For a successful cookie swap party, the first thing you need to do is persuade one of your friends to be the host. Here are some tips from Peg, the expert, to help get you started:

•Invite your friends early --preferably several weeks ahead-- to give them plenty of time to dust off their favorite cookie recipes.

•Plan the party for a Saturday or Sunday, around 3 to 5 P.M. so the kids (and some adults) will be fresh from their naps and ready for milk and cookies.

•If you invite six families, ask each to bring six dozen cookies so that everyone will get to cart home a dozen of each type.

People who want to bring larger cookies should think in multiples of six--if they bring 36 cookie pops, for instance, each family will get to take home six.

•Explain to your guests exactly how the cookie swap will work: Everyone will lay their cookies on a table, then pick a dozen from each plate.

•Ask each family to make enough copies of their recipe for everyone. At the end of the cookie swap, gather the recipes together for each family to take home a mini cookbook.