Whether you giving this as a gift or showcasing your beautiful baking, a Christmas cookie box is a jaw dropping way to serve up some deliciousness!
Even though my kids are adults right now, I still love baking Christmas cookies for them. Every Christmas Eve, we get together and decorate a bunch of cookies and just laugh at our crazy designs.
I honestly love baking all kinds of treats for the holidays. I bake both tried and true favorites along with new recipes to be adventurous. I simply adore how the house smells so delicious. And I especially love sharing all the sugar and calories with my friends and family and give my baked goodies to them as gifts!
There are always Christmas parties we are invited to and I tend to volunteer to bring dessert. I may curse a lot while I’m decorating my cake or trying to perfectly ice my cookie, but I still enjoy doing it.
One thing I have never made until now was a Christmas Cookie Box. What’s not to love about a tray filled with all kinds of cookies and confectionaries?
A cookie box is just that: a shallow box with an assortment of cookies in it. There are no hard rules about putting one together. You can make one for a gift to give away or arrange a beautiful platter for a Christmas party.
Whatever purpose you have for it, I have some great tips and recipes to insure that your cookie box is a jaw dropping gorgeous one!
Supplies you need
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- A box: You can find small wooden boxes with compartments like what I have at Target and craft stores. You can also build your own or use a cardboard box, gift boxes or a wood tray. You can even use those bamboo drawer organizers!
- Cupcake liners: If you need to divide your box even more or if it has no dividers you use festive cupcake liners or use simple brown liners that I used. You can also find mini gift boxes at the craft store and dollar stores as dividers.
- Tissue paper: If you are using a cardboard box, you will want to line the bottom with some parchment paper, wax paper and/or tissue paper.
- Cookies: Of course, you will need COOKIES! Lots and lots of cookies. You can set a theme or mix it up. Think of using different sizes, flavors, colors and textures of cookies. Mix in homemade with store bought. Add some savory cookies with the sweet. Just have fun with it! I share more cookie tips below.
- More sweets: I like to add other sweets to the box, too. You can use peppermints, candy canes, chocolates and fudge.
- Other items: If this is a gift, you can finish off your box with pretty velvet ribbons or twine. Add a festive touch with a little sprig of garland, mini ornaments or jingle bells.
Tools to Use
Tips on organizing
Before the bake
- The size of your box determines the variety and quantity of cookies you will need. So you can either find the box first and then decide on the cookies, or figure out which cookies you want to share and find the right size box you need.
- Make lists! Make a list of cookies you want to feature in your box and then create your shopping list. When you are doing a lot of baking, things get forgotten or misplaced. Staying organized keeps you from going crazy!
- Plan and schedule. Most cookie doughs can be frozen. Even better, most baked cookies can be frozen, too. So plan ahead and schedule out your time in the kitchen. Allow time for DECORATING cookies, too.
Bake the cookies
- Batch bake. Freshly baked cookies have the best flavor and textures, so if you do want to freeze anything, freeze the raw dough. Never freeze iced cookies because after they thaw, the colors bleed and they don’t look as nice. Double check your recipe source to see if your cookies can be frozen.
- If you froze cookie dough, allow time for it to thaw. Cookies that require rolling and cookie cutters take more time to prepare than drop cookies or cut rounds.
- Invest in large baking sheets, silicone baking liners and cooling racks.
- Wrap the finished cookies in plastic wrap, foil or large food containers. Cookies need to completely cooled before decorating them.
After the bake
- If you are icing any cookies, allow time for them to fully set before putting them in the box. You don’t want to ruin all that hard work!
- Start with a clean and empty box and then start filling up the compartments. If you are using this as a way to present your cookies at a party, then you can over fill your box. If you need your box to actually close, be sure to use a box where the cookies fit snugly.
- If your box is very deep, add some balls of tissue paper or kraft paper first then cover with decorative tissue paper.
- Whether your box has dividers or not, you can easily create more separate spaces by using cupcake liners. These are great for messier cookies, like my pecan snowballs which are covered in powdered sugar, or small candies and chocolates.
