. Imagine a gathering where everyone leaves with 12 unique cookie mixes, ready to bake at their leisure!

This guide will walk you through every step of hosting a successful Cookie Jar Exchange, from planning your guest list to preparing stunning, customized cookie mixes. We’ll share detailed instructions and mouth-watering recipes for six different cookie varieties, ensuring your event is a memorable hit. Get ready to swap the stress of baking marathons for the joy of assembling edible gifts and sharing delicious treats!

Getting Started: How to Organize Your Cookie Jar Exchange Party

Hosting a Cookie Jar Exchange is a fun and interactive way to gather friends and share your love for baking. Follow these steps to ensure your party runs smoothly and is enjoyed by all:

• Select Your Guests & Set the Date: Aim for a cozy group of about 6 people. This allows for a manageable number of jars per person and fosters a warm, intimate atmosphere. Choose a date, time, and location that works best for everyone.
• Send Out Invitations: Create engaging invitations that clearly explain the unique concept of the Cookie Jar Exchange. Highlight that guests will be assembling 12 jars of ingredients (their chosen recipe) and baking one batch of their cookies to share for tasting. Provide a clear overview of the chosen recipes and the detailed instructions for assembling the jars. Digital invitations (e.g., via Facebook event) can be very effective for quick communication.
• Gather Your Supplies: For your chosen recipe, purchase enough ingredients to fill 12 quart-sized mason jars. Wide-mouth jars are highly recommended as they make layering ingredients significantly easier. If using regular jars, a funnel or a large ziplock bag with a corner cut off can be a helpful tool for neatly pouring ingredients.
• Layer the Ingredients with Care: The beauty of cookie jars lies in their visual appeal. Layering dry ingredients in distinct bands creates a stunning presentation. Take your time to gently pack each layer to keep them separate and vibrant.
• Personalize Each Jar: Encourage creativity! Decorate your jars with ribbons, decorative tags, fabric circles, or any embellishments that reflect your personal style or the festive occasion. Attaching a recipe label with complete baking instructions to the back of each jar is essential for the recipients.
• Bake a Sample Batch: To truly appreciate each other’s recipes, bake one full batch of your chosen cookie recipe to bring to the exchange. This allows everyone to taste the final product and get excited about baking their own at home. It’s a wonderful way to connect and share culinary delights.
• The Grand Exchange: Once everyone arrives with their beautifully prepared jars and sample cookies, it’s time for the exchange! Each participant will contribute their 12 jars, and in return, will receive two jars of each of the other five recipes, plus two of their own. This means everyone goes home with 12 jars, representing 6 different delicious cookie mixes!

We’ve taken the guesswork out of planning by meticulously crafting these recipes and instructions. Having successfully hosted our own Cookie Jar Exchange, we can confidently say it was a huge success!

6 Irresistible Cookie Jar Recipes for Your Exchange

Here are six fantastic cookie recipes, perfectly adapted for layering in jars. Each recipe includes the total ingredient quantities needed for 12 jars, as well as the specific amounts for a single jar, along with baking instructions and layering tips.

1. Holly Jolly Cookies

These Holly Jolly Cookies are a festive delight, packed with classic chocolate chips and colorful M&Ms. They’re perfect for adding a cheerful touch to any holiday spread or simply enjoying with a cup of hot cocoa.

Get Your 12 Labels: Holly Jolly Cookies

2. White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Cookies

These cookies offer a delightful blend of sweet white chocolate, tart cranberries, and crunchy macadamia nuts. They are elegant and flavorful, perfect for any special occasion or a sophisticated treat.

Get Your 12 Labels: White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Cookies

3. Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

For the ultimate peanut butter and chocolate lover, these cookies are a dream come true. Featuring a rich chocolate fudge base studded with chocolate chips and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, they are intensely satisfying.

Get Your 12 Labels: Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

4. Buttered Toffee Oatmeal Cookies

These chewy oatmeal cookies are elevated with the irresistible crunch and buttery flavor of toffee bits. They’re comforting, wholesome, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for any cookie enthusiast.

