How to Host a Holiday Cookie Party, According to an Entertaining Pro
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Photo courtesy of Johnny Miller
If you manage to nab an invite to cookie king Dan Pelosi’s annual holiday cookie party, you’re in for a treat, both literally and figuratively. Over the past decade, the event—recently dubbed the “Met Gala of the holiday season”—has become a holiday in its own right, with dozens of guests coming to swap pistachio currant thumbprints, peanut butter blossoms, and other baked goods over the course of one very festive afternoon.
Pelosi, a bestselling cookbook author who’s known online as GrossyPelosi, says he’s always found joy in entertaining, having grown up in an Italian American family “where all we did was gather.” But the holidays offer a special opportunity to relive treasured childhood memories. “Right after Thanksgiving ended, my grandmother, my aunts, my mom—we would just start baking cookies,” he says. “We would store them in our tins, and every house we went to, we would bring cookies as an offering.”
After moving to New York in his late twenties, Pelosi, feeling nostalgic for the tradition of his youth, decided to organize a small gathering where he served homemade cookies. The experience was so impactful that he decided to host it again the following year, this time inviting guests to bring their own treats as well. “It was the most magical day ever. And I was like, 'This is really what gathering, to me, is about,'” he says. “There’s the stories and the conversations and the questions and the connections and people asking for recipes.”
Below, Pelosi shares his playbook for the yearly event, along with some festive treats from his newest cookbook to set the stage for your own cookie swap.
The Party
When you’re planning a cookie party, the first order of business: deciding the time and place. Pelosi always hosts his event on a weekend afternoon, leaning on an open-house format so guests can filter in and out while indulging in easy conversation and a massive spread of cookies and hot chocolate. The timing eliminates any question as to what will be served, he says: “There’s no lunch, there’s no dinner—it’s cookies, it’s drinks.” And while your own home is the ideal setting, you could find a park (weather permitting) or even rent a simple venue if you’re tight on space.
From there, you’ll need to gather some basic equipment and supplies: a large table for the cookies, some butcher paper to cover the table, a few Sharpies (so guests can label their contribution on the butcher paper), a slow cooker or another vessel for warming the hot chocolate, and paperware (Pelosi uses disposable hot dog trays instead of paper plates and leaves out a stack of brown paper bags so guests can take a few cookies to go).
On the day of the event, make sure you have a few dozen cookies on hand to get the party started, Pelosi says. Then warm the hot chocolate, turn on some pop diva holiday tunes, light the fireplace (real or digital), and wait for your guests to trickle in. As they arrive, invite them to arrange their cookies in tidy rows on the butcher-paper-covered table.
Pelosi purposely keeps the whole affair low-key—“I don’t deck out the halls,” he says—though he does enforce one rule: All cookies must be homemade. And if you don’t bake? “Just bring a drink. Bring yourself, whatever. Bring me some milk. I’ll be very happy."
Previous cookie party images: Photos courtesy of Dan Pelosi
The Tools
Streamline your party prep with a powerful stand mixer, a set of nontoxic baking essentials, and a stylish (and sturdy) hand towel.
The Recipes
Among Pelosi’s arsenal of holiday cookie recipes, the pignoli cookie—a gluten-free Italian classic made with pine nuts—is his favorite. Couple it with a batch of Peppermint Pattie cookies (“It makes this kind of Rorschach-y art piece that’s so good when you bite in it”) and buttery snowball cookies and you’ve got the start of a showstopping spread.
Pignoli Cookies
Makes 50 cookies
INGREDIENTS:
24 ounces almond paste, refrigerated
1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large egg whites
16 ounces pine nuts
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan (or two, or three) with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the almond paste, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and egg whites. Beat on medium speed until just combined into a sticky dough, about 2 minutes.
3. Pour the pine nuts into a small bowl. Scoop up 1 tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball, then roll through the pine nuts, pressing to adhere. Set on the prepared sheet pans. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing them 1 inch apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Let the cookies cool completely before serving.
Peppermint Pattie Cookies
Makes 18 cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
13⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3⁄4 cup (11⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure mint extract
18 York Peppermint Patties
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan (or two) with parchment paper.
2. Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar and melted butter. Add the eggs and mint extract and whisk until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix until no streaks remain.
4. Scoop up a rounded 2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Roll through the sugar to coat all over. Place on the prepared sheet pan and repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls 3 inches apart. (You’ll need to work in batches or use a second sheet pan.) Press a Peppermint Pattie into the center of each ball, flattening it into a roughly 2-inch circle. Sprinkle the perimeter of each cookie with another pinch of sugar, then bake for about 12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to set and the candy is cracked. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pan.
Snowballs
Makes 32 cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
11⁄2 cups powdered sugar
21⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup finely chopped raw almonds, pecans, and/or walnuts
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan (or two, or three) with parchment paper.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1⁄2 cup of the powdered sugar on medium speed until combined. Add the flour, nuts, and vanilla and beat on low until no streaks remain.
3. Scoop up 1 rounded tablespoon of the dough and roll it into a ball. Place on the prepared sheet pan, spacing them 1 inch apart. (You’ll need to work in batches or use more sheet pans.) Bake for about 10 minutes, until just barely set and the tops have started to crack.
4. Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the sheet pan, just until cool enough to handle. Pour the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar into a small bowl. One at a time, roll the cookies through the powdered sugar to coat, then return to the sheet pan to cool completely.
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Recipes reprinted with permission from Let’s Party © 2025. Published by Union Square & Co., an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group. Photography by Johnny Miller.