Cookie swap

November 18, 2012 8:38 PM

In ancient times, our forebearers celebrated the coming of Northern Hemisphere winter with a Cookie Swap. Join the fun!

We did a cookie swap a few years ago and it was great fun. My wife made me update my will, which is always good. I am proposing we follow a similar plan to last time:

• Sign up by sending me a MeMail by the kick off of the New York Football Giants game, Sunday, December 9, 4:25 PM EST,
• I will group everyone into groups of four or so
• You will send roughly six cookies to your fellow MetaBakers in your group by Monday, December 17
Last time we had about six groups in the US and a group in Canada, but we could not drum up enough interest for an international league. No pot in the cookies. Include any allergies or restrictions in your email, last time there was one group of people with allergies.

posted by shothotbot to MetaFilter-Related at 8:38 PM (139 comments total)

No pot. Ok. But is alcohol alright? I'm in if I can send rum balls.
posted by SLC Mom at 8:59 PM on November 18, 2012

Oh, all those poor castrated rums....
posted by hippybear at 10:09 PM on November 18, 2012 [20 favorites]

Is it okay to send something like a quickbread, or is it legitimately cookies-only?
posted by topoisomerase at 10:15 PM on November 18, 2012

I think quickbreads are fine. I am going to go out there and say that homemade candy is good too. I don't think pie would ship well. [NOT PIEIST]
posted by shothotbot at 4:47 AM on November 19, 2012

This is so exciting! I love to bake, and never have anyone to share with - hooray!
posted by k8lin at 5:08 AM on November 19, 2012

I'm in!
posted by Kitteh at 5:51 AM on November 19, 2012

Each swapmate only gets six cookies? I'm in.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:20 AM on November 19, 2012

Each swapmate only gets six cookies? I'm in.

Six cookies from you, but about 18 from the whole swap. This was actually misha's suggestion in the original exchange and keeps the whole thing reasonable on both the cookie consumption and cookie production standpoints.
posted by shothotbot at 6:44 AM on November 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

No, I know 18 from the whole swap; my mother did a cookie exchange with her friends all while I was growing up.

But they did a full dozen for each swapmate, so nearly all the cookie recipes I've gotten from her make a metric assload in each batch. So I was realizing that I can make a single batch and participate in the swap, and still keep about 75% of that one batch I've baked.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:52 AM on November 19, 2012 [2 favorites]

I'm in! Woo-hoo!
posted by cooker girl at 7:02 AM on November 19, 2012

I'm in!
posted by gaspode at 7:10 AM on November 19, 2012

Count me in!
posted by Room 641-A at 7:18 AM on November 19, 2012

If anyone from Australia is interested, I'm totally down for it!
posted by Defying Gravity at 7:20 AM on November 19, 2012

I'm in! If anyone has some packaging/mailing tips, I'd love to hear them.
posted by donajo at 7:37 AM on November 19, 2012

Do we MeMail you our addresses at this time?
posted by xingcat at 8:27 AM on November 19, 2012

Do we MeMail you our addresses at this time?

Anytime between now and December 9
posted by shothotbot at 8:33 AM on November 19, 2012

I'm trying to find everything possible to avoid working on my thesis, so I'm in too!
posted by brilliantine at 8:35 AM on November 19, 2012 [2 favorites]

I have a brand new kitchen mixer and suddenly make cookies aplenty anyway: I am happy to share my bounty with fellow Canadian mefites.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:54 AM on November 19, 2012

I have a stand mixer, a bag of Andes mint chips and too much free time. Bring it on.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:12 AM on November 19, 2012

I'm in!
posted by janell at 10:00 AM on November 19, 2012

I'm in, if no other Canadians pop in, then rb and I can send each other 18 cookies.
posted by arcticseal at 11:12 AM on November 19, 2012

I'm in, and Canadian.
Fair warning- most of my cooking lessons were from Mennonites, so anyone with a distrust of butter may want to skip my stuff.
posted by whowearsthepants at 12:24 PM on November 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

My tip for mailing cookies is intense and kind of wasteful, but they always arrive intact and not stale. If you're worried about freshness, you could put a small piece of bread in the box; my grandmother did this when she mailed her Christmas cookies out to everyone she knew every year (she would start baking the day after Thanksgiving and... just not stop for two weeks, beginning with stuff like fudge and candy that wouldn't get stale) and claimed it kept them fresh. I have not tested this, so ymmv.

