Comments on: Cookie swap

Cookie swap

shothotbot — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 20:38:48 -0800

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

By: SLC Mom

SLC Mom — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 20:59:19 -0800

No pot. Ok. But is alcohol alright? I'm in if I can send rum balls.

By: hippybear

hippybear — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:09:01 -0800

Oh, all those poor castrated rums....

By: topoisomerase

topoisomerase — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:15:22 -0800

Is it okay to send something like a quickbread, or is it legitimately cookies-only?

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 04:47:19 -0800

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]

By: k8lin

k8lin — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 05:08:42 -0800

This is so exciting! I love to bake, and never have anyone to share with - hooray!

By: Kitteh

Kitteh — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 05:51:41 -0800

I'm in!

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 06:20:25 -0800

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

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 06:44:30 -0800

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.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 06:52:40 -0800

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.

By: cooker girl

cooker girl — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 07:02:02 -0800

I'm in! Woo-hoo!

By: gaspode

gaspode — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 07:10:25 -0800

I'm in!

By: Room 641-A

Room 641-A — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 07:18:01 -0800

Count me in!

By: Defying Gravity

Defying Gravity — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 07:20:32 -0800

If anyone from Australia is interested, I'm totally down for it!

By: donajo

donajo — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 07:37:03 -0800

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

By: xingcat

xingcat — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:27:21 -0800

Do we MeMail you our addresses at this time?

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:33:14 -0800

Do we MeMail you our addresses at this time?

Anytime between now and December 9

By: brilliantine

brilliantine — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:35:36 -0800

I'm trying to find everything possible to avoid working on my thesis, so I'm in too!

By: ricochet biscuit

ricochet biscuit — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:54:06 -0800

I have a brand new kitchen mixer and suddenly make cookies aplenty anyway: I am happy to share my bounty with fellow Canadian mefites.

By: Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish

Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:12:49 -0800

I have a stand mixer, a bag of Andes mint chips and too much free time. Bring it on.

By: janell

janell — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:00:35 -0800

I'm in!

By: arcticseal

arcticseal — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:12:23 -0800

I'm in, if no other Canadians pop in, then rb and I can send each other 18 cookies.

By: whowearsthepants

whowearsthepants — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:24:58 -0800

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.

By: k8lin

k8lin — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:04:49 -0800

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.

By: Greg Nog

Greg Nog — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:12:24 -0800

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.

By: firei

firei — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:59:54 -0800

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.

By: exceptinsects

exceptinsects — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:16:12 -0800

I'm in too!

By: alynnk

alynnk — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:21:16 -0800

Definitely in!

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:45:34 -0800

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?

By: Saminal

Saminal — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:04:59 -0800

So in! And am looking forward to all the related "Can I still eat these" askmes.

By: newpotato

newpotato — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:17:43 -0800

I will be in this year- I just ordered a bunch of new cookie cutters!

By: jeather

jeather — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:48:16 -0800

Oh, I'm in (Canada). Now I'll be forced to try lots of cookie recipes to choose the One Best Cookie. Poor me.

By: jvilter

jvilter — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:11:51 -0800

I'd like to play along.

By: Cheese Monster

Cheese Monster — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:50:49 -0800

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.

By: dorey_oh

dorey_oh — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:39:15 -0800

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

By: misha

misha — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:27:35 -0800

I'm in, too!

By: Hardcore Poser

Hardcore Poser — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:59:14 -0800

Postcards, CDs, Quonsmas Presents, and now treats? MeFi you are too kind. Another Canadian in.

By: aubilenon

aubilenon — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:41 -0800

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.

By: cooker girl

cooker girl — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:44:00 -0800

Damn. I had this new Poison Oak Double Chocolate Chip recipe I was dying to try.

By: Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish

Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:47:17 -0800

Hemlock's still okay, right?

By: maryr

maryr — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:53:29 -0800

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.

By: VioletU

VioletU — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 09:35:06 -0800

Another Canadian signing up! Whoooohooo!

By: SpaceWarp13

SpaceWarp13 — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:17:48 -0800

I'd like to participate. The hard part is going to be picking a cookie though...

By: kenko

kenko — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:58:40 -0800

I'm in.

By: jeather

jeather — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 11:06:38 -0800

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.

