Jen Fought's 3rd Cookie Exchange
Ligonier, Indiana


This was my 3rd annual exchange and we decided to make it a candy exchange for something different.

I had 11 people attend and one who sent their treats from afar:

  • peanut butter fudge

  • mint truffles

  • snickers fudge

  • peppermint brittle

  • toffee candy

  • haystacks

  • Pecan toffee candy

  • Chocolate covered cherry's

  • Orange Chocolate balls

  • Coconut Treasures

  • Peanut Delights

To start the evening we had baked potato soup with various toppings(bacon bits, sour cream, cheese and green onions) along with warm cheddar breadsticks.

We did a craft this year. I had all the stuff to make a sock snowman laid out. Everyone had a blast and had a great keepsake to take home.

Each guest brought a wrapped ornament that was under $5 and we played the right left game to exchange them.

We also played a game where you had to match each Christmas song to the correct picture and then we did a game where there were pairs. The pair had to hold hands side by side then they could only use their outside hand to wrap a present as a team. The quickest and best present won.

I also had prizes for best holiday slippers (which went to my mother for gluing on Christmas trees and bows to hers) most festive candy, best display and most ingredients.

For a display, my mother made a whole panorama of a living room on Christmas eve, complete with fireplace and a tree with working lights and then put her candy's in santa like bags on the 'roof' by the chimney.

I used a foam cone and stuck my round mint truffles on toothpicks and drizzled each candy with green(except the top one was yellow for the star) so it looked like a Christmas tree.

Each guest also brought a canned good to donate to our local food pantry.

Here is my poem for the invitation:

‘Tis the season once again,

To get out the recipes and let the search begin.

Find your apron and candy mold,

To win this year you better be bold!

Fudge, truffles, and petit fours,

Candy’s the theme and they better be yours.

No “Fannie Mae” or “Hershey’s’” shall there be,

Only your homemade confections for all to see.

So put down that crying kid and head for the door,

Escape to my house for games, prizes, and candy galore!