I take a long piece of saran wrap and put one cookie at one end. Start wrapping. When the cookie is completely ensconced, put another cookie on top. Wrap again with remaining saran wrap. You should be able to stack 2-3 cookies on this pile. Wrap the pile in foil.

Put the stacks of foil-and-saran wrapped cookies in an airtight container that the cookies are packed in tightly. Choose a small container. If it's too small, fill the remainder with crumpled up waxed paper. Fill a larger box with packing peanuts or plain popped popcorn and insert the cookie-filled airtight container in the larger box. Seal and write the delivery address on the outside.

Mail Priority Mail so that they arrive quickly. Mark the box "Fragile" if you desire.
posted by k8lin at 1:04 PM on November 19, 2012 [9 favorites]

Yeah, if candy-type things also work, I'm totally in!

But is alcohol alright?

It better be, as my candy is just old kitchen sponges soaked in Jäger.
posted by Greg Nog at 2:12 PM on November 19, 2012 [10 favorites]

I'm in.

Can we make it a requirement that everyone includes a note with what the cookies are, when they were baked, and the ingredients? Just for extra safety with spoilage and allergies and whatnot.
posted by firei at 2:59 PM on November 19, 2012 [5 favorites]

I'm in too!
posted by exceptinsects at 3:16 PM on November 19, 2012

Definitely in!
posted by alynnk at 3:21 PM on November 19, 2012

We defiantly have a Canadian quorum already :)

I have gotten a few notes about not getting booze in the cookies, and I would prefer sober cookies too. Do people think that the no-alcohol cookies be bundled in with alergies or that liquored up cookies get their own crowd?
posted by shothotbot at 3:45 PM on November 19, 2012

So in! And am looking forward to all the related "Can I still eat these" askmes.
posted by Saminal at 4:04 PM on November 19, 2012

I will be in this year- I just ordered a bunch of new cookie cutters!
posted by newpotato at 4:17 PM on November 19, 2012

Oh, I'm in (Canada). Now I'll be forced to try lots of cookie recipes to choose the One Best Cookie. Poor me.
posted by jeather at 4:48 PM on November 19, 2012

I'd like to play along.
posted by jvilter at 8:11 PM on November 19, 2012

I'm interested - but I'm in Australia, so probably can't send cookies to any other countries, and I definitely can't receive them from anywhere else. (But by the looks of it I can swap with Defying Gravity - Hooray!) I will send through my details just in case an Australian group gets off the ground.
posted by Cheese Monster at 8:50 PM on November 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

Woo! Always glad for an excuse to bake non-essential foods. I'm in!
posted by dorey_oh at 9:39 PM on November 19, 2012

I'm in, too!
posted by misha at 11:27 PM on November 19, 2012

Postcards, CDs, Quonsmas Presents, and now treats? MeFi you are too kind. Another Canadian in.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 11:59 PM on November 19, 2012

I'm in for cookies!

I would rather just eat regular cookies and drink regular rum than eat rum-balls, so I guess I'm on board with teetotaling cookies. I am, however, allergic to poison oak.
posted by aubilenon at 12:00 AM on November 20, 2012 [1 favorite]

Damn. I had this new Poison Oak Double Chocolate Chip recipe I was dying to try.
posted by cooker girl at 8:44 AM on November 20, 2012 [2 favorites]

Hemlock's still okay, right?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:47 AM on November 20, 2012

Thank you for sidebarring this, I might've missed in. In like Flynn. Pretty sure I'm going to do two cookie types, because that's how I roll. Actually, that's how I drop - I haven't got a rolling pin.

BONUS: This should benefit Trivia folks as well.
posted by maryr at 8:53 AM on November 20, 2012 [1 favorite]

Another Canadian signing up! Whoooohooo!
posted by VioletU at 9:35 AM on November 20, 2012

I'd like to participate. The hard part is going to be picking a cookie though...
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 10:17 AM on November 20, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm in.
posted by kenko at 10:58 AM on November 20, 2012

Woo! Always glad for an excuse to bake non-essential foods. I'm in!