By: owtytrof

owtytrof — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:23:55 -0800

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.

By: maryr

maryr — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:35:18 -0800

owtytrof, I would probably prefer scones.

By: EvaDestruction

EvaDestruction — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:11:01 -0800

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.

By: owtytrof

owtytrof — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:44:40 -0800

Well, then, looks like I'm going to do this thing.

By: ausdemfenster

ausdemfenster — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:16:43 -0800

Yes yes yes yes absolutely, this is the best part of the holiday season!

By: windykites

windykites — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:12:39 -0800

Another Canuck here joining in the fun!

By: windykites

windykites — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:16:57 -0800

What information should I include in my memail?

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:32:48 -0800

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.

By: jadepearl

jadepearl — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 05:57:10 -0800

I am in, and get to use the farm animal cutters that a fellow Mefite sent me.

By: windykites

windykites — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 07:04:00 -0800

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

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 07:53:27 -0800

So far 50 sign-ups!

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 07:53:52 -0800

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

Done and done.

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 11:09:06 -0800

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.

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 11:16:10 -0800

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.

By: EvaDestruction

EvaDestruction — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 11:22:54 -0800

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.

By: geek anachronism

geek anachronism — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 20:39:13 -0800

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.

By: bjgeiger

bjgeiger — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 08:52:18 -0800

Texas is in!

By: icanbreathe

icanbreathe — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 10:27:27 -0800

I'm in!

By: candyland

candyland — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 18:31:28 -0800

I'm in!

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 20:52:50 -0800

One more entrant from DC and we can make an all DC group! Also, looks like we have three Australians. Anyone on the fence?

By: youcancallmeal

youcancallmeal — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 14:15:41 -0800

Would a gluten-free cookie group be doable? I'd love the chance to try a new recipe can't eat the wheat. :(

By: ancillary

ancillary — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:04:05 -0800

In like Flynn

By: spitefulcrow

spitefulcrow — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:18:32 -0800

Suddenly glad I checked MeTa today. In!

By: Red Loop

Red Loop — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:52:19 -0800

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.

By: kellybird

kellybird — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 19:53:29 -0800

Count me innnn!!!! Bostonian signing up. : )

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:37:33 -0800

Any Europeans want to join in the fun? We have one request so far...

By: miss-lapin

miss-lapin — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:02:20 -0800

I am so in. My biggest problem is now figuring out which cookies I want to make.

By: rmd1023

rmd1023 — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 05:59:17 -0800

nom nom nom cookies. I'm in!

By: the man of twists and turns

the man of twists and turns — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 12:21:44 -0800

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.

By: icaicaer

icaicaer — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 20:57:52 -0800

I'm in!

By: Rabarberofficer

Rabarberofficer — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 02:27:20 -0800

I'm in. Hoping for an European edition.

By: Marinara

Marinara — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:20:40 -0800

In! Hoping for snickerdoodles.

By: nanhey

nanhey — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:35:37 -0800

I'm in!

By: mjcon

mjcon — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:46:51 -0800

I'm in!

By: jferg

jferg — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:43:40 -0800

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

I'm in!

By: maryr

maryr — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 09:32:18 -0800

Marinara, I'll just leave this here for you...

By: FlyingMonkey

FlyingMonkey — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 11:32:01 -0800

somehow just saw this (probably because i somehow haven't logged in in a couple months). What the hell, I'm in from Pittsburgh.

By: computech_apolloniajames

computech_apolloniajames — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 20:49:10 -0800

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.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 04:52:09 -0800

Are we going to get our mailing lists soon? I recall that it'd be about this time...

By: Room 641-A

Room 641-A — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 12:05:00 -0800

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.

By: royalsong

royalsong — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 12:32:21 -0800

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

Beware the newest food network magazine.

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 15:12:56 -0800

Emails going out tonight / tomorrow morning. Remember deadline to send cookies is Monday the 17th

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 19:38:07 -0800

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.

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:25:22 -0800

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!

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:56:10 -0800

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?

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:02:06 -0800

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

By: honey badger

honey badger — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 19:19:31 -0800

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?

By: jeather

jeather — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 19:34:55 -0800

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.

By: Room 641-A

Room 641-A — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:22:43 -0800

I baked my cookies this morning and they are on their way. I sent them Priority, so hopefully they will arrive on on Friday!

