Cookie exchange packaging and containers
A cookie exchange needs two kinds of containers, and people usually plan only for the second. Bakers need something to carry a few dozen cookies in, and every guest needs something to take a mixed assortment home in. Reynolds' hosting guide says to have "containers, cookie tins, boxes, or bags readily available" (Reynolds). This page works out how many you need and what suits which cookie.
Carry-in packs and take-home boxes
My suggestion: pack what you bring in dozen packs, one pack for each guest at the swap. At the table, each guest picks up one pack of each kind and puts them in their own box. Packs of equal size make the swap fair without counting cookies at the party, and a pack that is missing a cookie is easy to spot.
With a dozen cookies for every guest (one common rule; the cookie chart lists others), a baker packs as many dozen packs as there are guests, and the take-home box fills with as many cookies as that baker brought. The tasting plate comes on top of that and needs no pack. The cookie chart by guest count has the other rules; the numbers here follow the dozen-each rule.
| Guests | Dozen packs per baker | Cookies in a take-home box | Packs on the table |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 48 | 16 |
| 5 | 5 | 60 | 25 |
| 6 | 6 | 72 | 36 |
| 7 | 7 | 84 | 49 |
| 8 | 8 | 96 | 64 |
| 9 | 9 | 108 | 81 |
| 10 | 10 | 120 | 100 |
| 11 | 11 | 132 | 121 |
| 12 | 12 | 144 | 144 |
| 13 | 13 | 156 | 169 |
| 14 | 14 | 168 | 196 |
| 15 | 15 | 180 | 225 |
| 16 | 16 | 192 | 256 |
Guests means everyone who bakes, you included. "Packs on the table" adds up every baker's packs, so it is the number of bags or wrapped stacks that go out before the swap. A box that holds 96 cookies, as for 8 guests, is a big one. If your boxes are shallow, plan on two per guest and say so in the invite.
What to pack by type of cookie
These are my suggestions, based on how cookies behave in a stacked box. The published advice I opened is to keep parchment or wax paper on hand to line containers and separate layers, so the cookies don't stick to each other (Reynolds, above).
| Cookie type | Pack it in | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Crisp (shortbread, gingersnaps, biscotti) | A tin or a stiff box, stacked on edge or flat. | Damp. Pack them fully cool and away from soft cookies. |
| Soft and chewy (oatmeal, molasses, snickerdoodles) | A zip bag or a wrapped stack with the air pressed out. | Drying out. Keep them sealed until the swap. |
| Iced or decorated | A shallow box, one layer, parchment between layers if you must stack. | Icing that has not set. Let it dry fully before packing. |
| Thumbprints and sandwich cookies | Paper cups or a lined shallow box, one layer. | Jam or filling smearing onto the lid or the next cookie. |
| Bark, fudge and truffles | Small lined boxes or cups, kept cool until the swap. | Melting in a warm car. A cooler bag helps. |
| Meringues and other fragile ones | A rigid box with nothing on top of them. | Crushing. These do better as a tasting plate than as dozen packs. |
The best cookies for a cookie exchange page lists which cookies travel and keep, with sources. If a baker's cookie is fragile, the packing question is a reason to pick another one when claiming it.
Keep flavors and allergens apart
- My suggestions: give each kind its own pack. A strong flavor like peppermint can carry over to a plain sugar cookie in the same bag.
- Seal packs with nuts apart from the rest and mark them. Loose cookies in a shared container can cause cross-contact. The allergy-friendly cookie exchange page covers invite wording and label flags.
- Put the label on the pack, so it travels into the take-home box. Reynolds suggests labeling each batch with its ingredients and allergens. Print the labels from your swap and tape one to every pack.
Who supplies what
Decide it before the invite goes out, because the invite is where people read it. Reynolds' sample rules list "container and supplies for transporting your swapped cookies" as something guests bring, or the host can provide it. Three setups work:
- Guests bring their own box. Cheapest for the host. Add one line to the invite: "Bring an empty box or tin that holds about 8 dozen cookies" (change the number to your count).
- The host buys one box per guest. Matching boxes look good and avoid mix-ups about whose tin is whose. Buy a few spares.
- Mix. Bakers bring dozen packs in whatever they have, and the host supplies the take-home boxes. I'd pick this one for a group of friends.
Add the choice to your invitation wording. For swaps by mail, the packing is different, because cookies ride in a parcel for days: see the mail-in cookie exchange counts.
Pack the day before
I'd pack them fully cool, since warm ones steam and stick. Reynolds suggests baking on parchment the day before the swap. Pack the dozen packs that evening and tape the labels on, so the morning of the swap is only loading the car. If you bake weeks ahead, the make-ahead guide covers freezing before packing.
Set up the swap
Once guests have claimed their cookies, you know the final count and can buy boxes and bags to match. Make a swap, send one link and print the labels for your packs.
More guides
- How many cookies to bring to a cookie exchange (table by guest count)
- How to host a cookie exchange (invites, labels, containers, timeline)
- Allergy-friendly cookie exchange (invite wording, labels, gluten-free cross-contact)
- Cookie exchange rules (eight rules and how hosts word them)
- Best cookies for a cookie exchange (what travels, keeps and breaks)
- Mail-in cookie exchange (bake and parcel counts for a virtual swap)
- Make-ahead cookie exchange (freeze dough or baked cookies, bake timeline)
- Office cookie exchange (rules and counts for a workplace swap)
- Cookie exchange invitation wording (email, chat and card texts to copy)
- Cookie exchange voting and prizes (ballot picks and categories by guest count)
- Cookie exchange games (six games compared, printable bingo card)
- Printable cookie swap sign up sheet (blank, print at home)
- Cookie exchange themes (eight ideas, invite lines, the duplicate trap)
- Classroom cookie exchange (school rule, allergies, family counts)
- Cookie exchange packaging (dozen packs, take-home boxes, what suits which cookie)
- Cookie exchange recipe cards (what to include, copies by guest count, blank card)
- Cookie exchange labels (sample sheet to print)
- Soup swap rules: how much soup to bring (quarts by guest count)
- How to host a soup swap (timeline, tasting setup, take-home round)
- Soup swap labels (sample sheet for jars, Letter and A4)