Christmas Cookie Box

by Sabrina Snyder

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5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours
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This Christmas Cookie Box is a complete holiday cookie box guide with how to pack and ship treat boxes plus a holiday cookie recipes roundup!

From Gingerbread Cookies to Shortbread Cookies to Chocolate Cookies, a basket full of your family’s favorite Cookies is the perfect gift for all the people you love this holiday season!

top down view of cookie box
collage of various views of cookie box
Collage of Cookie box
Close up of cookie box
Recipe Snapshot

Why You’ll Love This Cookie Box Guide?

  • It is the ultimate guide to help you plan, bake, assemble and ship delicious homemade cookies to all of your loved ones.
  • I have all the tips and tricks to make your life easier plus all of my favorite cookies to include are rounded up for you!

There is nothing quite like getting a cookie tin full of festive holiday cookies. It’s a simple yet touching gift from the heart. And of course, everyone loves having lots of homemade scrumptious cookies without having to bake! This year, turn your holiday baking into a heartfelt gift for all your friends and neighbors, with my easy instructions for making a Christmas Cookie Box.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Christmas Cookie Box Guide

This Christmas Cookie Box is a complete holiday cookie box guide with how to pack and ship treat boxes plus a holiday cookie recipes roundup!
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
top down view of cookie box
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • Spritz Cookies , recipe
  • Gingerbread Men , recipe
  • Chocolate Gingerbread Men , recipe
  • Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies , recipe
  • Christmas Wreath Cookies , recipe
  • Peppermint Meringues , recipe
  • Peppermint Sandwich Cookies , recipe
  • Christmas Pinwheel Cookies , recipe
  • Peppermint Filled Cookies , recipe
  • Cherry Snowballs , recipe
  • Peppermint Meltaways , recipe

Instructions

  • Bake each recipe of cookie according to its instructions.
  • Arrange 4-8 of each cookie in a decorative box or tin.

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Note from Sabrina

Here’s my little secret: You don’t have to bake all your cookies on the same day or even on the same weekend. Many types of cookies can be frozen head of time, either as baked cookies or as raw cookie dough. Additionally, leave plenty of time for cooling, especially if the cookies are frosted. Also, you want to use frosting that will harden, like Royal Icing, unless you don’t plan on stacking your cookies.

Table of contents

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Gifting edible treat boxes can be overwhelming. From how to organize shopping lists and what to bake, to ideas for stylish boxes to how to keep those cookies fresh and intact during shipping, there is a lot to think about. Especially during the holidays! My step by step instructions make it easy for you to create your own fabulous Christmas Cookie Boxes. This is your ultimate guide to cookie boxes with everything you need to know, plus my best tips and tricks, to make and ship homemade cookies this holiday season. If you are just running holiday baking leftovers over to a neighbor in a tin, you don’t need to pull together lists ahead of time. Making a Cookie Box takes a bit more work though, and I’m all about easing that work as much as possible by planning everything out.

Planning Your Box

  • Choosing What Cookies to Bake: Choosing what cookies to bake seems like the simplest step, but there are things you want to consider. First off, how many cookies do you want to make? I suggest about 6-8 cookies because you don’t want to burn yourself out. Obviously, my box is over the top with more than 10 cookies, but you don’t need to choose that many! Choose cookies that share complimentary tastes and flavors, especially when using strong flavors like peppermint. I like to make cookie recipes that are different sizes and textures to add variety.
  • Figuring out the Timing: Honestly, giving yourself ample time is the secret weapon to making stunning Cookie Boxes. Everything else is (literally) just filler. Give yourself enough time to shop for ingredients and supplies. Baking, cooling, and decorating cookies all adds to the time. It takes time to assemble the boxes, especially if you plan on wrapping things individually, and pack them correctly for shipping. Finally, you’ll need to figure out how long shipping will take and plan on a few hours at UPS or FexEx during the holidays.
  • Print out the recipe cards for all your cookie recipes and read them through at least once before you go shopping.
  • Plan out the order you need to make each batch of cookies so they have enough time to cool completely and for any decorations to set.
  • Take inventory of what you have on hand both for ingredients and supplies, and separate them out. This includes any packaging for the actual boxes.
  • Get an idea of what else you want in your box besides cookies. Things like candy, roasted nuts, fudge, and cute little holiday knickknacks or ornaments, etc.

Baking Your Cookies

  • Shopping for Supplies: This is where choosing which cookies you want to bake ahead of time makes a big difference. It takes a little prep work (and some math), but it’s worth it to only have to make one trip to the grocery store to get all the baking ingredients you need. I like to print out all the cookie recipes I want to bake. This way I can cross things off as I add them to my list and I don’t have to toggle between a bunch of open browsers.
  • Baking The Cookies: Now for the fun part, the actual holiday baking! I like to double check which types of cookies I want to bake and in what order, based on the timing to chill dough, decorate, etc. I set out any pantry ingredients and baking equipment the night before and first thing in the morning I pull out any ingredients that need to be at room temperature. Let the baking and decorating commence!
  • Frosting the Cookies: Both my Classic Gingerbread Cookies and my Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies recipes have instructions on how to make Royal Icing. Swapping soft frosting with a drizzle of dark chocolate or white chocolate can work too.

