Issues → November/December 2007 → Food →
Christmas Cookie Exchange: 25 Years Later
Recipes from the best of Wellesley's cookie bakers
by Edie Clark
Sometime around Thanksgiving, Mary Bevilacqua starts thinking about the Exchange. She decides whom she'll invite and sends out invitations. She makes up the menu for the meal, and then, most important, she wonders what the cookie will be this year: Lemon snowballs? Nutmeg logs? Chocolate-peppermint bars?
The Wellesley Cookie Exchange has been part of Mary's life for the past 36 years. She got the idea from an article she read in an old Family Circle magazine about a woman who, every Christmas, invited friends over for a cookie swap. She and a friend, Laurel Gabel, started looking for new ideas. "We just went with it," Mary says, sitting in her same house, in her same living room where, during one mid-December gathering -- for brunch, lunch, tea, or dinner -- each year, Christmas cookie mayhem breaks out.
The living room fills with trays and platters and cake stands covered in butter horns, gingerbread boys, and fragrant crescents -- every conceivable round, bar, or log dusted, laced, sparkled, twisted, crisscrossed, or snowflaked. And for those few winter hours, they're the sole focus for some 40 or so women, gaga over cookies.
"Everyone brings a few dozen cookies from their new favorite recipes, and they pass them around, and everyone takes enough so that when they leave, they have a great new assortment, plus a lot of new recipes," Mary explains. "In one fun afternoon or evening, we've done our Christmas baking." Mary often arranges a variety of cookies on pretty plates, stashes them in the freezer, and when the doorbell rings, she's ready to entertain throughout the season.
As the years passed, Laurel moved away, Mary's four children grew up, and Mary retired from her nursing career. But no matter what, at Christmas, like a regular heartbeat, the Exchange took place. At the appointed time, through snowstorms or across icy walks, friends bearing this year's recipes and the yields of their morning bakefests made their way to Mary's door. And over the years, her Christmas cookie recipe file has bulged beyond reason and her reputation has spread: Mary is the undisputed Wellesley cookie guru.
"That's our holiday tradition," Mary's daughter Kristen Weiss says. "Once the Christmas season begins, it's time for the cookie exchange." She and her sister, Ann Flanigan, who are both raising families of their own now in Wellesley, grew up with the Exchange, and both host their own exchanges now, though their favorite cookies sound a bit more contemporary: chocolate rads, for instance.
They've learned a lot from their mom -- good advice such as "Always bake extras -- someone's bound to have a disaster." Could be a burned batch, a tinful dropped in the driveway, or a sneak attack by a hungry teenager who couldn't resist. Mary long ago figured out how to squelch such a possibility in her own house: She locks the cookies in the trunk of her car until the Exchange party begins.
With the cookies come the stories. "While we pass them around, everyone gets the chance to tell the story of their cookies," Mary says. "Whether it's where she got the recipe or what she forgot to put in when she made them, there's always a story." Her favorite? "Lemon-coconut meltaways. Oooh, they really do!"
NOTE: 25 years ago, Yankee wrote about the Wellesley Cookie Exchange and included an offer at the end of the article: Readers could send in a self-addressed, stamped envelope and in return we sent them the cookie recipes. Our office was so swamped with replies that we had to hire extra help to stuff the thousands of envelopes that poured in. We don't want to risk that again, so we're asking you to go to wellesleycookieexchange.com to order "Cookie Exchange Favorites: A Wellesley Tradition," Kristen and Ann's new Christmas cookie cookbook.
Get tips for starting your own holiday cookie swap and find additional cookie recipes from Yankee readers -- just right for your own exchange.
Lemon-Coconut Meltaways
Cookies and Bars Recipes
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 5 hours
Yield: about 64 cookies
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1-1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted and cooled
- Confectioners' sugar
In the bowl of a standing or electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in lemon zest and extracts. Add flour and salt and beat well. Stir in coconut.
Cut dough in half and place each half on a sheet of waxed paper. Form each half into an 8-inch log. Wrap each log in waxed paper and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 300 degrees. Cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices with a sharp knife, and arrange 2 inches apart on lightly buttered baking sheets. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until pale golden.
Transfer cookies to racks and sprinkle generously with confectioners� sugar. Let cool and dust lightly with more confectioners� sugar.
