Holiday Cookie Box Pro-tips
Updated: Jan 9, 2024
'Tis the season for festive bakes! A few tips and tricks for easy preparation and big variety as you share goodies with your friends and family this holiday season.
Tip #1 - Make your doughs & Freeze ready-to-go cookies ahead of time
I do this with most of my bakes - who doesn't love a homemade cookie on demand, without the clean-up?!
If you want to include a variety of cookies and treats in your holiday gift box, it can be burdensome to have a full day dedicated to making doughs, baking, and cleaning up the bowls and pans...
Create a plan ahead of time: decide what you're going to bake, get the ingredients, then use a little bit of time each day to make different doughs. Scoop the dough into single-cookie portions, and freeze them (with labels and instructions for baking!). By the time you're ready to assemble your gift boxes, all you have to do is pop these into the oven...no clean up!
Tip #2 - add festive color and/or design to traditional bakes
As you gather ingredients and prepare your doughs ahead of time, embrace the festivity of the season! Simply choosing Christmas sprinkles or replacing your rainbow M&Ms with red & green ones turn a traditional bake into a festive one. I love searching on Pinterest for design inspiration.
Tip #3 - bake the exact quantity you need
With doughs frozen and already separated into individual cookies, you can pop the exact amount that you need into the oven. I like to include 2-3 of each bake into my gift boxes. Depending on how many boxes you're assembling in one day, bake only those cookies (I put the frozen dough directly into the oven - no thawing required) and leave the rest in the freezer for later.
Tip #4 - Packaging is important!
As mentioned above, I like to include 2-3 pieces of each bake into each gift box; that way, the individuals I gift these to have enough to share and/or to enjoy an extra bite of their favorite treat! Be mindful of how much space you have in the cookie tins/reusable containers you purchase, as you don't want to gift crumbled cookies to your loved ones!
I also like tossing in extra Hershey kisses or holiday candies - it makes it all the more festive!
Perhaps the most important thing to be mindful of when packaging your holiday gift boxes: package peppermint/minty flavors separately. I love dark chocolate peppermint bark, but I don't love when its neighbor is a now-minty-essenced snickerdoodle. If you want to include peppermint/mint flavors in your holiday box alongside non-minty treats, simply wrap the peppermint goodies in a separate bag with a twist tie. That will better preserve the flavors of all your bakes!
Tip #5 - label your bakes
Be sure to include a label of all goodies included in your gift box. I like doing this for a number of reasons:
Clarity (No questions asked! Only treats enjoyed!)
Acknowledge traditional/family favorite bakes (sometimes I'll add notes like, "My Grandmom's recipe!")
Note allergens (as you can see above, I always include "contains peanuts" or "contains almond extract") - be mindful that these sweets & treats will likely be shared!
Tip #6 - Save some for yourself!
In the season of giving, we can often leave ourselves out...be sure to set aside some cookies (not just the leftover dough from the mixing bowl...though that is yours to enjoy, as well!) to munch on later. In the photo above, you can see I set aside one of each bake for my husband and labeled the bag especially for him!
Merry Merry! Bake well, friends!
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