Get Your 12 Labels: Buttered Toffee Oatmeal Cookies

5. Hot Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Imagine your favorite cozy hot chocolate in cookie form! These cookies, made with devil’s food cake mix, mini chocolate chips, and fluffy marshmallows, are a delightful treat that tastes just like the beloved winter drink.

Get Your 12 Labels: Hot Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

6. Butterscotch Cookies

These classic butterscotch cookies are wonderfully chewy and packed with the rich, caramel-like flavor of butterscotch chips. A hint of crispy rice cereal adds a delightful texture, making them utterly addictive.

Get Your 12 Labels: Butterscotch Cookies

Crafting Your Invitation: An Example for Your Cookie Jar Exchange Party

To make your hosting experience even smoother, here’s an example of an invitation you can adapt. It clearly outlines what guests need to do, making the process straightforward and exciting for everyone. This example includes a festive header to set the mood!

Hope you all can make it to our family Christmas Cookie Jar Exchange Party! (Add your address and time here)

This year, we’re putting a fun twist on the traditional cookie exchange. Instead of baking endless batches, you’ll assemble cookie mix ingredients for 12 beautiful gift jars. You’ll also bake one physical batch of your chosen cookie recipe to bring to the party for everyone to sample!

Important Instructions: For each recipe provided, you’ll see two sets of ingredient quantities. On the left side, you’ll find the total amounts needed to create 12 jars of your chosen cookie mix. On the right side, there’s a recipe for a single jar, which includes the exact ingredients to layer into each jar and also the amounts you’ll use for the batch you bake for sampling.

What You Need to Bring:

• 12 Pre-Assembled Cookie Jars: Once you’ve gathered your ingredients and jars (wide-mouth quart-sized recommended!), you can start assembling your cookie mixes in advance using the provided layering instructions.
• 1 Baked Batch of Your Cookies: This is for tasting! Bring one freshly baked batch of your chosen cookie recipe so everyone can enjoy a sample of what their homemade jar mix will taste like.
• No Worries If You’re Short on Time: If you don’t manage to assemble all 12 jars or bake a sample batch beforehand, simply bring your ingredients, and we can assemble/bake them together at the party! The main goal is to have fun and share the joy of baking.

(Below, the recipes are assigned to names for ease of organization. Simply replace the names with your guests’ names when assigning their cookie recipe.)

Detailed Recipe Cards for Your Guests

Cham – Hot Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

(For 12 Jars / 1 wide mouth Quart Mason Jars)

• Total Ingredients for 12 Jars: 12 boxes Devil’s Food Cake Mix, 6 cups Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, 12 cups Mini Marshmallows
• Ingredients per 1 Jar: 1 Box Devil’s Food Cake Mix, ½ cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, 1 cup Mini Marshmallows
• Wet Ingredients to Add: 2 large eggs, ⅓ cup oil

Instructions for Baking:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Empty the cake mix into a mixing bowl and add the eggs and oil.
3. Stir (or mix with a mixer) until blended.
4. Add the mini chocolate chips.
5. Using two small spoons, measure out and shape each cookie into a small ball and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Add three mini marshmallows to the top of each cookie, pushing them lightly into the raw dough.
7. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Be careful not to overcook and burn the cookie!
8. Remove and allow to cool for a minute until removing the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Store in an air-tight container; separate cookie layers with wax paper to avoid sticking.

To Package For a Gift Jar:

1. Pour the cake mix into a clean and dry wide-mouth canning jar, gently packing the mix down.
2. Next, add the mini chocolate chips in an even layer on top of the cake mix.
3. Pack the mini marshmallows into a snack-sized ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible before sealing the bag.
4. Fold the bag and add it to the jar.
5. Seal with the lid.