You must be mistaken. This is a cookie swap, so the foods are clearly essential.
posted by jeather at 11:06 AM on November 20, 2012 [3 favorites]

If the group I end up with is ok receiving scones as opposed to cookies, I'm totally down. I can make them boozy or not.
posted by owtytrof at 12:23 PM on November 20, 2012

owtytrof, I would probably prefer scones.
posted by maryr at 12:35 PM on November 20, 2012

I would love scones.

My question is, do I have to bake the cookies myself? I will have just been to a in-person cookie swap, so I could send each of my swapmates an assortment, if that's not against the rules (such as they are). They would be homemade, just not necessarily baked by me.
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:11 PM on November 20, 2012

Well, then, looks like I'm going to do this thing.
posted by owtytrof at 1:44 PM on November 20, 2012

Yes yes yes yes absolutely, this is the best part of the holiday season!
posted by ausdemfenster at 2:16 PM on November 20, 2012

Another Canuck here joining in the fun!
posted by windykites at 7:12 PM on November 20, 2012

What information should I include in my memail?
posted by windykites at 7:16 PM on November 20, 2012

What information should I include in my memail?

Address and any allergies or strong preferences. Names are optional and depend it will amuse you / confuse your postal carrier to get a package addressed to your username. So far, 12% of swappers are thinking that Mr Boogie Pants or whatever is going to be enough to get the cookies to the right place.
posted by shothotbot at 7:32 PM on November 20, 2012

I am in, and get to use the farm animal cutters that a fellow Mefite sent me.
posted by jadepearl at 5:57 AM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Forget "windykites", I want all cookies addressed to "Mr Boogie Pants".
posted by windykites at 7:04 AM on November 21, 2012

So far 50 sign-ups!
posted by shothotbot at 7:53 AM on November 21, 2012

Forget "windykites", I want all cookies addressed to "Mr Boogie Pants".

Done and done.
posted by shothotbot at 7:53 AM on November 21, 2012

shothotbot: "I think quickbreads are fine. I am going to go out there and say that homemade candy is good too. I don't think pie would ship well. [NOT PIEIST]"

Sorry to be that guy, but can we please make it cookies only? I love cookies so much and with no living grandmothers and a mom on a sugar-free diet an what not the only opportunity I have for homemade cookies is basically to make them myself.

For me cookies are special. Really really special.
posted by Deathalicious at 11:09 AM on November 22, 2012

EvaDestruction: "I will have just been to a in-person cookie swap, so I could send each of my swapmates an assortment"

For some reason I read this first as an "in-prison" cookie swap. Which, you know, wow.
posted by Deathalicious at 11:16 AM on November 22, 2012 [4 favorites]

Which would make the cookies even more special!

Actually, the cookies will hopefully be a little extra-special this year, anyway, since it's the 10th annual swap and we're being encouraged to fancy things up.
posted by EvaDestruction at 11:22 AM on November 22, 2012

I'm another aussie signing up!

If you're in SE Qld i can probably even organise a salted caramel sauce - it's an IRL thing, needs refrigeration.
posted by geek anachronism at 8:39 PM on November 22, 2012

Texas is in!
posted by bjgeiger at 8:52 AM on November 24, 2012

I'm in!
posted by icanbreathe at 10:27 AM on November 24, 2012

I'm in!
posted by candyland at 6:31 PM on November 24, 2012

One more entrant from DC and we can make an all DC group! Also, looks like we have three Australians. Anyone on the fence?
posted by shothotbot at 8:52 PM on November 24, 2012

Would a gluten-free cookie group be doable? I'd love the chance to try a new recipe can't eat the wheat. :(
posted by youcancallmeal at 2:15 PM on November 25, 2012

In like Flynn
posted by ancillary at 11:04 AM on November 26, 2012

Suddenly glad I checked MeTa today. In!
posted by spitefulcrow at 5:18 PM on November 27, 2012

Greg Nog: "

But is alcohol alright?

It better be, as my candy is just old kitchen sponges soaked in Jäger"

When you squeeze them out, is that what makes Greg Nog?

