Even if you can't attend the scheduled swaps that you see now, Please join anyway if you have interest in participating in the future! We need to know what the interest level in the area is, so we'll be better prepared in the future! Also, if you join us now, you can put in your two cents about when and where and how often we should meet!
Hi! Sy here, and I'm a food fanatic, especially about cookies and cupcakes! I was surprised to see that there aren't any baking related meetup groups in Olympia at all! Well, that changes now! Cue the Olympia Cupcake and Cookie Swap Group!
We are a group of home bakers who love to create delicious *quality* cookies and cupcakes, and who'd love to get together several times a year to swap them around and get a variety, Christmas Cookie Swap-style! In general, we like to avoid Trans fats in our goodies. (Margarine, Crisco, etc.) Sweets and treats can't really be considered "health food", but at least we can do that much for our bodies. =)
The way it works is you make 24-48 cupcakes AND/OR two to four dozen cookies, frost and/or decorate them nicely, and bring them to the swap! Then you swap them around, and leave with 24-48 cupcakes of different types! Cupcakes swap with cupcakes, and cookies swap with cookies, unless specially discussed with the baker you want to swap with, at the swap table. When you sign up and RSVP, please note what you're bringing (Cupcakes or Cookies or a mix)!
RULES and things to know:
Make your delicious creations from scratch! (With one exception)
-Cake mixes are allowed, but you are encouraged to try to make your own cake from scratch, IF that's something you've always wanted to try! Be adventurous! One of the best types of from-scratch cake recipes for cupcakes is "Chiffon Cake". It bakes up very similar to cake mix texture, and is delicious! *Don't try to make cake from scratch for the first time, and bring the result to the swap - Try it out ahead of time! =)
Commercial Frosting from tubs you buy at the store are not allowed (Gobs of trans fats in those!) Nor are cookie mixes of the commercially created variety. If you have a specialty mix from a small-time artisan and it's *fresh*, you can use those types. Please don't use (for example) a Betty Crocker "Sugar Cookie" mix from the store.
(Note to first time frosting makers: Using off-brand powdered sugar or margarine instead of real butter will make your frosting less awesome than it could be. C&H and real butter all the way! It makes a huge difference.) *If you don't like to bake the best, this group is not for you! ^_^
You can theme your cupcakes or cookies any way you like! Tropical cupcakes in March? Why not? Snowball cookies in July? Ok! Just bring whatever suits your fancy. We'll have theme events, but they'll be clearly marked.
Don't make your baked goods way in advance, bring them fresh! On the day of, if your schedule allows. =) We all know that fresh goodies are the best! (Ways around this are to freeze cookies [for less than two weeks, in proper packaging], and making frosting ahead of time and freezing it [Freezer zip top bags are great for this, you can defrost them on the counter, then snip the corner and frost straight from the bag!])
You're also encouraged to bring recipe sheets/cards and your favorite tips to swap around, if you like!
Be sure you have a good way to take your goodies home with you when you leave (plastic wrap will be provided), if you are taking away cookies, bring zip-top bags to tote them home in!
If you have a 'cupcake carrier', now is DEFINITELY the time to bust that bad boy out. (What a perfect excuse to buy one, if you don't have one! They're at Bed, Bath & Beyond and also at kitchen stores.)
We may end up having theme swaps from time to time!
Meeting times and places may change from meetup to meetup.
Meeting frequency will depend upon interest.
We may be in need of an alternate/nicer place to meetup! If you have a lovely home (I don't, sadly) or a nice place with tables that would be convenient to meetup for 30 minutes or so and swap baked goods, please let me know!
* Nobody is going to ask you if you used margarine, or off brand sugar, or baked 4 days ago. We're not that strict. These are guidelines that we hope you'll live by, but of course we cannot enforce them. =)
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So, our theme this time is RED! Just whatever suits your fancy, really, and if that happens to be red, then that's just gravy. Participation in themes is always... Learn more
