In This Post: Holiday Cookie Baking How-To
THE PARTY
THE COOKIE RECIPES
- Caramel Corn 🍿
- Peanut Butter Blossoms 🥜
- Oreo Truffles 🍫
- BONUS: Chicken Noodle Soup 🍲 (For Lunch!)
I Hosted A Holiday Cookie Baking Party!
Wait, let me say that again. I HOSTED A HOLIDAY COOKIE BAKING PARTY! Like the real, true, responsible adult that I am trying to be.
I planned, invited, prepped, hosted, and managed six people baking holiday cookies together in a new (but still small) kitchen in December, and no one cried, and we all took home a few cookie tins of Christmas cookies to binge eat I MEAN SHARE at holiday get togethers in the next few weeks, and I restrained myself from eating all the caramel corn before the end of the day. Success with a capital S.
Today I am super excited to share with you a few pictures of my best ever family – grandma, mom, sisters, and nephew – and our cookie baking adventures in the new, almost-finished kitchen.
Annnnd because planning something like this is surprisingly sort of a lot of work and recipe math is hard, I am even more excited to share with you some tools that will make it ultra slick for you to host a little par-tay of your own where everyone will walk away with a few containers of holiday cookies and funny memories of you with a frosting face and all the other good feels of the season.
Free Download (Recipes + Schedule)
Want to host your own little holiday cookie baking party? Grab your free holiday cookie party planning downloads right on down here to make assigning lists, scaling recipe amounts, and purchasing the right amount of all ingredients a breezy-breeze.
CLICK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE PLANNING SHEETS.
Excel Documents
Numbers Documents
Tips For Hosting a Holiday Baking Party
1. Assign recipes and shopping lists to each guest.
That way you can easily scale recipes up or down depending on how many people are coming, because the free downloads are magic like that. Also, then one person doesn’t end up buying all the ingredients. If you’re the host, I’d suggest have a few backups just in case you want to make just ONE MORE batch of something. In my world, that happens. A lot.
2. Have each person bring cookie sheets and take-home containers.
Even if you don’t need the cookie sheets for baking, they make everything go faster when you can load them up with treats and stick them in the fridge to set faster. And to prevent everyone taking all your food storage containers home, have guests bring their own. For the recipes included here, we each used two 9×13 size foil cake pans with lids. Christmas tins would be cuter if you have them!
3. Don’t overdo it.
It’s really a lot of work to bake and decorate cookies and treats together. Keep the recipes simple simple simple and don’t try to do more than three or four in one day even if you love the idea of more.
Oh, sorry, you’re a baking wizard with unlimited stamina? Okay then, go for it with all ten recipes and then puhleease tell me your secrets.
4. Prep your essential materials.
Keep towels, hot pads, paper towels, aluminum foil, etc. within easy reach – maybe set out a box so everywhere always knows where they are.
5. Clear out as much from your fridge as possible.
The more you can place in your fridge to set or chill throughout the day, the more efficient you can be. If you just can’t make it work with your fridge and if you happen to live in a wintery place like Minnesota, try setting up a table outside so you can set cookies and treats outside to chill as they finish.
And all the warm weather friends are like SAY WHAT?! Yeah, that’s a real thing we do here.
6. Small kitchens are okay.
Don’t shy away from hosting just because you are worried about the size of your kitchen. This particular line up of cookies and treats only requires about half of the prep to actually happen in the kitchen. Set up a table in an adjacent space (doesn’t have to be a kitchen!) for the rolling, unwrapping, decorating, dipping, etc.
7. Invite the right number of people.
We had 6 people, and that was about right for the size of our kitchen. That being said, my parents kitchen could hold 15 people and a million and one cookies. So even though you shouldn’t let a small kitchen hold you back, you should think about how many people can realistically be in each area together.
8. Make a kitchen map so you’re mentally prepared for where to direct people.
I mapped out my kitchen so I could see where people would be able to stand/sit and work. We can fit one at the back counter for dough, one at the sink for dishes, one at the oven for baking, and three to four people at the counter or the table.
9. Everyone makes, everyone takes.
It’s a lot easier to have one person do all the dipped pretzels and then divvy them up than to try to have every single person make it over to the pretzel dipping station and make their own throughout the afternoon. If you’re all okay with it, just divide up the tasks and let everyone share the results, even if they themselves didn’t make a certain cookie.
10. Prep a Christmas playlist.
Because everything is more fun with music. May I recommend the Spotify Pop Christmas radio station or Pentatonix? Can’t stop won’t stop.
11. Arrange a table for holding the finished goods.
Mine was just a big folding table with pieces of labeled tape for each person where everyone could store up their little pile of cookies that they would be taking home. NO STEALING.