I just saw this sidebarred; if I can get a new mixer in the next week I'll join in, as my dead grandmother's 50-year-old hand mixer just died last month and that's all I had. I can make cookies without one, but it's a real pain and they don't mix as well.
posted by Red Loop at 6:52 PM on November 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

Count me innnn!!!! Bostonian signing up. : )
posted by kellybird at 7:53 PM on November 28, 2012

Any Europeans want to join in the fun? We have one request so far...
posted by shothotbot at 9:37 AM on November 30, 2012

I am so in. My biggest problem is now figuring out which cookies I want to make.
posted by miss-lapin at 4:02 PM on November 30, 2012

nom nom nom cookies. I'm in!
posted by rmd1023 at 5:59 AM on December 1, 2012

I'm in! If anyone has some packaging/mailing tips, I'd love to hear them.

Wrap well, with a piece of bread. It helps them not get hard / go stale.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 12:21 PM on December 1, 2012

I'm in!
posted by icaicaer at 8:57 PM on December 1, 2012

I'm in. Hoping for an European edition.
posted by Rabarberofficer at 2:27 AM on December 2, 2012

In! Hoping for snickerdoodles.
posted by Marinara at 5:20 PM on December 3, 2012

I'm in!
posted by nanhey at 6:35 PM on December 3, 2012

I'm in!
posted by mjcon at 6:46 PM on December 3, 2012

Didn't post when I e-mailed, but since it seems to be the thing to do...

I'm in!
posted by jferg at 12:43 PM on December 4, 2012

Marinara, I'll just leave this here for you...
posted by maryr at 9:32 AM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

somehow just saw this (probably because i somehow haven't logged in in a couple months). What the hell, I'm in from Pittsburgh.
posted by FlyingMonkey at 11:32 AM on December 6, 2012

I'm so excited about this! I've already laid in the supplies, and I may have to do a test batch, strictly for quality-control purposes.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 8:49 PM on December 8, 2012

Are we going to get our mailing lists soon? I recall that it'd be about this time...
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:52 AM on December 9, 2012

shothotbot, do you have an ETA for when you'll send out the mailing information? I just don't want to make them more than a day in advance of mailing them if possible because I might eat them all I want them to be as fresh as possible.
posted by Room 641-A at 12:05 PM on December 9, 2012

I went from having no cookie ideas at all to more then I could possibly make!

Beware the newest food network magazine.
posted by royalsong at 12:32 PM on December 9, 2012

Emails going out tonight / tomorrow morning. Remember deadline to send cookies is Monday the 17th
posted by shothotbot at 3:12 PM on December 9, 2012

We had 83 sign-ups. Interestingly, the most common swapper location is Manhattan, with 11 plus more in brooklyn and queens. Does the anonymity of city life lead us to recreate an imagined small town intimacy or do we just like cookies? I am over my MeMail limit so assignments might lag slightly.
posted by shothotbot at 7:38 PM on December 9, 2012

OK all assignments are out. If you did not hear from me I messed up or you did not send me your address. We got two full groups in Canada and a sadly-depleted-but-making-up-for-it-in Christmas-cheer group from Australia.

Happy baking!
posted by shothotbot at 8:25 AM on December 10, 2012

Okay, just to confirm: there are three other people in my group, so I bake 18 cookies, and send 6 cookies to each of the other people?
posted by Deathalicious at 3:56 PM on December 10, 2012

Don't forget to keep six of your own cookies, but yes you have the idea.
posted by shothotbot at 8:02 PM on December 10, 2012

I didn't find out about this until it was too late! Any other stragglers want to form a late-swap quartet? I'm a great cookie baker: anyone?
posted by honey badger at 7:19 PM on December 11, 2012

Don't forget to keep six of your own cookies, but yes you have the idea.

Yes, there was a real risk I was going to forget about that, thanks.
posted by jeather at 7:34 PM on December 11, 2012

I baked my cookies this morning and they are on their way. I sent them Priority, so hopefully they will arrive on on Friday!
posted by Room 641-A at 2:22 PM on December 12, 2012

I'll be baking tomorrow or Friday evening and plan to mail them Saturday.
posted by rmd1023 at 3:00 PM on December 12, 2012

My cookies went out this morning. Despite living about an hour and a half from my swap-ees and using priority mail, USPS expects the delivery on Saturday. Which is not cool, USPS, not cool at all. But they should still be pretty fresh and tasty, I hope!
posted by firei at 7:35 PM on December 12, 2012

Actually, rmd, I was planning a similar schedule - since you're in my swap, want to just meet at the Davis or Union post office? (I forget which is closer for you.) That would save us each a postage.