Kim – Santa Holly Jolly Cookies

(For 12 Jars / 1 wide mouth Quart Mason Jars)

• Total Ingredients for 12 Jars: 18 cups all-purpose flour, 12 teaspoons baking soda, 6 teaspoons salt, 6 cups firmly packed light brown sugar, 4.5 cups granulated sugar, 12 cups semisweet chocolate chips (e.g., Ghiradelli semi-sweet), 12 cups M&Ms
• Ingredients per 1 Jar: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar, 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 1 cup M&Ms
• Wet Ingredients to Add: ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature), 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions for Baking:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
3. Cream together the butter and sugars for about 2 minutes until smooth.
4. Add and mix in the egg and vanilla.
5. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Tip: Do not overmix.
6. Mix in chocolate chips and M&Ms.
7. Chill dough if the dough is warm or too soft to handle.
8. Using a small or large ice cream scoop or heaping tablespoon, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, 6 to 8 per pan, depending on the size you are making.
9. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until the bottoms and edges are lightly browned and the tops feel firm when lightly touched. Small cookies bake 8-10 minutes; large cookies bake 10-13 minutes.
10. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
11. Makes 15-30 cookies depending on size.

To Package For a Gift Jar:

1. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt together and pour into a clean and dry wide-mouth canning jar, gently packing the mix down.
2. Next, add the brown sugar, then white sugar, followed by chocolate chips, and finally the M&Ms.
3. Seal with the lid.

Pam – White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

(For 12 Jars / 1 wide mouth Quart Mason Jars)

• Total Ingredients for 12 Jars: 18 cups all-purpose flour (or 5 lbs + 1 cup), 6 tsp baking powder, 6 tsp baking soda, 3 tsp salt, 6 cups white sugar, 6 cups brown sugar, 6 cups white chocolate chips, 12 cups dried cranberries, 6 cups macadamia nuts (chopped)
• Ingredients per 1 Jar: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp salt, ½ cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup white chocolate chips, 1 cup dried cranberries, ½ cup macadamia nuts (chopped)
• Wet Ingredients to Add: ⅓ cup butter (softened), 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions for Baking:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat ⅓ cup softened butter, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until fluffy.
3. Add the entire contents of the cookie mix jar and stir together until blended.
4. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. Enjoy!

To Package For a Gift Jar:

1. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together and pour into a clean and dry wide-mouth canning jar, gently packing the mix down.
2. Next, add the brown sugar, then white sugar, then white chocolate chips, followed by cranberries, and finally the chopped nuts.
3. Seal with the lid.

Amy – Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

(For 12 Jars / 1 wide mouth Quart Mason Jars)

• Total Ingredients for 12 Jars: 12 boxes chocolate fudge cake mix, 12 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, 12 cups white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips, 12 cups (or 6-8 oz bags) Reese’s Minis Peanut Butter Cups
• Ingredients per 1 Jar: 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips, 1 cup Reese’s Minis Peanut Butter Cups
• Wet Ingredients to Add: 2 eggs, ½ cup Canola Oil

Instructions for Baking:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine cake mix, eggs, and oil in a large mixing bowl, and beat well.
3. Stir in Reese’s peanut butter cups and baking chips with a spoon.
4. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. After dough has chilled, drop onto an ungreased nonstick cookie sheet in rounded balls.
6. Bake for approximately 7-9 minutes (or until done). ENJOY!

To Package For a Gift Jar:

1. Pour the cake mix into a clean and dry wide-mouth canning jar, gently packing the mix down.
2. Next, add the semi-sweet chocolate chips, then the white chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips), and finally the peanut butter cups.
3. Seal with the lid.

Dawn – Buttered Toffee Oatmeal Cookies

(For 12 Jars / 1 wide mouth Quart Mason Jars)

• Total Ingredients for 12 Jars: 12 boxes White or Vanilla Cake Mix, 9 cups (or 5-8 oz bags) Toffee Bits, 12 cups Rolled Oats
• Ingredients per 1 Jar: 1 Box White or Vanilla Cake Mix, ¾ cup Toffee Bits, 1 cup Rolled Oats
• Wet Ingredients to Add: ½ Cup butter (very softened), 2 eggs

Instructions for Baking:

1. Using a stand mixer, combine the cake mix, eggs, and butter until blended.
2. Gently mix in the toffee bits.
3. Add the oats and stir slowly to fully incorporate (the dough will be quite thick).
4. Using two small spoons, measure out and shape each cookie into a ball.
5. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes or until the bottom edges are golden brown.
6. Remove and cool cookies on a wire rack.
7. Store in an air-tight container.