By: rmd1023

rmd1023 — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:00:08 -0800

I'll be baking tomorrow or Friday evening and plan to mail them Saturday.

By: firei

firei — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:35:59 -0800

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!

By: maryr

maryr — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:43:23 -0800

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.

By: donajo

donajo — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:31:12 -0800

Marinara, I am eating your delicious snickerdoodles now. Om nom and thanks!

By: jferg

jferg — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:01:03 -0800

Mine went out priority mail yesterday, so probably Saturday delivery.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:15:22 -0800

baking tonight, mailing tomorrow, adding a lagniappe because deal with it.

By: maryr

maryr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:53:32 -0800

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.

By: kbar1

kbar1 — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:40:31 -0800

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.

By: kthxbi

kthxbi — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 09:32:44 -0800

I baked last night! Some tasty soft molasses cookies which I'm hoping will travel well. I'm sending them out shortly :)

By: illenion

illenion — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 09:51:37 -0800

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!

By: k8lin

k8lin — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 12:31:14 -0800

I am baking Sunday and mailing tomorrow. I am excited to send my cookies into the wild to be eaten! :)

By: Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish

Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 13:33:20 -0800

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

Yay for cookies!

By: rmd1023

rmd1023 — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 14:18:43 -0800

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.

By: caryatid

caryatid — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 16:04:49 -0800

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.

By: maryr

maryr — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 20:05:52 -0800

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.

By: jvilter

jvilter — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 01:16:12 -0800

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.

By: Room 641-A

Room 641-A — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 08:17:00 -0800

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.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 08:48:18 -0800

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.

By: caryatid

caryatid — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 14:27:37 -0800

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.

By: janell

janell — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 19:45:57 -0800

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.

By: geek anachronism

geek anachronism — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 22:43:52 -0800

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!

By: alynnk

alynnk — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 06:49:33 -0800

I've mailed my cookies this morning, so hopefully my swap-mates will get them in the next day or two.

By: owtytrof

owtytrof — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 07:35:09 -0800

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!

By: Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish

Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 07:38:34 -0800

Kimbot's cookies and brownies look absolutely delicious. Even before tasting them I know I am well and truly outclassed.

By: maryr

maryr — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 08:04:36 -0800

Mailed a box to my remaining swapmate this morning. Got complimented on the packaging at the post office. Penguin duct tape.

By: misha

misha — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:19:47 -0800

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.

By: maryr

maryr — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:36:30 -0800

I'm sorry, but you know the rules. No mentioning you cat cookie cutters or ugly cat cookies without posting a picture.

By: caryatid

caryatid — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:49:21 -0800

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.

By: Marinara

Marinara — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:55:30 -0800

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.

By: jeather

jeather — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:58:11 -0800

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.

By: maryr

maryr — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 10:52:48 -0800

Marinara, did you end up making the cookies I linked?

By: bjgeiger

bjgeiger — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:28:44 -0800

Sent cookies today!

By: donajo

donajo — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:36:44 -0800

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.

By: Marinara

Marinara — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:49:38 -0800

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.

By: k8lin

k8lin — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:46:25 -0800

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.

By: EvaDestruction

EvaDestruction — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:04:24 -0800

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.

By: SLC Mom

SLC Mom — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:48:52 -0800

The cookies have left the building!

By: spitefulcrow

spitefulcrow — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:28:12 -0800

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.

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 20:40:22 -0800

I got some hand delivered cookies from our 2 square mile upper west side group including some yummy something from kimdog. Recipe please kimdog!

By: probably not that Karen Blair

probably not that Karen Blair — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 07:48:19 -0800

YUWTZE MAKES BIG COOKIES!

and by big I mean delicious -- and BIG.

By: VioletU

VioletU — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 10:02:54 -0800

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!!

By: anya32

anya32 — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 11:19:58 -0800

i made ginger molasses chocolate chip cookies! excited to try some new cookies. thanks for making this happen!

By: jvilter

jvilter — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:22:26 -0800

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!

By: kimdog

kimdog — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:00:02 -0800

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!

By: gaspode

gaspode — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:12:23 -0800

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.

By: kimbot

kimbot — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:22:19 -0800

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!!