Account Account Back to Top Cart Chat Chat Crate and Barrel Crate and Barrel CB2 Crate and kids Crate and kids Crate and kids Crate and kids Crate and Kids Hudson Grace Hudson Grace Menu Search

Virtual Holiday Cookie Exchange Recipe & More

perfectly cooked French fries

“This holiday season will be hard for so many reasons,” says Cosette Posko of Cosette’s Kitchen, who will be spending the holidays without her extended family for the first time. “But it is a great time to explore your creativity in the kitchen and make new traditions, maybe by pulling out an old family recipe or introducing your kids to baking.”

In the spirit of starting new traditions and staying connected with friends and family, Cosette shares her tips for hosting a virtual holiday cookie exchange, a free recipe card download and her recipe for Cardamom-Molasses Cookies. Cosette honors the Lebanese cooking she grew up with by incorporating flavors like cardamom, anise and allspice into an easy-to-make molasses cookie recipe.

sous vide cooker

How to Host a Virtual Friends-and-Family Holiday Cookie Exchange

  1. Organize your guest list—8–10 is a manageable number for virtual gatherings— and send out invitations. Include the date, time, video call link and a recipe card for everyone to download and fill out.
  2. Collect all of the recipes and assign each guest, including yourself, a recipe other than their own to make for the exchange. Keep a list of your attendees’ names, the recipe they shared and the recipe they are making.
  3. On party day, gather via video to enjoy your holiday cookies together, share all of the wonderful recipes you created and swap baking tips. Upload all of the recipe cards to a shared drive for everyone to enjoy.

How to Host a Social Media Holiday Cookie Exchange

  1. Find your tribe—the more the merrier!—and spread the word by creating a hashtag and announcing your cookie exchange on social media. For the past few years, I've hosted #VirtualCookieParty2018 and #VirtualCookieParty2019 on Instagram, and dozens of bloggers have shared their favorite cookie recipes on the designated day.
  2. Share the date and ask that participants use the hashtag and tag you so you don’t miss recipes. You can include a link to the blank recipe card, too, or have people share the recipes in the caption of their posts.
  3. On the day of the cookie exchange, you’ll be flooded with fun cookie exchange recipes!

Cardamom-Molasses Cookie Recipe

cooked steak next to crispy french fries
10-12 minutes
10 minutes
About 12 cookies

Ingredients

For the filling

  • • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • • 1 teaspoon ground anise
  • • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • • ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
  • • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • • ½ cup light or dark brown sugar
  • • ¼ cup date molasses
  • • 1 egg
  • • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cardamom, anise, allspice and salt.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, ½ cup of the granulated sugar, the brown sugar and the molasses on medium-high (6–8) speed for 3–4 minutes, until mixture becomes fluffy and light in color. Add the egg and vanilla and mix for another 30 seconds. Lower the speed to the stir setting and slowly add the dry ingredients. Increase the speed to medium-low (2–3) and mix until the ingredients are just blended, scraping down the sides as needed and being careful not to overmix. Stop when no streaks of flour remain and the ingredients are fully combined.
  3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and place a rack in the center.
  5. Fill a small bowl with the remaining ½ cup of granulated sugar. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough, then roll it between your hands to create a 1” ball. Roll the dough in the granulated sugar to coat it. Repeat this step until there is no more dough. (If you plan to freeze the dough, do so at this stage in the process.)
  6. Place the cookies on a baking sheet 1–1 ½" apart and bake for 10–12 minutes, until the cookies puff up slightly and begin to crackle on the top. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes; they will continue to crackle. Once they are cool, you can transfer them to an airtight container to store for 4–5 days. The cookies will remain soft and chewy.

A note on freezing cookies

  1. You can freeze the cookie dough or even the baked cookies. To freeze the dough, do so after you’ve rolled the dough balls in sugar. Place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze them overnight, then pop them into a freezer bag to store. When it’s time to bake, they may take an additional 1–2 minutes in the oven. Freeze for up to 3 months.
  2. You may also freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Remove them from the freezer, allow them to come to room temperature and enjoy!
360 Spin App Store Go Previous Next Previous Next Down Previous Next Up Down Left Right Up Submit Bar Code Bar Code Yes Yes Down Left Right Up Close Close Copy Credit Card Crib Curbside Pickup Custom Blue to Teal Grey to Black Off White Orange to Red Purple Tan to Brown Yellow to Green Design Services Crate Design Services Dimensions Edit Edit Email Error Expand Expand Best Sellers Best Sellers Easy Care Easy Care Family Friendly Family Friendly Genuine Leather Genuine Leather Highly Durable Highly Durable Linen Look Linen Look Stain Resistant Stain-Resistant Textured Textured UV Resistant UV Resistant Velvet Velvet Woven in USA Woven in USA Filter Gift Gift Card Gifting Group Gifting Help Home Delivery Layout Column Layout Grid The Design Desk at Crate The Design Desk at Crate The Design Desk at Crate The Design Desk at Crate and Kids Doodlepad Handy Hudson Grace Crate and Barrel - The Wedding Registry Crate and Barrel - The Wedding Registry The Frame Location location Location Minus Move Down Move Up Pause Play Phone Play Play Plus Price Tag Print Begin Quote End Quote Receipt Registry Registry Returns and Exchanges Rotate Counter Clockwise Rotate Clockwise Warning Sectional Sectional Security - Locked Security - Unlocked Share Shipping Show More Start Over Facebook Houzz Instagram Pinterest TikTok Twitter Youtube Success Swatch Text Message Thank You Manager Venmo Venmo Verified Reviews Pause Play Replay Pause Play Replay Hide Show Zoom In Zoom Out Zoom Out