Baking cookies is a cherished holiday tradition. And why not? No other time of the year do you get the opportunity to dedicate a whole day (or several days for some) in the kitchen baking endless varieties of sweet and savory cookie recipes. The tradition is even more fun when you invite friends and family over for a cookie party. Not only do you get to spend quality time catching up, but everyone benefits with plenty of cookies to stay sugar-fueled throughout the season.
To help us plan the perfect cookie party, we turned to our friend, recipe developer and content creator Dan Pelosi of GrossyPelosi. Dan has been hosting an annual cookie party for the last eight years, and was kind enough to not only share his favorite cookie recipes but also his expert tips on how to host a stress-free and fun cookie party this year.
Plan and Prep for the Cookie Party
The holidays are a busy time for all of us, so Dan likes to keep his cookie party as unstructured as possible by hosting an open house drop-in event on a weekend afternoon. That way, friends can stop by when convenient – some will just pop in to say hello, while others end up staying from start to finish.
There are two main aspects to Dan’s cookie party – the first is that he asks all of his friends to bring their favorite cookie to share. He doesn’t coordinate or dictate the recipes in advance and tells friends to bake what they love. But one thing he does stipulate is that “the cookies MUST be homemade or don’t bring them at all!” To Dan, it’s all about sharing something his friends have created or the story behind it.
“Put your Cooling Rack on top of your Sheet Pan when icing the cookies. That way, the cookies won’t end up in a pool of frosting and you have the easiest cleanup ever!”
Dan Pelosi
GrossyPelosi
The other aspect of the party is the cookie decorating table, which he says is “my guest’s favorite part!” He makes or buys plenty of plain sugar cookie dough and bakes it into fun holiday shapes. Dan sets out the baked cookies on plates with “tons of frosting in a rainbow of colors and plenty of decorations, like sprinkles, jimmies and my favorite: nonpareils.” Then he lets guests have fun decorating their own cookies to take home, which lets them meet and mingle while they get uber creative. Accompanying all of the cookies is a festive holiday cocktail and plenty of hot chocolate and ice-cold milk.
Dan’s suggestion is to start baking the decorating cookies about two weeks before the party so you have plenty on hand. His trick for keeping cookies fresh is to store them in a Dutch Oven. Place the cookies in the pot in single layers with parchment in between each layer. On the top layer, place a piece of white bread. The bread will keep the cookies from going stale for about a month, although he says “they never last that long in my house!”
Photo Credit: Dan Pelosi
On the Day of the Cookie Party
Set up both the cookie display table and the cookie decorating table on the day of the party. Dan likes to cover his tables with a big piece of craft paper. “It’s a clean slate for guests to arrange their cookies in neat rows in a democratic way and celebrate what everyone has brought to the table.” Guests can also write what they have baked directly on the paper with a marker for easy identification. Dan also bakes plenty of his own cookies to add to the table as well, be sure to check out his family recipes for Pine Nut Cookies, Italian Holiday Cookies and Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti.
On the cookie decorating table, set out the pre-baked cookies, frosting and decorations. Also have a stack of brown paper bags, decorative tape and markers on hand so that guests can take home their beautifully decorated cookies. And be sure to have guests write their names on the bags to keep it all straight. At the end of the party, you just have to “say goodbye, roll up the craft paper on the tables and your cleanup is done!”
