Christmas Cookie Swap Meet

So when my friend Peg invited us to her "cookie swap," we signed up pronto.

"I'm asking six friends to each bring six dozen of their favorite cookies," Peg said. "We'll swap them at the party and take home a dozen of each kind."

When we arrived at the party, we found Peg's dining room table transformed into the North Pole Bakery--candy cane cookies hung from bowls, sugar-dusted treats filled old-fashioned jars and gingerbread men winked from Santa platters.

Peg quickly gathered everyone together, passed out boxes and lined everyone up to begin the cookie exchange.

"Start swapping," she said. "I don't want a cookie left in sight!"

After a flurry of trading, we headed home--our tins brimming with cookies. Sleepy, well fed and bursting with ideas for our own cookie swap, we had loads of recipes for some very merry baking.

--Recipes by Barbara Albright

Dorothy Foltz-Gray is a regular contributor to FAMILYFUN. Barbara Albright is coauthor, with Cathy Guisewite, of GIRL FOOD (Andrews McMeel Publishing).