12. Stay organized before and during the party.
Knowing who’s bringing what, when the oven will be available, and roughly when you’re going to do everything so that you don’t end up wanting to bake two things at once. The easy good news is that I have included a proposed schedule (wheee!) in this post based on what we did at our lil party this year.
13. The beauty is in the mess. Literally.
Just go ahead right now and plan for something to spill, sprinkles to be in every crevice of your floor, and to find almond bark crusted somewhere it doesn’t belong the next few days. Be prepared to clean up messes graciously with a ready stash of paper towels, wet rags, etc. People are more important than things (just a little reminder to my sometimes type A self) and it will all be okay in the end.
And mom, I promise this is NOT me secretly saying anything about the caramel corn incident.
And Now: Cookie Baking Photos!
Family, cookies, chicken soup, Christmas music… mwah! I loved this so much.
If you want the recipes as-is (no downloads, no magical scaling tricks) here is the text for the recipes that we made.
Caramel Corn 🍿
Print
Caramel Corn
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: divides well for 6 people
Description
Carmel Corn! So simple and delicious. The perfect holiday treat that everyone will love!
Ingredients
- 4 cups butter
- 4 cups brown sugar
- 2 cups light corn syrup
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
- 4 bags Puff Corn popcorn
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F. Place Puff Corn in a deep roasting pan.
- Bring the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup to a boil. Add the baking soda – the mixture will foam. Stir well and remove from heat.
- Pour over Puff Corn in roasting pan, stir, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Spread on wax paper or foil until the caramel corn is cool and crispy.
Notes
I would recommend making half at a time (i.e. 2 cups butter, 2 cups brown sugar instead of the whole 4 cups) because otherwise it gets a little overwhelming and it’s harder to control the consistency of the caramel.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Snack
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: caramel corn recipe, caramel corn, caramel dessert
Peanut Butter Blossoms 🥜
Print
Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: divides well for six people (about 20 cookies per person)
Description
Peanut Butter Blossoms! Soft cookie with just enough delicious chocolate.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
- 3 eggs
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2–3 bags Hershey’s kisses
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Beat butter, brown sugar, white sugar, peanut butter, and eggs.
- Mix in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Form into 1-inch balls and roll in a shallow dish of white sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Immediately after baking, press one unwrapped Hershey’s kiss into the center of the cookie.
Notes
We also pressed a small piece of dough into mini muffin tins, stuck an unwrapped mini Reese’s in the middle, baked for 8-10 minutes, and decorated with sprinkles.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: peanut butter blossom cookies, peanut butter kiss cookies, peanut butter cookies
Oreo Truffles 🍫
Print
Oreo Truffles
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: divides well for a group of 6
Description
Oreo Truffles. Just 3 ingredients and hardly any time at all! So simple and SO YUM.
Ingredients
- 2 packages Oreo cookies
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese
- 2 15 ounce packages almond bark
Instructions
- Pulse the Oreo cookies in a blender or food processor until fine crumbs form.
- Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cream cheese or mash it all together with your hands.
- Roll into small balls and refrigerate or freeze for 15 minutes.
- Melt the almond bark. Dip each ball into the almond bark and place on a foil or wax paper lined surface. Decorate with sprinkles or drizzled chocolate and let set. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
BONUS: Chicken Noodle Soup 🍲
Print
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: should be plenty for a group of 8-10
Description
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup! MMMM! So good for a chilly winter day.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt (pepper to taste)
- 8 ounces uncooked egg noodles
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except egg noodles in a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Shred chicken directly in the bowl of the slow cooker using two large forks to pull it apart. Add the egg noodles and season generously with more salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 15-30 minutes, and serve with bread.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chicken noodle soup, slow cooker chicken noodle soup, crockpot chicken noodle soup
I will be using some of your helpful hints and recipes. This is my first attempt to do this with my daughters.
Thank you for sharing
I could not figure out how to download the material. I clicked all over the place where it says to click here. I loved the idea of putting in the number of people.
Hi, Laura! If you email us at hello@pinchofyum.com, we’ll help you out!
Hi there, I was hoping to download the documents to host a cookie party ( it’s in 3 days and I haven’t done anything like this before- I am really behind).
The link isn’t live. Would you be willing to send me the downloads?
Thanks so much,
Jackie
Are there no longer links to your spreadsheets? I’ve looked everywhere and can’t seem to find any,
Hi, Michelle! Feel free to email us at hello@pinchofyum.com and we can help you out!
I wanted to print off your free planning sheets but there is mo where in your site to click on it to open it. I would live to scaling my recipes. Could you send it to me
Unfortunately, no link to any spreadsheet remains in this post!
