I just made Rice Krispie Holly Bar cookies for the AIC Holiday Cookie Exchange which is tomorrow evening at the last monthly meeting of 2023. I’ve been organizing the cookie exchange every year since 2001. That’s 22 years worth of cookie exchanges. Incidentally, the same amount of years that Debbie has been organizing the wreathmaking workshop that I attended last week.
Rice Krispie treats are a go-to cookie because they are fast and easy and they make a lot with minimal effort. Mine are Holly bars because I color them green and sprinkle red hots liberally on top before I cut them into bars. Out of 22 years of cookie exchanges, I’ve made them 4 times. I’ve made Iced Peppermint Sugar Cookies 3x, and I’ve made Cranberry Pistachio Bark 3x as well.
The most people we’ve had participating in a cookie exchange was 20, which good lord! We have to make 6 cookies per person not including yourself, so that year was 114 cookies. If I remember correctly, we might have divided up that year into nuts/no-nuts so we only made cookies for half the group. I can’t remember. The lowest participation we had was in 2020, smack in the middle of the pandemic, when we were very unsure about having the cookie exchange at all. We were 6 brave souls that met in Lunds Stadsparken in the winter weather and kept 2 meters distance between us while we dropped off and picked up cookies. I made Rice Krispie Holly Bars that year, too. I’ve only missed 2 years out of the past 22 due to traveling.
The cookie exchange is really fun and I’m always glad when we get a good turnout for it. Bringing home cookies and getting new recipes is fun as well (even if I do keep repeating my easy recipe faves). I’ve gotten several good recipes that I’ve used over the years. And one of my favorite cookies of all time was a cookie exchange cookie, though I have never made it myself (Fudge Puddles). It’s a complicated time-consuming recipe, which is why. Maybe I’ll get my mom and Danely to help me make it this year when I get to Christmas cookie baking.
Now I have to go cut up the cookies and package them. They’re going into tall green paper cups with a red ribbon and a homemade label. 🙂 NOM NOM!
2001 – Rice Krispie Holly Bars
2002 – Almond-flavored Jam Thumbprints
2003 – Rice Krispie Holly Bars
2004 – Mini M&M Cookies
2005 – Snow Chocolate Chip Cookies
2006 – Reindeer Poop (Chocolate Caramel-Candy-filled Cookies)
2007 – Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares
2008 – Rudolf Noses
2009 – Cranberry Pistachio Bark
2010 – (didn’t participate)
2011 – Cranberry Pistachio Bark
2012 – Iced Peppermint Sugar Cookies
2013 – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
2014 – (didn’t participate)
2015 – Peppermint Sugar Cookies
2016 – Rudolf Noses & Holiday Balls
2017 – Iced Peppermint Sugar Cookies
2018 – Grandma’s Gingersnaps
2019 – Cranberry Pistachio Bark
2020 – Rice Krispie Holly Bars
2021 – Lacy Crisps
2022 – Iced Peppermint Sugar Cookies
2023 – Rice Krispie Holly Bars
Mood: productive
Music: Blæst, Dusin—Gemmeleg