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Start A New Tradition: A ‘SwapCookerie’ Party!

Joel Mahary | November 28, 2022

Food

Good food is all the sweeter when shared with good friends.

While some of us may have Festivus, the rest of us now have SwapCookerie. It’s a fresh take on what it means to get together that puts a bow around everybody’s holiday favorites: Friends, creativity, cookies and chocolate (lots and lots of chocolate)!

The miracle is this: The more we share the more we have.

Leonard Nimoy

An event like a SwapCookerie is all about the simple act of sharing. After the past couple of years we’ve had, sharing makes for a timely and apt theme for any holiday gathering.

We prefer to keep our SwapCookeries simple and the results delicious. Each guest shows up with a dozen or so cookies — the more home baked and yummily diverse, the better! When it comes to cookie recipes, encourage your guests to go for the fresh and unexpected. For example, nothing is more tempting than a chocolate chip cookie, sure, but encourage folks to think outside the container; like, for instance, with ideas for savory cookies that feature cured meats like pepperoni.

Happiness unshared can scarcely be called happiness. It has no taste.

Charlotte Bronte

The fun begins once everyone arrives with their cookies. Everybody gets to sample cookies like there’s no tomorrow — and, if you have time, as host you can even provide each guest with a SwapCookerie-themed box or tin they can use as take-away containers for their favorite cookies.

A few considerations:

  • Create cookie labels that tell the other guests what treats are on offer. The labels should include the name of the cookies, allergens information, name of the baker.
  • You want guests to take some cookies home, not eat them all during the party, so offer other snacks for your loved ones to graze on.
  • If your party includes kids, think how they will keep entertained. Perhaps bake the kids their own batch of sugar cookies, and create a decorating station where they can adorn cookies to their heart’s delight!
  • Your SwapCookerie will introduce everybody to scrumptious new recipes. If guests are willing to share, you can either print them out for people to take home, or share them by email after the party.

Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious

Ruth Reichl

Candied Bacon Monster Cookies

  • Hands-On Time

    20
  • Total Time

    1
  • Serves

    48
  • 2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup SKIPPY® Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup mini candy-coated chocolate pieces
  • 12 slices Candied Thick Cut Bacon, chopped and divided
  • Candied Thick-Cut Bacon Ingredients:
  • 1 (1-pound) package HORMEL® BLACK LABEL® Original Thick Cut Bacon
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350°F.
  2. In large bowl, combine brown sugar, butter and peanut butter. Beat at medium speed until well mixed. Add egg and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed. Add flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat at low speed until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips, candy-coated chocolate pieces and 1 cup chopped candied bacon pieces.
  3. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets; flatten balls slightly. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Top each cookie with additional candied bacon pieces. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets; transfer to cooling rack. Store in refrigerator.

Candied Thick-Cut Bacon:

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease wire racks; place on baking sheets. Dip each bacon slice in maple syrup. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Arrange in single layer on wire racks. Bake 35-40 minutes or until browned and candied. Let stand on racks to cool.

SKIPPY® Buckeye Brownie Cookies

  • Hands-On Time

    10
  • Total Time

    45
  • Serves

    10
  • 1 (18.3-ounce) box fudge brownie mix
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup SKIPPY® Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 6 ounces dark chocolate chips, melted

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In large bowl, beat brownie mix, butter, cream cheese, and egg. The mixture will be sticky. Using a cookie scoop, scoop mixture onto prepared cookie sheets, making 24 cookies.
  3. In small bowl, beat together powdered sugar and peanut butter until smooth. Form mixture into 24 1-inch balls.
  4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are firm. Immediately press a peanut butter ball lightly onto the center of each cookie. Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. Spoon melted chocolate on top of each cookie. Let chocolate set before storing in an airtight container.

Pepperoni Roses and Hot Honey

  • Hands-On Time

    20
  • Total Time

    50
  • Serves

    16
  • 1/2 pound pizza dough
  • 1/2 cup pizza sauce
  • 1 (6-ounce) package HORMEL® Pepperoni
  • 1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Hot honey, as desired

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place pizza dough on lightly floured surface. Roll into 12x 8-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half crosswise. Cut dough into 1-inch wide strips. Spoon pizza sauce over each dough strip. Overlap pepperoni slices across each dough strip and top with cheese.
  2. Roll each strip into a loose coil; place each coil, pepperoni side up, in muffin cup. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is bubbly.
  3. Remove from muffin pan. Drizzle with hot honey, as desired.

Dipped Pretzels and Bacon

  • Hands-On Time

    30
  • Total Time

    15
  • Serves

    28
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup white vanilla flavored melting wafers
  • 1 (10-ounce) bag pretzel rods (about 28 pretzels)
  • 1 (16-ounce) package HORMEL® BLACK LABEL® Original bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
  • Chocolate or colored sprinkles and chopped PLANTERS® peanuts, if desired

Instructions

  1. In medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips HIGH (100%), stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth.
  2. In medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave melting wafers HIGH (100%), stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth.
  3. Dip one end of each pretzel in melted chocolate or vanilla; arrange on wax-paper-lined baking sheets.
  4. Decorate with colored sprinkles or peanuts, if desired. Sprinkle each with crumbled bacon.
  5. Refrigerate 15 minutes or let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or until set. Store in refrigerator.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Nut Clusters

  • Hands-On Time

    20
  • Total Time

    1 hour 30 mins
  • Serves

    12
  • 1 (10-ounce) bag chocolate melting wafers
  • 1 (10-ounce) bag white vanilla flavored melting wafers
  • 1/2 cup SKIPPY® Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 2 cups PLANTERS® dry roasted peanuts
  • 1 1/2 cups broken pretzel sticks

Instructions

  1. In large microwave safe bowl, place melting wafers and peanut butter. Microwave uncovered on HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds, until smooth.
  2. Continue to microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring until completely melted.
  3. Stir in peanuts and pretzels.
  4. Drop by ¼ cup amounts into baking cup lined muffin tin or onto waxed paper.
  5. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm. Store in refrigerator.