My Best Christmas Cookie Baking Tips

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes

Gingerbread Cookies

Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes

Chocolate Cookies

Fun & Festive Christmas Cookies

• The Ultimate Cookie Handbook – My cookbook contains chapters on baking science, as well as a ton of delicious cookie recipes!
• Quality Cookie Scoops – Small | Medium | Large – For easy portioning of cookie dough.
• My all-time favorite baking pans – Perfect for baking cookies!
• My favorite digital kitchen scale – For ensuring accuracy and precision in measuring.
• Oven thermometer – To check that your oven’s temperature is accurate.
• Candy thermometer – Ideal for making any candies.
• Flour shaker – For dusting down your work surface before rolling out cookies. Super handy for the holiday season!
• Zester – Crucial to any baking requiring lemon/orange/lime zest. 
• OXO dusting wand – The perfect unique stocking stuffer, fantastic for dusting baked goods with a finishing touch of powdered sugar or cocoa powder. 
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer – The ultimate gift for a baker!

1. Get your boxes: Hobby Lobby or Michaels typically have a great selection of gift boxes – both specifically for baked goods and other creative options like pretty photo boxes. I usually like to buy smaller boxes or cut some cardboard up to make dividers to separate various cookies inside.
2. Choose your Christmas Cookie Recipes: I usually like to do one cut-out cookie recipe (such as Cut-Out Sugar Cookies or Gingerbread Cookies), one colorful recipe (such as Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies or Red Velvet Cookies), one Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, and then something different and fun, like a Festive Brownie or Pinwheel Cookies.
3. Make ahead! I will make any drop-style cookie dough ahead of time and freeze the dough, then bake as needed (directions for freezing cookies here). Cut-out cookies can be made ahead and frozen, un-iced. Most candy can be made at least a week ahead of time.

• Keep flavors separated by wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap or small resealable bags – you don’t want your peanut butter cookies to end up tasting like peppermint!
• Sandwich like-cookies bottom to bottom, wrapped in plastic, for added protection and support from the cookie beneath.
• Make sure your cookies are completely cool before wrapping and shipping.
• Place larger and heavier cookies on the bottom, with smaller cookies on top.
• Fill any gaps in your container with cushioning – any crinkled-up paper works well. Anything to keep those cookies nice and snuggled up.
• Use some bubble wrap between each layer. First, place a piece of bubble wrap in the box, then layer the cookies in the box in a single layer, and place bubble wrap between each layer. Add a final piece of bubble wrap on top. For added fun, place some festive tissue paper on top.
• Avoid shipping on the weekends, especially during the holiday season, and instead ship your cookies during the week. Choose a shipping option of 1-2 days, even overnight if you can, to allow your recipient to enjoy your cookies at their freshest.