Eat and greet

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/12/2025 (271 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The next dozen issues of the Free Press are going to be high in sugar content and sentimentality.

Our annual Homemade Holidays series kicks off Tuesday and features 12 festive dessert recipes published over 12 days. The goal is to highlight family traditions, while providing readers with inspiration for their own holiday baking adventures.

Past editions have included vintage treats from the Free Press’s archives, reader-submitted recipes and staff favourites.

This year’s batch showcases the connective power of cookies.

Last month, we invited a group of subscribers, patrons and home-baking enthusiasts to the Free Press newsroom on Mountain Avenue for a community cookie swap. A delightfully wholesome morning of sharing stories and sweets ensued.

Cookie swaps were once a popular way for bakers, largely women, to gather and exchange goodies ahead of the holidays. The treats might be regifted in cookie tins, served to holiday visitors or simply enjoyed by their recipients.

If you’ve never attended a cookie swap it’s likely because the practice has waned in recent decades (a Free Press column from 1987 described the practice as “old-fashioned”). This was my first cookie swap experience and I hope it won’t be my last.

The rules are simple: guests make a big batch of their favourite holiday cookie — the exact number will depend on the number of people in attendance — and dole out a few morsels to fellow partygoers. At the end of the event, everyone leaves with a mixed box of treats and their respective recipes.

When we put the call out for recipe submissions we had one additional stipulation: no shortbread or sugar cookies, please.

While those holiday standards are classics for a reason, we wanted to highlight lesser-known festive desserts. And boy, did participants deliver.

Find a preview of this year’s Homemade Holiday series in the accomanying sidebar. I hope you enjoy the recipes, as well as the heartwarming stories behind them.

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