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Today’s the day…yes, I am finally sharing my ideas on How To Create the Best Holiday Cookie Box!
Here’s the thing, baking cookies and putting them in a box isn’t really a hard thing to do, right? Yeah, we get that. But baking cookies and arranging them in the box, not only to look cute but also be protected, and then properly shipping them off…well that can be a little tricky.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is shipping out Christmas cookie boxes to friends, family, and people I work with. I’ve been doing this for a few years now and it’s become one of my favorite December activities. I love setting aside a day just for baking cookies, it’s the best. Last year, I was so bummed when I didn’t have time to bake up any cookies. This year I’m making a serious effort to bake all the cookies I can, and get boxes shipped out too.
Over the years, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to creating the perfect cookie box. So I thought it would be fun to share them with you guys. Here’s how I go about creating the perfect holiday cookie box.
Step One: Choose Your Cookies
When choosing your cookies, be sure to pick cookies, and or other desserts, that will hold up well in shipping. I like to choose cookies that are different shapes and sizes. I find it’s nice to have a little variety in the box, so I’ll normally bake up four to six different cookies and then divide them between boxes.
The cookies I used in the box you see here:
Salted Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Blondies
Coconut Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Covered Pretzel Presents
Chewy Chocolate Ginger Molasses Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies
Vanilla Sugar Cookies with Easy Icing
Chocolate Caramel Cookies (Half Baked Harvest Cookbook recipe…favorite cookies)
Step Two: Get a Sturdy Box
The box you use to package your cookies is very important. You’ll want to choose a sturdy box that can handle shipping. I love using a heavy-duty cardboard box that has dividers in it so that I can keep each cookie separate from one other. I also love using a good cookie tin. Both are great options for keeping cookies safe.
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) that will be large enough to wrap over the cookies when the box is full. This keeps the cookies safe and fresh.
Step Three: Gather Cute Packaging and Ribbon
Of course I love to make my boxes as cute as possible, so I try to find festive plastic wrapping, food safe tissue paper, and or ribbon to wrap around my cookies. This gives your boxes that extra special touch…plus it’s just fun.
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, small holiday cookie tins or food containers that will fit inside your box.
Step Four: Bake Cookies
As I mentioned, I love setting an entire day aside for baking cookies. Normally, Asher will come over and we’ll have a “Christmas Cookie Day”. We bake, listen to Christmas music, and eat our body weight in sugar. It’s a fun way to get a lot of cookies baked and decorated and get the boxes filled. I like to bake and decorate the cookies in the morning and afternoon, then let them chill and package them up at night so that they are ready to ship in the morning.
Step Five: 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 the time you spent making cookies wasn’t wasted, trust me, the worst thing ever is to hear that your cookies arrived smashed.
My tips:
- Start out by wrapping any cookies that are more fragile in plastic wrap or plastic food bags.
- Be sure to package the heaviest cookies on the bottom and the lightest cookies on top.
- Arrange a layer of shredded paper, bubble wrap, or tissue paper between each new layer of cookies.
- Pack your cookies snug in your box to keep them from moving during shipping.
- For the final layer of your box, I like to use shredded paper, bubble wrap, or tissue paper. This will help keep the cookies snug in their place.
- Pack the box inside a large cardboard box with about two inches of space all around it. Fill in the empty space with bubble wrap, as this provides just another layer of protection for your cookies.
- Seal the box well with tape and then write FRAGILE all over the box. No seriously like all over the box, and in BOLD letters.
Step Six: Ship Your Box Off
I bake my cookies and package them up all in one day, and then the next morning I head to UPS or Fed-EX to ship them off. My recommendations? Do not use USPS to ship your cookies, that almost never ends well. Ship your cookies via two-day air because it’s important to get your cookies to their owner as soon as possible.
And DONE.
I know it’s a bit of work to create a holiday cookie box, but the efforts are worth it. I continually find that whoever receives a box is always so happy and grateful for the homemade goodies. And guys, you don’t have to bake a ton of cookies for your boxes. One, two, three, types of cookies is fine! I hope this post inspires you guys to get into the kitchen and bake up some cookies for friends and family!
Lastly, if you use these tips on How To Create the Best Holiday 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!
Thank you SO MUCH Tieghan for sharing your cookie recipes and great tips. This will be My First Time so wish me luck! I will be using several of your recipes. I am nervous but excited at the same time. I’m going to do this!
Hi Mary,
I hope you love the recipes, let me know how your cookie box turns out! xTieghan
Hello! I love this idea and am planning on creating boxes for family and friends this month. I was wondering what the dimensions are on the box that you used!