Loved your post and was looking for some help and suggestions on the web, on how to plan and host a Christmas Baking Cookie party and found you!
I know this post is older but is there any way to get access to your Excel sheets?
Thank you!
Hi Liza! Yes, please email us at hello@pinchofyum.com and we can help you out!
The link to the spreadsheet is not working. Can you help, pretty please?
Hi Eileen! Please email us at hello@pinchofyum.com and we can get that printout over to you!
Love the idea of having a holiday baking party. I am trying to access the link to the files and get the following message… “This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.” Is this going to be fixed? Thank you!
Hi Dana! Please email us at hello@pinchofyum.com and we can help you out!
I was unable to DOWNLOAD THE FREE PLANNING SHEETS. What can I do to get them???
Hi Aida! Send us an email at hello@pinchofyum.com and we can help you out!
I’m hosting a cookie baking party for 6 on Monday! This was so helpful. Everyone is bringing the ingredients for what they want to bake. I’m excited!
This sounds so fun! I’ll try it once my kids are out of the house.. we have plenty of helping hands here for now 🙂 Had a church party and made caramel, lemon bars, brownies, and then one batch of my basic oatmeal with 3 different stir ins. didn’t get started until noon… so a slow year for me. Hubby said they were the best cookies I”d ever made – time to update the cookbook
Thank you so much for laying this all out! I’m hosting a similar family group for a holiday cookie bake and was wondering where to start, what to prep, what to bake…here you laid it all out for me 🤗 I smiled all the way through your instructions…and now I will go forth with confidence and host my party!
Hi Lindsay !
Just stumbled across your website while searching for tips on hosting a cookie bake. Thanks so much for all the great information! I’m a newbie to all this but am recruiting all the usual (family) suspects from Christmas dinner prep so at least we all know how to step around each other in the kitchen. Excited to find your guide, will let you know how it works out ! Thanks again !
Nancy
PS – live in Mississauga Ontario so hope we can utilize outdoor cooling techniques too ! 😊
We love hearing that, Nancy! Have fun! 🙂
I’m planning my first cookie baking party for family and friends. Your insight and humor was a great read and I’ve taken notes of all your good ideas! I also loved all your pictures! I hope my first party is as successful as yours, but like you said, it is really about being together and enjoying the day! The cookies are a bonus! Thanks for sharing, Lindsay!
Love your great ideas…taking notes so I can host a great holiday baking party this year!
unique recipes,
I have tried at home and my children very loved it
Your kitchen is beautiful, and so is your fam!
Thanks, Hannah!
Think you could create three new cookie recipes to add to this party for this year? Would love to have excel files to create a few different treats.
That’s a great idea, Carla, but I don’t think it’s in the plan for this year! Glad you’ve enjoyed the Excel files of the existing cookie recipes!
Do you have the Microsoft word and excel files for this yet?
Hi, Dianne! The Excel files are ready to go. If you are downloading on a Mac, you will see the Numbers version. If you are downloading on a PC, you will see the Excel version. Enjoy your baking party!
Lindsay,
Love your blog, one of my favorites! I have been asked to host baking parties, but always hesitated as to wondering how my favorite recipes would set-up in time to pack them up. Being a bit type A myself, you help set the bar in simplicity. You’ve inspired me to take this on, so stay tuned…..
Keep up the great work, I love it all!
Peggy
Fun to hear that Peggy! Hope it goes well!
Oh what fun – come clean my house so I can host one of these parties. Lol!!
I would love to enjoy the download but can’t seem to open it. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Hi Gay! Do you have a program called Numbers? That’s the application that the files are written for right now.
We are a family of caramel corn lovers here in Southern California, but I’m not crazy about homemade because the popcorn gets kinda chewy, kinda stale, kinda weird. Your caramel puffs sound brilliant but searched every store & couldn’t located any plain that didn’t have powdered cheese of some sort. Determined…’cause that’s the way I am…I found Old Dutch brand online & they had an online store that sold it, along with some cute Christmas pretzels like you used & dipped in chocolate. I’m excited for my big order to arrive in a few days!
Really? I’m so surprised! I fee like those bags are on every endcap around here! I’m so glad you found it eventually! 🙂
I am hosting a holiday baking party (we started 20+ years ago in high school) this weekend. We now have kids so our list has gotten shorter, but we still make at least a dozen different goodies. I just made a batch of Peanut Butter Blossoms today but we call them Chocolate Star Cookies and use the chocolate star instead of a kiss. My recipe is just a little bit different in terms of the amounts and the addition of just a little milk. What is your favorite peanut butter to use?
How cute! 🙂 We just used Jif this year. I don’t have a preference for baking, I guess.