- When placing your cookies in the box, don’t be afraid to do some rearranging. Place cookies that compliment each other together. Try not to have the same colors next to each other.
The Best Cookies for a Cookie Box
Here are the Christmas cookies and treats I used in my cookie box, plus some other great cookie choices.
The Classic Sugar Cookie
I mean it isn’t a Christmas cookie box without brightly iced Christmas cut out cookies!
Olive Oil Gingerbread Cookies
My kids didn’t start liking gingerbread cookies until I made these babies. Now they are a must for our annual Christmas menu!
Pecan Snowball Cookies
These snowball cookies (aka sand tarts) are nutty and the perfect treat with your hot tea!
Christmas Oreos
Not everything has to be homemade. These Christmas Oreos are festive and fun. You can decorate them in so many ways, too!
Jam Thumbprint Cookies
These buttery cookies can be baked with or without coconut. Feature your favorite jam in the center.
More Christmas cookie recipes you can feature in your cookie box:
- Christmas Shortbread Peppermint Bark Cookies
- Decorated Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Biscotti
- Lemon Biscotti
- Chocolate Rugelach
- Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Peppermint
- Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons
- Brownie Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkles
- Peppermint Oreo Fudge
I dipped marshmallows in melted chocolate then rolled them in crushed peppermints.
I also made some peppermint bark. Gently melt some quality white chocolate and pour over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Sprinkle crushed peppermints over it and chill. Once hard, bread into shards and enjoy!
Expert tips and FAQs
If you are planning on shipping your cookie box, please read Pook’s Pantry’s guide on how to ship cookies first. Shipped cookie boxes require more TLC.
Store your cookie box in a cool dry nook in your house. Cover with some foil or plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Unless your cookies have dairy frosting all over them, do not store them in the refrigerator.
You can freeze any leftover cookies. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil before freezing. You can freeze iced cookies, but the colors will bleed once thawed. Read your cookie recipe directions for more details on freezing.
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Christmas Cookie Box
Whether you giving this as a gift or showcasing your beautiful baking, a Christmas cookie box is a jaw dropping way to serve up some deliciousness!
Ingredients
- Wood or cardboard box
- Cupcake lines
- Tissue paper
- Other sweets like peppermints, chocolates, bark and/or fudge
- Decorative ribbon, twine, sprig of garland or mini ornaments
Cookie Suggestions
Instructions
- Choose the cookies you want to feature and plan out the baking. You can use homemade or store bought cookies. Choose cookies of different shapes, sizes and flavors. Depending on the size of your box, you can choose any number of different types of cookies. You can prepare cookie dough months ahead and freeze it until you are ready to bake.
- Schedule when you will bake everything, allowing time for cookies to cool, time to decorate and time for icings to set.
- Store cookies in an air tight container or resealable bag at room temperature. Place strips of parchment or waxed paper between layers so the cookies don't stick together.
- Start with a clean box. If you are using a cardboard box, line it with parchment paper and decorative tissue paper. If your box does not have dividers, use card stock, cardboard or cupcake liners to hold your cookies. You can also tie a stack of cookies with decorate ribbons or twine.
- If your box is very deep, add some balls of tissue paper or kraft paper first then cover with decorative tissue paper
- Arrange the cookies into your box, making sure cookies of differing sizes, colors and flavors are together.
- Add candies like peppermints, chocolates and fudge into the box to add interest and separate cookie sections.
- Add decorations like mini ornaments, garland or jingle bells to make it festive.
Notes
If you are planning on shipping your cookie box, please read Pook’s Pantry’s guide on how to ship cookies first. Shipped cookie boxes require more TLC.
Store your cookie box in a cool dry nook in your house. Cover with some foil or plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Unless your cookies have dairy frosting all over them, do not store them in the refrigerator.
You can freeze any leftover cookies. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil before freezing. You can freeze iced cookies, but the colors will bleed once thawed. Read your cookie recipe directions for more details on freezing.
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
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So much inspiration and great practical ideas in this post. Thank you for putting all this together!