To Package For a Gift Jar:

1. Empty the cake mix into a clean, wide-mouth canning jar, lightly packing the mix down.
2. Add the toffee bits in an even layer on top of the cake mix.
3. Next, carefully add the rolled oats.
4. Seal with the lid.

Hollie – Butterscotch Cookies

(For 12 Jars / 1 wide mouth Quart Mason Jars)

• Total Ingredients for 12 Jars: 6 cups (or 3-11 oz. bags) butterscotch chips, 6 cups crispy rice cereal, 18 cups all-purpose flour (or 5 lbs + 1 cup), 9 tablespoons (or ½ cup + 1 tablespoon) baking soda, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 6 cups packed brown sugar, 6 cups rolled oats, 6 cups white sugar
• Ingredients per 1 Jar: ½ cup butterscotch chips, ½ cup crispy rice cereal, 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ½ cup packed brown sugar, ½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup white sugar
• Wet Ingredients to Add: ½ cup butter (room temperature), 1 large egg, 3-4 tablespoons of water

Instructions for Baking:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, cream ½ cup butter.
3. Add 1 egg and 3 to 4 tablespoons of water, mixing until combined.
4. Add the entire jar of butterscotch cookie mix and stir until blended.
5. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 12 minutes in a 350°F oven.
7. Remove from oven and cool.

To Make the Layered Jar Gift:

1. Combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder together and add as the first layer to the jar.
2. Next layer brown sugar, then white sugar, then oats, then butterscotch chips, then crispy rice cereal.
3. Screw the lid onto the jar, and cover with a circle of fabric or a paper doily, held down with a rubber band. Cover the rubber band with yarn or ribbon and tie a bow.

Essential Cookie Baking Tips for Perfection

Even with perfectly assembled cookie jars, a few expert tips can elevate your baking from good to extraordinary:

• Always Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Especially for butter and eggs. This ensures they cream together smoothly, creating a uniform dough and a better texture in your finished cookies.
• Don’t Overmix Your Dough: Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing can develop the gluten too much, leading to tough cookies.
• Chill Your Dough (When Recommended): Chilling allows the flavors to meld and the fats to solidify, preventing cookies from spreading too much in the oven. It also results in a chewier, richer cookie.
• Use a Cookie Scoop: For consistently sized cookies that bake evenly, a cookie scoop is your best friend.
• Parchment Paper is Your Friend: Lining baking sheets with parchment paper prevents sticking, ensures even baking, and makes cleanup a breeze.
• Watch Your Oven, Not Just the Timer: Ovens can vary. Pay attention to how your cookies are baking – look for golden edges and set centers, rather than relying solely on the timer.
• Cool Properly: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. This helps them set and prevents breakage.

For even more detailed advice on achieving perfect results every time, check out our comprehensive Cookie Baking Tips!

Discover More Delicious Cookie Recipes

Looking for even more cookie inspiration beyond the jar mixes? Here are some fantastic recipes that are perfect for any cookie exchange or simply to enjoy at home:

• Soft Batch Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• M&M Chocolate Chip Candy Cookies
• Christmas Chocolate Crackle Cookies
• Triple Chocolate Mocha Peppermint Crunch Cookies
• Thick & Chewy Chocolate M&M Cookies

Don’t forget to explore our 16 Caramel Apple Recipes! We Got Ya Covered for another fun and delicious family project!

Final Thoughts on Your Cookie Jar Exchange Adventure

Hosting a Cookie Jar Exchange is a wonderful way to create new traditions, share culinary creativity, and simplify holiday gifting. It’s an opportunity to gather with loved ones, enjoy some delicious samples, and send everyone home with beautiful, homemade gift mixes. We hope this guide inspires you to host your own successful and unforgettable event. Happy baking and happy exchanging!