I wasn’t sure I’d be able to pull this year’s box off, but it is here. And I love it the most of all my cookie boxes. But it is crazy how many I have made at this point. This is year SIX of what I think is possibly my most exciting post of the year. I’m not sure, you all tell me, do you look forward to this box all year? I started brainstorming the box’s “look” back in November, planning the recipes, and testing them. I’ve been excited to share ever since! I feel like so many of you have come to love this post. It’s one of my favorite posts too! Cookie boxes are so fun and they really do make the best gift. Whether you’re packaging them up for shipping or bringing them as a hostess gift, we can all appreciate a cookie box! They never get returned! You can see my previous holiday cookie boxes from 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. But as with every new year, I wanted to make this one even more special. A little bigger, and hopefully my best yet! This Christmas I’m all about vintage Christmas vibes. Everything from the colors, to the ornaments, to even some of the recipes I’m sharing. It all started with a couple rolls of wrapping paper that inspired all these vintage vibes. I actually layered them underneath my cookie box and I loved the way it turned out. A lot like last year’s box, this year’s box is in keeping with my “easy cookies” theme that I’m full-on embracing. When it comes to holiday baking, I like to mostly keep the recipes simple. Nothing too fancy or overly complicated. Holiday baking should be fun and stress-free! I made all my favorites, easy, but oh-so-delicious cookies + a new peanut bar I’m excited to share! All the details, including my updated tips and tricks, are below!
How to choose your cookies
When choosing your cookies, be sure to pick cookies/desserts, that will hold up well in shipping. I like to choose cookies that are of different shapes and sizes. I find it’s nice to have a little variety in the box instead of looking through a bunch of circle cookies. As for how many cookies to include in your box? It depends on the year and how much time I have allowed for creating my boxes, but I bake anywhere from 4 to 8 different cookies and then divide them between boxes. This year I did eight different cookies and made a nice size box. With that said, my box is large. Many of you will most likely be using smaller boxes. If that’s the case, just go with four to six of your favorite cookies. All the cookies used in my 2022 Holiday Cookie Box: Holly Jolly Santa Cookies Christmas Monster Cookies Christmas Lights Cookies Soft Gingerbread Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing Chewy Frosted Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodles Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies Easy Hot Chocolate Lace Cookies Salted Peanut Butter Shortbread Bars (coming next week!)
Other cookies that would be great too!
Slice n’ Bake Salted Chocolate Butter Pecan Cookies Vanilla Ginger Wreath Cookies Chocolate Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Blondies
Step one: get a sturdy box
If you’re looking to order a box, I found this cute Christmas box set and this cute set. There’s also this box with cute Christmas designs. Or if you’re looking for a simpler design, these are nice too, but a little smaller. Or I love these cute boxes too!! Lastly, these cookie boxes are pretty adorable too. I recommend smaller treats for this box though! Any of these boxes are the perfect size for gifting and will fit four to six different cookies. These boxes are great for dropping off to neighbors and gifting to family and friends in town. If you plan to ship your box, I’d recommend putting the cookie box inside a sturdier box. Be sure to use bubble wrap or packing paper to secure the box. This will ensure that none of your cookies get banged around during shipping. Another alternative is to use cookie tins. I love these festive square tins or these more classic round tins. Or, if you want to ship just one kind of cookie, give this cookie box a try. It would be perfect for a batch of Hot Chocolate Lace Cookies. For pretty ribbon, I’ve been using this gold ribbon all month long. It also comes in green. Both are still in stock! This strip ribbon is pretty too. And this is my favorite velvet ribbon. And lastly, this is gift wrap set is cute too. Great for any kind of gift wrapping! I love searching through Anthropologie, Terrian, and Target for good ribbons, plus other fun items for cookie boxes. Tip: place bubble wrap in the bottom of your box. Then line the box with a very large piece of plastic wrap (use multiple layers if needed). Be sure to use a piece that is large enough to wrap overtop of the cookies when the box is full. This keeps the cookies safe and fresh.
Step two: gather cute packaging and ribbon
I try to find festive plastic wrapping, food-safe tissue paper, and/or ribbon to wrap around my cookies. This gives your box that extra special touch. Tip: I always wrap cookies that I want to stay extra fresh in holiday ziplock storage bags and then add them to the box. If you want to use something a little cuter than storage bags or plastic wrap, try using holiday cellophane bags that can be sealed with ribbon. Or use small holiday cookie tins or boxes, or food containers that will fit inside your box.
Step three: when to bake your cookies
As I mentioned above, I like to bake and decorate my cookies in the morning. Then I let them chill and package them up later that afternoon or at night. This way they are all ready to ship in the morning. Have fun and make a day of this with your girlfriends, kids, siblings, really anyone who loves to bake and listen to Christmas music!
Step four: package everything up
Packing up your boxes is probably one of the trickiest steps of sending out holiday cookie boxes. You’ll want to make sure that all of the time you spent making cookies wasn’t wasted. First, you should know that these photos are a bit misleading. They do not represent how I would actually ship my box. My goal is to show off the cookies, but here are my best tips for actually packaging up the cookies and shipping out your boxes…
Step five: ship your box
I ship via UPS or FedEx, and I’ve found them to be pretty reliable. Ship your cookies via two-day air because it’s important to get your cookies to their recipient as soon as possible. My biggest tip? If possible, avoid the post office. In my experience, that does not end well. What are all of you baking up this holiday season? I love to see what you’ve made so please share your HBH recipes! SO EXCITED to see everyone’s cookie boxes soon! Lastly, if you make any of the cookies from our 2022 Christmas Cookie Box, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
