We have a few traditions in our family and one that I’ve been carrying on over the last 4 years is a Cookie Exchange. I was so excited for our Cookie Exchange this year because I haven’t had a chance to visit with many people lately. Some girl time was definitely in order!
So the weekend before last, the girls got together for our annual Cookie Exchange and this year, I did all of the shopping at Aldi. You wouldn’t believe the great prices I found not only for the party food, but for my baking supplies too! If you haven’t stepped inside an Aldi store yet, I highly recommend doing so – now! They have lower prices than the regular grocery store on just about everything and their products are still high quality!
I bought three different kind of block cheese and cut one into slices, the other two into bite size chunks. Then I sliced some Summer Sausage and cut another one into chunks. I layered Pepperjack and Cheddar Cheeses with Summer Sausage on toothpicks, then set the sliced cheese around a container of Port Wine Cheese. I made an amazing Bacon Ranch Cheeseball {which I’ve shared the recipe for below} and added three different type of crackers to finish it off. A few bottles of wine and we were in for a delicious spread!
Aldi was quite generous and sent a small gift certificate, recipe book and holiday catalog for each of my guests, so I laid that all out on the cookie table so everyone could grab one along with their cookies.
Once the guests arrived, it was time to indulge in all of the deliciousness. We ate, drank and decorated sugar cookies. The girls thought the wine was delicious and even my MIL had a glass, though she usually doesn’t drink. When I told them each bottle was under $3, they couldn’t believe it!
My soon to be sister in law was just loving the recipe book and was excited to try some of the recipes. My Bacon Ranch Cheeseball was a huge hit and I had to promise everyone that I’d make another for our Christmas Eve gathering. If only they knew how easy it was!
We oohed an ahhed at all of the creative cookies. My sister nailed it with her Melting Snowman cookies. They turned out adorable!
My mother in law painted spoons and dipped them in chocolate for a cute little embellishment on her cookie bags.
I set out all sorts of sprinkles and we decorated a few dozen sugar cookies – and ate a few in between! I swear, I love our “girl time” when we get all silly! I think the wine might have helped just a little 😉
Here’s my sister with her creativity again. She made a wreath with holly on her sugar cookie – adorable!
Our Cookie Exchange was so much fun and we’re all excited for next year’s already! I can’t believe I pulled it all off for under $100 – unbelievable! I’m definitely stopping at Aldi again before Christmas Eve so I can can some more wine and the ingredients for my Bacon Ranch Cheeseball!
You can check out Aldi’s Happier Holidays Recipe Book online for some great ideas for your holiday festivities!
Ingredients:
- 2 – 8 oz packages Cream Cheese (softened)
- 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 cup Bacon Bits
- 1 package dry Ranch Dressing/Dip mix