If not, hell, I'm seriously tempted to just drive to my swap group's addresses on my way out of town next weekend.
posted by maryr at 7:43 PM on December 12, 2012

Marinara, I am eating your delicious snickerdoodles now. Om nom and thanks!
posted by donajo at 1:31 PM on December 14, 2012

Mine went out priority mail yesterday, so probably Saturday delivery.
posted by jferg at 5:01 PM on December 14, 2012

baking tonight, mailing tomorrow, adding a lagniappe because deal with it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:15 PM on December 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

I know. Even with the intention of doing all my baking tonight (promised myself I could snuggle with cat until 9) I'm find the idea of limiting myself to 6 cookies difficult.
posted by maryr at 5:53 PM on December 14, 2012

Room 641-A, Your pillow cookies (brownie surrounded by ginormous chocolate chip cookie!) arrived today as you predicted. They are . . . words fail me . . . more than delicious. Way more. Even the package was a work of art.

You've set the bar very high! I'll be baking on Sunday, and mailing on Monday.
posted by kbar1 at 7:40 PM on December 14, 2012

I baked last night! Some tasty soft molasses cookies which I'm hoping will travel well. I'm sending them out shortly :)
posted by kthxbi at 9:32 AM on December 15, 2012

jvilter's cookies arrived yesterday! Thanks so much - they are flavors I really enjoy.

I baked yesterday and will mail today. I am right in the middle of a kitchen remodel so I schlepped all my baking stuff to my neighbor's to borrow his oven, but it is done!
posted by illenion at 9:51 AM on December 15, 2012

I am baking Sunday and mailing tomorrow. I am excited to send my cookies into the wild to be eaten! :)
posted by k8lin at 12:31 PM on December 15, 2012

Cookies were baked this morning and mailed just after noon. They should be arriving on doorsteps Monday.

Yay for cookies!
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:33 PM on December 15, 2012

I have cookies from maryr!

I had to run errands north of Boston anyways today, so I hand delivered the other two sets of cookies and left a batch for maryr.

COOKIETASTIC HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

I used Bittman's shortbread cookie recipe.
posted by rmd1023 at 2:18 PM on December 15, 2012

OMG I got cookies from donajo. I highly recommend being in her swap group. They are the cookie ideal: soft, spicy, sugary, delicious. I have never seen such perfect cookies as these, seriously. I am in awe of her baking and wrapping talent.

As a bonus, they were packed in actual edible popcorn, which I have shared with the squirrels and birds in the backyard, and they are as grateful as I am.

My cookies will be baked tomorrow and mailed Monday.
posted by caryatid at 4:04 PM on December 15, 2012

I delivered cookies to rmd1023 as noted above and to xingcat. I learned that some of the complaints about the lack of street signs in my town are warranted and that I do NOT like to drive in xingcat's town. the last pakage will be mailed Monday.

I had baking... difficulties. Not disasters - although I suppose my swap will be the judge of that. But I ended up making three batches of cookies because batch #2's recipe turned out to be wrong.

I would like to hear more about the delicious cookies people have received. I will comment on rmd1023's shortbread as soon as I remember where I put it... So many errands.
posted by maryr at 8:05 PM on December 15, 2012

illenion, I am glad that you have received and enjoyed the cookies. Extra kudos with frosting on top for going above and beyond to do holiday baking without a kitchen of your own. I will report back here when I receive your package.
posted by jvilter at 1:16 AM on December 16, 2012

Thank you, kbar1! I'm so glad you enjoyed the cookies, I had a lot of fun making them. I meant to divvy up the remaining brownies but forgot. (Really! I do not need 1-1/2 6/8 of a tray of brownies sitting around.)

You got the fanciest box because you had the shortest address and it fit on the label, but I tried to make the others slightly interesting, too.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:17 AM on December 16, 2012

To my own (mostly in Brooklyn) swapmates - they were sent yesterday afternoon. They're also a little fragile (the cookies tended to be on the soft and cakey side), so apologies if any arrive split in half or something similar.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:48 AM on December 16, 2012

I got snickerdoodles!!! from Marinara. They are amazing.