Reviews by Readers
Excellent, melt in your mouth cookies! I took them to the polls on 11/6 and shared them with the other election Officers. Boy, did they love them! – Anonymous Review
Find Similar Recipes
- By Category
- By Course
- By Preparation Method
Gingerbread Boys
Cookies and Bars Recipes
Preparation Time: 60 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 25.5 hours
Yield: about 4 dozen cookies
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 3 cups flour
- 1 egg white
- 1tablespoon cold water
- Candied fruit or nuts (optional)
- Butter Frosting
In the bowl of a standing or electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg and beat well. Dissolve soda in milk and add to batter. Sift together ginger, cinnamon, salt, and flour, and add to batter, mixing thoroughly. Chill dough at least 24 hours.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 350 degrees. Roll dough out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into gingerbread boy shapes. Whip egg white with a tablespoon of cold water and use a soft-bristled pastry brush to glaze cutouts, giving cookies a shiny surface and covering imperfections. Press candied fruit or nuts on cookies for eyes or noses, as desired.
Arrange cookies on a baking sheet and bake 6 to 8 minutes or longer, until firm but not too brown. Cool on racks until room temperature. Frost and decorate as you like.
Butter Frosting
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg yolk (or substitute 3 tablespoons Egg Beaters)
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- Vanilla extract or other flavoring
- Food coloring (optional)
In the bowl of a standing or electric mixer, cream butter and egg yolk until smooth. Stir in confectioners' sugar and flavoring. Add some food coloring if desired.
Find Similar Recipes
- By Category
- By Course
- By Preparation Method
Almond Crescent Cookies
Cookies and Bars Recipes
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 30 to 36 cookies
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 cup chopped blanched almonds
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 325 degrees. In the bowl of a standing or electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in extracts, flour, and salt. Stir in almonds.
Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into 2-inch ropes and lay them on lightly greased cookie sheets. Shape each rope into a crescent. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Find Similar Recipes
- By Category
- By Course
- By Preparation Method
Pistachio-Cranberry Icebox Cookies
Cookies and Bars Recipes
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 2.75 hours
Yield: 2-1/2 dozen cookies
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
- 1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup coarse decorative sugar
Mix together flour, cinnamon, and salt. In the bowl of a standing or electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and zest until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture until dough comes together in clumps. Add pistachios and cranberries.
Gather and press dough together. Cut dough in half and place each half on a sheet of waxed paper. Form each half into a log about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Square off each log to form a bar (pressing two rulers along the length of the dough is helpful), and wrap each bar in waxed paper. Chill until very firm, at least 2 hours.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 350°. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, beat egg. Brush egg over logs on all sides. Place coarse sugar on a separate sheet of waxed paper. Roll bars in sugar, coating well. Cut each bar crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, rotating bar after cutting each slice to keep square shape. (If dough is too soft to slice, freeze briefly until firm.)
Arrange cookies about 1/2 inch apart on lined baking sheets. Bake 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies from parchment to racks and cool completely.
Reviews by Readers
These cookies taste great and look equally good on a cookie tray. The dried cranberries add a whole new dimension. – Anonymous Review
This recipe turned out to be the surprise favorite of our Christmas cookie baking. However, we will have to call it "Pistachio-Dried Cherry" icebox cookies since I had the dried cherries and the chopped pistachios in the kitchen when I read the recipe. I also substituted McCormick's dried orange peel since that is always in my pantry. I rolled the logs in red and green colored sugar crystals after brushing with the egg whites. However, next time I'll just use the coarse white or natural sugar. I placed the cookies in a tin with waxed paper between each layer, and froze them until needed. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you. – Anonymous Review
Find Similar Recipes
- By Category
- By Course
- By Preparation Method
Chocolate-Peppermint Bars
Cookies and Bars Recipes
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 32 bars
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup coarsely crushed hard peppermint candies (about 1/4 pound)
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 375 degrees. Line a 13-by-9-inch metal baking pan with one sheet of foil, allowing 2 inches of foil to hang over each end of pan. Butter foil (except overhang).
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. In the bowl of a standing or electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and candy.
Spread dough evenly in pan and bake until puffed and beginning to pull away from sides of pan, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack. Then, lifting with foil ends, transfer to a cutting board. Cut into bars (about 21/4 by 1/2 inch each) and lift them off foil with a spatula.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
Find Similar Recipes
- By Category
- By Course
- By Preparation Method
Reader Comments
Registered users can add comments.
Registration is free, and just takes a moment.
Login or Register.