A Christmas cookie exchange party is a wonderful way to enjoy friends, family, and, of course, a big assortment of cookies! Even though the baked goods are the stars of the party, your guests will appreciate having some appetizers, snacks, and finger foods to enjoy while they swap cookies and recipes, and share holiday cheer.

Homemade cream sauce enriches this warm, garlic-and-thyme-seasoned artichoke dip. Lemon zest and Parmesan and pecorino cheeses add distinctive flavor to this crowd-pleasing holiday party dip.

Stuff spicy-sweet piquillo peppers with aged provolone to make these easy-but-sophisticated tapas. Bake until the cheese melts and top with sliced scallions.

The microwave is your secret shortcut to making fresh sage leaves crispy and fragrant. Drizzle fresh popcorn with olive oil and toss in the toasted sage for an easy, out-of-the-ordinary snack.

While these look like meatballs, they're really bite-size biscuits generously studded with sausage and cheddar cheese. Serve them with your choice of dipping sauces, such as mustard or barbecue sauce.

Simmer dried figs in spiced red-wine vinegar to make them plump and tangy, then wrap in pancetta and bake. Serve them with Campari, Gin, and Orange cocktails -- a twist on the negroni.

Canned chickpeas are tossed with garam masala, salt, pepper, and a little olive oil and baked at a low temperature until browned and slightly crisp. This easy appetizer is an excellent, healthy alternative to snack mix or potato chips.

This recipe couldn’t be easier: Simply wrap strips of bacon around baby potatoes and bake until the spuds are tender. Serve them with mustard or Lemon Aioli if you like.

The cheesy, lemon-kissed artichoke mixture in these pastry pockets is inspired by a holiday classic, hot artichoke dip. Serve it with Rosemary Vodka Tonics.

A favorite pub snack goes upscale when you coat bocconcini (bite-size fresh mozzarella balls) in panko breadcrumbs. Accompany them with a dish of warm tomato sauce for dipping.

Gently heat dried chiles, rosemary, and fennel and coriander seeds in olive oil to release their aromas. Add your choice of olives to the fragrant oil and heat for 10 minutes to infuse them with flavor.

Top these mini pizzas with olives, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, and red-pepper flakes. You can use store-bought or homemade dough to make this crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Everyone loves deviled eggs! This recipe combines the creamy yolks with Dijon mustard, white-wine vinegar, minced shallot, and a few dashes of hot sauce.

Sweet shrimp are poached in white wine and combined with a lemon-shallot vinaigrette. The refreshing shrimp salad appetizer is mixed with thinly sliced endive and served with crackers.

Cream cheese, blue cheese, and walnuts are the key ingredients in this easy, sophisticated appetizer. Make this spread up to one week in advance; serve with crackers, bread, or sliced apples.

Fresh thyme, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper are all you need to transform ordinary blanched almonds into sophisitcated tapas. Make this easy appetizer up to two weeks in advance and store in an airtight container.

The cream cheese filling in these celery sticks gets a lively kick from horseradish and hot sauce. Thinned out with some sour cream and sprinkled with chives, the filling also makes a great dip for crudites and potato chips.

Instant polenta and bread flour add texture and crunch to these cheesy crackers. Buttermilk and Mimolette cheese bring a tangy, savory taste.

In an easy, homemade version of tapenade, brine-cured black olives are blended in the food processor with fresh parsley, capers, anchovies, and lemon zest. Serve it with fresh vegetables and crosini or breadsticks for dipping. This appetizer spread is a wonderful accompaniment to a cheese platter.

Sweet, chewy dates stuffed with blue cheese are wrapped in bacon and broiled. These crowd-pleasing appetizers can be assembled a day in advance and broiled just before serving.

Goat cheese gets a light texture when whipped with cream and extra-virgin olive oil. Fresh dill adds a refreshing note to the mixture, which is spread into Belgian endive leaves for an easy appetizer.

To create easy, crisp crackers, simply brush lavash with extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground pepper. Have fun with this recipe, adding whatever toppings you like, such as sesame, poppy, or fennel seeds; dried thyme, or smoked paprika.

Easy homemade polenta can be refrigerated and then cut into appetizer-size pieces and broiled. Top each bite with piquillo peppers, olives, ricotta cheese, fresh herbs, or any other topping you prefer.

Four ounces of smoked salmon will feed a crowd in this sophisticated dip. Capers, red onion, lemon juice, and horseradish add zing to the cream cheese base of the dip.

Buttermilk cornbread is baked in mini muffin tins to create crowd-pleasing appetizers. Choose from three savory variations: orange-rosemary, jalapeno-cheddar, or caramelized onion-bacon.

Button mushroom caps are stuffed with a mixture of goat cheese, parsley, garlic, and fresh breadcrumbs to make these popular appetizers. The filling can be made a day in advance and stuffed into the mushrooms just before baking.

The holiday favorite candied pecans get a spicy kick from cayenne pepper and paprika. These sweet-and-spicy nuts can be made up to a week ahead of time.

Fresh focaccia bread is elevated to elegant heights with a topping of rich Taleggio cheese and shaved black truffles. If truffles are not available, a drizzle of truffle oil, or sauteed shiitake mushrooms, are also wonderful on this party appetizer.

Shrimp is boiled just until opaque in water seasoned with lemon and bay leaves. Serve the shrimp chilled with your favorite cocktail sauce or aioli.

Purchased wonton wrappers become crisp crackers when brushed with olive oil and baked. Top the crackers with sesame, poppy, and fennel seeds, or any other seasoning you like.

Dried figs are poached in a mixture of red wine, brown sugar, and thyme leaves to make a sweet and savory compote. Toasted baguette slices spread with goat cheese make the perfect platform for the rich compote.

Pretzel sticks and almonds are coated with butter, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper to make this easy, sweet-and-spicy snack mix. In addition to almonds, you can also use peanuts, cashews, pecans, or walnuts in this recipe.

These bite-size crab cakes are a sophisticated and crowd-pleasing appetizer. Red and green jalapeno, ginger, cilantro, and scallions add zing to the crab mixture.

Purchased puff pastry is the secret to these easy appetizers. The pastry is rolled up with Parmesan cheese and paprika to make a savory, buttery party snack.

Crispy, panko-coated chicken bites are baked, not fried, to make an appetizer that guests of all ages will love. The easy dipping sauce is made from apricot jam, Dijon mustard, and fresh thyme.

Shortbread shows its savory side with the addition of cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Serve these cheese crackers with a charcuterie platter.