I am beginning to think my swap group comprises three professional cookie bakers/packers and myself, and I am getting performance anxiety while the eggs come to room temperature.
posted by caryatid at 2:27 PM on December 16, 2012

I mailed all mine out on Thursday morning, but then left town (post office stop on the way to the airport). I hope I'll come home to a cookie bounty.
posted by janell at 7:45 PM on December 16, 2012

Posted! I even braved my local post office, run by a giant jerk who has on any number of occasions screwed me or my partner over (returned mail-to-be-signed for early, giving me wrong advice, yelling at me for coming in ten minutes before close). But, miracles of the season, he was nice (apart from yelling at me to get my card fixed, which dude, I fucking know alright, I'm the one reswiping continually) and gave my daughter a lolly.

I'm still on the fence about one of the things I included (yeah, I went overboard) so I'll be interested to get feedback!
posted by geek anachronism at 10:43 PM on December 16, 2012

I've mailed my cookies this morning, so hopefully my swap-mates will get them in the next day or two.
posted by alynnk at 6:49 AM on December 17, 2012

My bacon-bourbon scones will be going out this evening, and I'm so glad my entire group is open to boozy, meaty, non-cookie baked goods in a cookie swap.

Can't wait to see what I get in return!
posted by owtytrof at 7:35 AM on December 17, 2012

Kimbot's cookies and brownies look absolutely delicious. Even before tasting them I know I am well and truly outclassed.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:38 AM on December 17, 2012

Mailed a box to my remaining swapmate this morning. Got complimented on the packaging at the post office. Penguin duct tape.
posted by maryr at 8:04 AM on December 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

OMGWTFBBQ you guys!

So, I have lots of tasty cookie recipes that are well-loved and tried and proven. My Spumoni icebox cookie recipe was ready to go. I have spritz cookie extracts and figs for fig crescents and a new recipe for white chocolate shortbread topped with nuts and fruit that made my mouth water. And it is a well-established fact that, despite tasting delicious, my traditional Christmas sugar cookies, every year, always seem to end up looking like a somnambulistic pre-schooler on Heisenberg's best blue meth decorated them.

So, naturally, I went for the sugar cookies.

BUT! This year, I had a NEW plan, I swear! I baked them ahead of time, on chilled cookie sheets, so I'd have lots of time for the decorating stage. I bought new Simon's Cat cookie cutters, for the added Cute Kitty on the Internet factor. I had a plethora of frosting and glaze recipes, melted chocolate and candies. I had candy decorating licorice for whiskers. I even had candy googly eyes.

They. Are. So. Ugly. I. Can't. Even.

I used the leftover scraps of cookie dough to make a snowman, and he was on the same parchment paper as the Ugly Cat Cookies. This is how ugly they were: I constructed a noose out of the candy decorating licorice for the snowman, to put him out of his misery.

And I have already gotten the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from my swapmate, I'm_doing_the_dishes, and they're delicious. I can't send out rabid cat cookies in return!

So, I scrapped them, and I'm baking a batch of better, stronger, faster bionic cookies worthy of the Metafilter crowd. They may have to go out in tomorrow's mail if I don't have time to cool them properly before I package them up, though.

I'm sorry to flake on you guys and be a day late like that, but seriously, these are hella ugly cat cookies, I'm not even kidding.
posted by misha at 9:19 AM on December 17, 2012 [2 favorites]

I'm sorry, but you know the rules. No mentioning you cat cookie cutters or ugly cat cookies without posting a picture.
posted by maryr at 9:36 AM on December 17, 2012 [2 favorites]

WANT ugly cat cookies.

I mailed mine this morning. The man at the post office was absolutely charming. He warned me to keep my voice down about the contents because his coworker is a cookie monster. I <3 the USPS.

Also, since I was feeling outclassed by donajo's and marinara's mad cookie skillz, I enclosed a little something extra that contains a small amount of Tullamore Dew.
posted by caryatid at 9:49 AM on December 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

Yeah, donajo's cookies are amazing, and the little box, and the popcorn. I'm so glad you guys liked your snickerdoodles. I have the next few days off work and am now anxiously awaiting stalking the mailman.
posted by Marinara at 9:55 AM on December 17, 2012

Everyone wants ugly cat cookies! Especially with googly eyes.