Assembling the Box

  • Assembly: After your cookies are cooled and ready, it’s time to assemble the box and add decorations. You’ll want to use a larger heavy cardboard box, big enough to hold your cookies plus any dividers and other treats you want to use. 
  • Dividers for the Cookie Box: A lot of the time the little boxes and bags that are too small for an actual gift box are perfect for packing a box and separating smaller kinds of cookies. From festive plastic bags to tiny treat boxes – you’d be surprised at what you can get at the dollar store. You can also use holiday ziploc bags, plastic wrap, and cellophane to separate cookies. Foil tins, small cookie tins, cupcake liners, mini loaf pans, or even cardboard ornament dividers are also great to create sections in your cookie boxes.
  • How to Decorate a Cookie Box: Cookies are the star of a cookie box of course, but half the fun is in the decorating. Adding tiny ornaments, ribbon, gift tags, mini pine cones, and tissue paper will really make your box pop. Use twine around a stack of cookies or tie the ends of cellophane wrap with festive ribbon for an easy decoration.
  • Filling a Cookie Box: Don’t store soft cookies and crisp cookies next to each other because they will soften the crisper cookies. Line your cardboard box with parchment paper or wax paper to keep the cookies fresh. Make sure your cookies are completely cooled before packing them in the box. Finally, use parchment paper or wax paper between layers of cookies to keep them firm and prevent them from sticking together. Only wrap cookies in food safe paper and use tissue paper for decoration only.
  • Other Treats to Include: Try festive favorites like candy canes, chocolate kisses, candy coated chocolates, peppermint candies, candied nuts, roasted nuts, fudge, chocolate covered pretzels, or Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods. I have over 50 Christmas Candy Recipes that would make great additions to your treat boxes!

Packing and Shipping Your Boxes

  • How to Pack a Cookie Box To Ship: You want a large enough box to fit your actual cookie box in with room to add fillers to keep your cookies from breaking and the box from jostling around. Use fillers like bubble wrap, scrunched up newspapers, cardboard paper towel tubes, shredded paper, or folded up cardboard pieces. Tape up your box with packing tape and make sure to write FRAGILE on every side in big bold letters.
  • How to Ship a Cookie Box: You’ll want to double check your local shipping times and costs for where you want to ship your cookies. I recommend shipping through UPS or Fed-Ex and paying for 2 day air shipping so they get there as soon as possible, but again go with your budget and time needs.
Spritz Cookies with holiday sprinkles on tray
Spritz Cookies Recipe
Spritz Cookies are a buttery and beautiful holiday classic. Easy to make, keep them simple or decorate for the holidays.
View the Recipe
Gingerbread men cookies displayed on white parchment paper.
Gingerbread Men
Gingerbread Men are a classic holiday cookie filled with warm spices like nutmeg, molasses, and clove. Royal Icing recipe and decorating tips included!
View the Recipe
Chocolate Gingerbread Men propped up against stack 1x1
Chocolate Gingerbread Men
Chocolate Gingerbread Men are a sweet twist on classic Christmas cookies. Sugar and spiced cookie dough with ginger, cocoa powder, molasses, and brown sugar.
View the Recipe
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies on paper inside view 1x1
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies are rich chocolate cookies topped with marshmallows, chocolate drizzle, and crushed candy canes. Christmas in a tasty bite!
View the Recipe
Hand holding up a Christmas Wreath Cookie
Christmas Wreath Cookies (No Bake!)
Christmas Wreath Cookies (No Bake!) are quick and easy festive marshmallow treats with crunchy cornflakes and mini chocolate coated candies.
View the Recipe
Peppermint Meringues on serving plate 1x1
Peppermint Meringues
Peppermint Meringues are crispy, chewy holiday cookies. Melt in your mouth Christmas treats made with egg white, candy canes, peppermint extract, and sugar.
View the Recipe
Plate of several cookies stacked
Peppermint Sandwich Cookies Recipe
Peppermint Sandwich Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie. Crispy, buttery vanilla cookies with rich chocolate and peppermint filling.
View the Recipe
Christmas Pinwheel Cookies in tin 1x1
Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Christmas Pinwheel Cookies are the most festive holiday cookies with bright red and green swirls and filled with buttery peppermint flavor!
View the Recipe
Peppermint Filled Cookies three cookies with bites taken in a stack
Peppermint Filled Cookies
Peppermint Filled Cookies are perfect buttery cream cheese cookies with cool peppermint patties in the center and melted chocolate topping.
View the Recipe
Cherry Snowballs finished with bite taken out to show cherry center
Cherry Snowballs
Cherry Snowballs are easy holiday cookies with only 4 ingredients! Buttery cookies with a maraschino cherry center rolled in powdered sugar.
View the Recipe
Peppermint Meltaway cookies laid out on parchment paper.
Peppermint Meltaways
These easy Peppermint Meltaways are going to be your new favorite Christmas Cookie! Melt in your mouth peppermint shortbread dough with only 5 ingredients!
View the Recipe

Other Cookies for Your Holiday Box

cookie box pin image

Photo used in previous post:

Cookie Box collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. You rock, Sabrina! I was wondering what to do with the cookies I have to make and bring down to the grandchildren for Thanksgiving! Your idea is brilliant! Thank you!

    Reply