Hey Liz,
Here is the link for the boxes that I like: https://www.amazon.com/ONE-MORE-Natural-Windows-10x10x2-5inch/dp/B07LBN3Q3T/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=cookie+box&qid=1575691818&sr=8-6&tag=halfbakedharves-1-bg-20
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I love your cookie boxes!! They are a beautiful inspiration. I started selling mine because friends and family kept asking me if they were for sale. I used to send out to just a few friends each year but it looks like everybody wanted a taste ? Check out my shop at http://sodessert.etsy.com/ and let me know what you think!
Thank you so much Sonia! That is so awesome that you could make a business out of it! And the cookies look delicious! xTieghan
Where do you find your boxes? Definitely want to try this this year 🙂
Hi Sydney! I will leave a link down below in this comment! You can also make them yourself by using a box and adding dividers! Let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheKraftPackage?ref=l2-shopheader-name§ion_id=25652421
Where do you get/find a box similar to yours?? Or what kind of boxes would you recommend?? Love all your recipes and coming across this I can’t wait to make these!!
Hi Annette! Tieghan actually made her box using sturdy cardboard and food safe glue! It takes a little time, but works! We’re trying to find a good substitute for folks to get this year. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks so much!! x Kelly
Where do you get your boxes and how did you make the dividers??
Hi Tyler! I actually made my box using sturdy cardboard and food safe glue! It takes a little time, but works! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
I’m having a hard time finding sturdy boxes with dividers like the ones in the post. Do you have any links or tips on where to buy? On amazon I’m seeing huge shipping boxes, or flimsy cookie display type boxes, not much in between.
Thanks,
Holly
Hey Holly! I actually made my box using sturdy cardboard and food safe glue! It takes a little time, but works! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
These are gorgeous photographs, but as another commenter said, could you please add some pictures of how they actually look when shipped? It would be a lot more helpful if the pictures actually matched the tips.
Hi Laura! I will try to do that for the next time I do a cookie box! It really is a good idea!
How beautiful! Loved it!
I confess that the hardest part for me is to bake the cookies … But I think I can do something similar (I’ve never been good in the kitchen). I’ll share this article with my blog readers: https://autoridadefeminina.com.br , Maybe they’re better than me, and they can make this beautiful surprise for their boyfriends. 😀
Thank you so much Taly!
Love your tips but please add some pictures of your actual packaging & process steps. I can only imagine sending three cookies with all of these layers!
You do such beautiful work!
Thank you so much CJ! I am so glad you love this box!
Hi, your cookie box looks amazing. Could you tell me how you created it and where you got the dividers from. I can’t find any cookie boxes that have dividers for separate bakes.
Thank you
HI there! I made the box using a very sturdy cardboard box and then cut out card board dividers. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
I sent cookies to France earlier this year. I sent them with someone on the plane ? I wanted to keep them fresh so I packaged each kind in cellophane bags and tied them with yellow and white baking twine. For the box, I used a heavy-duty gift box from Target. It was gold and white and $5. Right now Target has some boxes that are almost identical in their Christmas section; they are made by another company and cost $6 each. They are not quite as heavy but just as gorgeous. I used tissue paper underneath and folded it over the top. I sealed the tissue paper with sealing wax and a bee seal. I included some fudge in with my cookies. I really wanted dividers, but I couldn’t find any. Instead, I just packed the cookies in really snug. That will work fine for hand-delivered cookies, but for mailing I would definitely have some sort of divider (I used to be in charge of packaging expensive fragile items for shipping, and the more padding, the better! Your recommendations are spot on for keeping them from breaking!}
I really like that you manage to bake so many cookies in one day. I think it’s wise that you aren’t doing all decorated cookies, as icing takes so long to do and to dry. You inspire me to try to make a bunch at once again; I haven’t since I made that box for friends in France earlier this year!
That is so awesome of you Brandy! Thank you so much for sharing those Target boxes, I am sure that will come in handy for many!
Would love to know where you get the heavy-duty cardboard box from! Thank you!
This is actually a box that was sent to me and I added the dividers, BUT I did find this amazing shop on Etsy that has all kinds of great gift boxes (and other cute gifting items). Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have other questions. Happy Holiday’s ? ?
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheKraftPackage?ref=l2-shopheader-name§ion_id=19423912
When can I expect delivery??. Sure wish that box of deliciousness was coming to my house!
Thanks for all the great tips and recipes.
So wish I could give you all one! I am so glad you like this Debbie! Thank you!
Absolutely love this!!! Going to do this for my husbands command! Where do you get your sturdy box from?
This is actually a box that was sent to me and I added the dividers, BUT I did find this amazing shop on Etsy that has all kinds of great gift boxes (and other cute gifting items). Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have other questions. Happy Holiday’s ? ?
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheKraftPackage?ref=l2-shopheader-name§ion_id=19423912