(I am sending out one cat-shaped cookie each, actually. They were sort of a pain, so the others are stars or circles or rectangles.)

Also, will there be a repository of recipes used? Some of the swap groups that aren't mine sound very yummy.
posted by jeather at 9:58 AM on December 17, 2012

Marinara, did you end up making the cookies I linked?
posted by maryr at 10:52 AM on December 17, 2012

Sent cookies today!
posted by bjgeiger at 11:28 AM on December 17, 2012

Credit for my cookies goes, naturally, to Martha. And they are dead-simple too, y'all. My only modification to that recipe is to chill the dough before baking. My sister makes them with brown sugar instead of white sugar for extra molasses-y goodness, but I always forget to do that until it's too late.
posted by donajo at 11:36 AM on December 17, 2012

Maryr, no, I made those for myself and they were delicious. I made some non-pumpkin snickerdoodles to send out because I hadn't made pumpkin snickerdoodles before. Next cookie swap though, they're going out.
posted by Marinara at 11:49 AM on December 17, 2012

Hmm, I hope my swapmates did not send cookies to me yet; it turns out that the post office wasn't delivering mail to my mailbox for some reason. It's straightened out now, but.... :\

In other news, I sent mine out this morning.
posted by k8lin at 12:46 PM on December 17, 2012

I just sent mine. The line at the post office has been ridiculous all day, and I was trying to wait it out, but it won. I ended up sending an assortment, as trying to get my cookies to a cookie swap (where they won a prize!) this weekend reinforced my skepticism about their mailability. So everybody in my group has one of my cookies, and a selection of other delicious, homemade, sturdier cookies. It was struggle giving up the peanut butter blossoms, but for MeFites, I'll make the sacrifice.
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:04 PM on December 17, 2012

The cookies have left the building!
posted by SLC Mom at 1:48 PM on December 17, 2012

I just mailed out 3 bags of boozy pecan sandies (tip: use at least double the asked-for quantity of bourbon). The remainder of the giant double batch sits on my counter taunting me with its deliciousness.
posted by spitefulcrow at 3:28 PM on December 17, 2012

I got some hand delivered cookies from our 2 square mile upper west side group including some yummy something from kimdog. Recipe please kimdog!
posted by shothotbot at 8:40 PM on December 17, 2012

YUWTZE MAKES BIG COOKIES!



and by big I mean delicious -- and BIG.
posted by probably not that Karen Blair at 7:48 AM on December 18, 2012

Brandy Balls from Hardcore Poser arrived this afternoon.. and I dare not try them before I head off to work in a few minutes. Will have to wait for this evening. (OH, THE HUMANITY.) Also, that was some genius packaging! Wheeee! Thank you!!
posted by VioletU at 10:02 AM on December 18, 2012

i made ginger molasses chocolate chip cookies! excited to try some new cookies. thanks for making this happen!
posted by anya32 at 11:19 AM on December 18, 2012

I received almond biscotti and a little something extra from illenion yesterday. So far, the biscotti have proven to be delicious! We have not tried the yokan yet, but are looking forward to it, as we all like red bean paste here.
Thanks again, and happy days to you!

PS I would like to see pictures of ugly cat cookies please!
posted by jvilter at 1:22 PM on December 18, 2012

Here are my offerings this year: Caramel Heavenlies. I am a southern girl, so there must always be some processed food in the ingredient list. In this case it's marshmallows and graham crackers.

And I've got one more package to deliver!
posted by kimdog at 2:00 PM on December 18, 2012 [1 favorite]

miss-lapin, doreur, SpaceWarp13 and I met up for drinks and food and cookie swap goodness tonight! Now I have so. many. cookies. That will not be the case in a few days.
posted by gaspode at 8:12 PM on December 18, 2012

Aww, thanks, Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish!

I just got home tonight after a 28-hour-long adventure of cancelled flights to find some awesome cookies from Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish waiting on my doorstep. It totally made my evening, so thanks!!
posted by kimbot at 8:22 PM on December 18, 2012