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Do you love the idea of making a cookie box for Christmas but are too overwhelmed to start? Today I am guiding you through the process of making the best Christmas cookie boxes, from selecting your cookies to packaging them up for friends and family.
I have always wanted to do a cookie box, but it just hasn’t been in the cards for me until this year. This year I was FINALLY able to get it done and I am SO thrilled to be sharing my Christmas cookie box with you all!
To me, nothing says holiday joy more than a box filled with holiday and festive treats. The mere act of sharing baked goods with friends and family is how I like to share my love.
The reason it took me so long to get this cookie box done was because I was very overwhelmed to start it. It seemed like a giant undertaking, plus I wanted to create new recipes for it… It just felt like a lot.
However, once I started getting into it, it was a lot easier than I realized! As long as you have a plan of what to do, you will easily be able to put your cookie boxes together. I recommend doing this with your kids, your friends, your partner, and/or your parents as a fun holiday tradition! Put on Christmas music or a holiday movie in the background, then bake, talk, giggle, decorate, and enjoy making some fun holiday memories. From chocolate chip cookies to fluffy madeleines to pecan tassies, bring your favorite recipes and enjoy packing up the goodies!
It’s even more fun to make it a party! Serve up a batch of Christmas punch and get to baking with your friends and family.
what you’ll need to make it
First of all, you’ll need some cookie recipes! I’m sharing more about choosing the right recipes in the next section. I recommend choosing about 5 to 7 for variety, but you certainly don’t have to do that many!
To bake up those cookies, you’ll need a stand mixer, cookie cutters, a rolling pin, a wooden spoon, and any other baking equipment that your cookie recipes call for.
Second, get your supplies! You can use holiday cookie boxes, holiday disposable aluminum pans, or holiday cookie tins. Choose the containers you like best! You can even pop to your local craft store for plain boxes if you prefer.
I like to use a sturdy box or tin! Then you can use cardboard sheets to create different sections in the box for the cookies.
Then use festive tissue paper and ribbon (like this red velvet ribbon) to decorate and make it look holly jolly!
When choosing your cookies, be sure to pick Christmas cookies, and or other desserts, that will hold up well in shipping. I like to choose cookies that are different shapes and sizes. I find it’s nice to have a little variety in the box, including a nice variety of flavors, so I’ll normally bake up four to six different cookies and then divide them between boxes.
The cookies I used in the box you see here:
milk chocolate dipped shortbread
cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies
I also added some peppermint bark in there, but you can add any kind of Christmas candy or even candy canes if you want an extra pop of color (or peppermint). Even a cinnamon stick or two can make it look pretty! Other cookie ideas include gingerbread cookies or linzer cookies!
You don’t have to make as many types of cookies as you see here! As little as two types is just as good. It’s all about what inspires you and how much time you have on your hands to bake!
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holiday disposable aluminum pans
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The best way to keep the cookies fresh is to make them for 1 to 2 days before you gift them or ship them out. After you bake them, cool them completely and store them in airtight containers or resealable bags for up to 3 to 4 days at room temperature. Really my best advice is to consult the recipes you are making and refer to their instructions, storage tips and times.
If you really want to make your life easiest, start thinking about your cookies beforehand. The next time you make a batch of cookies during the later half of the year, take some of those cookie dough balls and freeze them! Then all you have to do is thaw and bake the cookie dough when you are ready to start your Christmas cookie boxes.
To freeze cookie dough, place the balls on a lined baking sheet and freeze for about 2 to 3 hours until solid. Place in a labeled resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also freeze cookies that are already baked for up to 3 months in the freezer in airtight containers between layers of parchment paper or wax paper.
When making your Christmas cookie box, start by adding cardboard dividers if you are using them! I personally like to use them instead of layering the cookies between layers of wax paper or parchment paper. The look is just so exciting when you remove the lid to see all those cookies!
I line my different sections with different colors of tissue paper, the more festive the better! Now it’s all about presentation. Here are some pro tips and tricks:
- Vary things up by the way you stack the cookies. Have some in a stack tied with a ribbon or twine, some on their sides, etc. It doesn’t need to be a ton of variation, but switching it up a bit looks really nice.
- If you are packing candy in there, you can using little containers or even cupcake liners to pop the pieces into.
- Pair different styles of cookies in different sections to give the box some variety (you can easily copy the look I did in these photos if you don’t know where to start!).
If you are shipping these boxes, here are some additional tips to keeping the cookies fresh and safe!
- Use tissue paper or bubble wrap on the bottom of the box to help it be a little more padded.
- If you are including fragile cookies, wrap them separately in plastic wrap or plastic food bags.
- The heaviest cookies should go on the bottom and the lightest should be on top.
- Make sure that the cookies are packed snugly in the box to avoid them jostling each other during shipping.
- Put a final layer of bubble wrap or tissue paper on top before putting the lid on.
- Wrap the cookie gift box with bubble wrap for another layer of protection before placing in the box to be shipped.
- Write FRAGILE all over the box in bold letters. I even like to add a little thank you note on the box to the shipping crew for all their hard work. A little kindness never hurts and I can only hope they treat the package a little nicer because of that.
More tasty cookie recipes: Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies | Christmas Shortbread Cookies | Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | Italian Rainbow Cookies
When I ship out cookie boxes, I always recommend going to UPS or Fed-Ex the day after you assemble them! That way you can easily ship them via two-day air so that they get there as soon as possible.
Do not use USPS to ship cookies. Unfortunately, we’ve had one too many bad experiences with anything fragile shipping through USPS. Usually they end up damaged!
Even though it can be a bit of work to pull together a holiday cookie box, the efforts are totally worth it! Everyone who receives one always gushes about how thrilled they are to receive a treat.
Yes, it is perfectly safe to store cookies in a tin! Metal tins actually keep cookies firmer than plastic bins so they are preferred.
If you are using metal tins to store your cookies, you can layer the cookies between waxed or parchment paper to keep them from sticking together if you don’t want to create separate areas with cardboard.
Need more inspiration for something sweet? Check out my dessert recipes page!
Sea salt pistachio dark chocolate cookies
Chewy snickerdoodle cookie bars
Orange Mexican wedding cookies
Vanilla bean cardamom sugar cookies (these are great to cut out and decorate!)
Finally, if you make a Christmas cookie box this year, please be sure to give this guide a rating or leave a comment/send me a picture! I love to hear when you all make recipes, and I do take the time to respond to every single comment. Feel free to drop questions below too, if you have them!
Oh and be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make the recipe! I love being able to see these recipes come to life in your homes – it’s my favorite thing to look through those photos. It really means the world to me!
Christmas Cookie Box
equipment
- twine
- ribbon
ingredients
- 5 to 6 cookie recipes homemade or store bought
- candy homemade or store bought
instructions
- Layer the bottom of the box or tin you are using with tissue paper, parchment paper, or wax paper. Line separate areas with tissue paper.
- Group the cookies together as desired. Stack some and tie them with ribbon or twine. Line some up on their sides. Vary the way you add them to the box to make it more visually appealing.
- Fill in any gaps with candy, as desired.
- Keep arranging until all the treats are in the box. Top with a piece of parchment paper, tissue paper, or bubble wrap. Close the lid and give away or ship!
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