Creating a Memorable Christmas Cookie Box

How to make your cookie box stand out in a season overwhelmed with baked goods.

Pinterest would have you believe that the perfect Christmas cookie box contains a magical assortment of flavors, textures, and styles. But let’s be honest, the holidays are swamped with baked goods. Great tasting cookies are expected, but won’t make you stand out. If you’re going to put in the effort of baking homemade cookies (during the busiest season of the year), let’s make sure your hard work doesn’t end up next to store-bought treats.

What is a Christmas Cookie Box?

First things first. A Christmas cookie box is a thoughtfully curated collection of homemade cookies packaged in an attractive box or cookie tin specifically for gift-giving. Christmas cookie boxes are hand delivered or mailed to friends and family during the holiday season.

How do I create a memorable cookie box?

Yes, having an assortment of cookie flavours and textures is important. But instead of curation, let’s shift the focus to storytelling. Anyone can grab a recipe from the internet and put together a beautiful cookie box. In a world dominated by corporations and AI, I’m craving personal connections. Your Christmas Cookie Box is the perfect way to share your personal stories and holiday traditions. The holidays are made for stories.

How do I create a signature cookie?

Your signature cookie is one that tells a personal story or shares your holiday traditions. It’s the highlight of your Christmas Cookie Box. It can be as simple as the cookie that your family bakes every year without fail or the one your grandma used to bake when you visited during the holidays. It’s the story you’ll want to include in your Christmas Card.

Many cultures have a seasonal cookie. My background is Dutch, so Christmas wouldn’t be complete without Speculaas (aka Windmill) cookies. These stamped cookies are generally crunchy and filled with holiday spices like ginger and cinnamon. For my signature cookie, I would bake my own with an unique cookie mold. I could also do a twist on this holiday classic by baking a cookie with Biscoff cookie butter (similar spices) for a chewy version.

What types of cookies are in a cookie box?

The ideal Christmas Cookie Box contains 4-6 different types of cookies. After you’ve selected your signature cookie, we’ll build out the rest of your Christmas Cookie Box with holiday flavours everyone loves. Since you’ll be focusing most of your time on your signature cookie, we want the remaining cookies to be super easy to bake. Here’s my recommendations:

Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookie: This cookie hits all the basics. We have a chocolate cookie with the classic holiday flavour of peppermint. I roll my cookies in icing sugar for blustery snow vibes, but you could drizzle melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy canes too.

Chewy Gingerbread Cookie: This Christmas favourite is packed with the warm spices of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Instead of rolling and chilling the cookie dough, you simply scoop and roll in coarse sugar with this recipe. It gives the cookies an eye-catching sparkle and provides a nice crunch.

Cranberry Pistachio Oatmeal Cookie: I love a good colour theme: red cranberries with green pistachios is a perfect Christmas match. It’s giving Christmas Fruit Cake vibes, but in a good way.

Sprinkle Shortbread Cookie: The holidays wouldn’t be complete without the crumbly goodness of shortbread. We’re taking the easy way with a scoop and press recipe (no chilling or rolling the dough, thank you very much) Throw in some sprinkles and you’re done!

Even if you just bake these four cookies, your Christmas Cookie Box would have a great mix of textures and flavour. If you signature cookie is similar to one of these cookies, feel free to leave it out! For example, my Speculaas cookie has a lot of the same spices as the Chewy Gingerbread Cookie so I wouldn’t need to include that one.

RELATED: Buy the full Christmas Cookie Recipe Bundle for easy holiday baking.

How many cookies are in a cookie box?

Christmas cookie boxes can include anywhere from 12 to 24 cookies depending on the size of the box, the size of the cookies and the recipients (ie. a couple versus a large family). I like to stick to 12 full-sized cookies to keep baking manageable while still providing a good variety. A dozen cookies is also a great fit for most cookie tins if you’re going for a vintage aesthetic and keeps shipping costs low if you’re shipping them.

How do I plan my holiday baking?

I’m a big believer in baking and freezing your cookies to reduce holiday stress. This way you can plan a full baking day or slowly bake a different cookie each weekend leading up to the holidays. As soon as your cookies have cooled from the oven, place them in an airtight freezer bag and pop them in the freezer. Most cookies are good in the freezer for up to three months! Simply take them out to thaw before gifting or shipping.

How do I make my cookie box inclusive?

Unfortunately, eggs and dairy are common food allergens. I don’t have time to bake both a regular and vegan version of the same cookie. I’ve developed easy vegan recipes that taste just as good as the original. Instead of creating a custom cookie box for each of your friends, I suggest creating one amazing cookie box that everyone can enjoy. Each recipe in the Christmas Cookie Recipe Bundle is egg-free and dairy-free so you don’t have to add recipe testing to your already busy schedule.

Christmas Cookie Box Checklist

Looking through your cookie recipes? Here are some things to keep in mind:

What is your signature cookie? What story will you include in your greeting card?
Did you include your favorite holiday flavours? Gingerbread, Peppermint, Shortbread.
Do your cookies have different textures? Crunchy, chewy, crumbly.
Are your cookies a mix of colours? White, black, brown, multicolour.
Do any of your recipients’ have a dietary restriction?