There is nothing more rewarding than the joy of gifting a treat from the kitchen. And what is more delicious and delightful than a beautiful jewel-box filled with homemade cookies. To help us put together the perfect combination of holiday cookies, we turned to Christina Wood of Temple Pastries for her advice on all things cookie-related. Christina is well-known for the annual holiday cookie gift box that she puts together at her bakery – it is much anticipated and always sells out every year. Read on for her expert tips on how to curate a beautiful holiday cookie box to bring joy to your world and theirs this holiday season.
When it comes to giving gifts, I always prefer to make something rather than buy. Taking the time to conceptualize and execute a handmade gift leaves a lasting impression on the recipient. I once made a birthday cake for a vegan friend of mine, and she still talks about how special that gift was to her even though more than a decade has passed.
Before I was a professional baker, I loved planning a holiday cookie menu to make and give as gifts. I would spend hours poring over recipes, deciding on the perfect combination of cookies that would satisfy all holiday cravings, eventually overcommitting to six or seven different types of cookies and stressing when it came time to make all of them. There is no need to make the same mistakes I did by following my simple steps.
Tips for Curating the Perfect Cookie Box
Here are Christina’s three steadfast rules for curating the perfect holiday cookie box. When you gift these cookie boxes, the excitement and gratitude on the receivers’ faces will have made all the work worthwhile. The simple and timeless gift of food is how you can give joy to their holiday.
- First, think about how the box will look visually. You want to have different shapes and colors for visual appeal.
- Second, you’ll want to include different flavor profiles so not all the cookies taste the same or similar. Holiday baking conjures up thoughts of warm spices, chocolate, mint, iced cookies, and sprinkles, so try to incorporate all of these things.
- Lastly, keeping your cookie box limited to three cookies means you won’t be stressing about making too many different kinds of cookies, but if you’re really ambitious or have a lot of extra time during the holidays (tell me your secrets!), you could easily add a sugar cookie or gingerbread to round this out.
Spiced Plum Linzer
These sandwich cookies are a traditional German holiday treat that are typically baked with warming spices and filled with raspberry jam. This version modernizes the spice blend a little to include coriander and orange zest, and uses plum jam in place of raspberry. Feel free to use whatever jam you like best, or a variety of jams for different colored centers in the cookies. They are traditionally cut in circles, but here we used a triangle cutter for visual interest.
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Chocolate Mint Shortbread
Every holiday cookie box needs a chocolate cookie, as the holidays are a time for indulging. These shortbreads are supremely buttery with a fine crumb, and the mint is not too overpowering. The ganache sends them over the top, making them rich and decadent without being cloyingly sweet. Christina likes to garnish chocolate with gold, as it reflects the richness of the cocoa. She uses large gold dragees here, but you can also use gold sprinkles or luster dust.
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Butter Spritz
This is a fun cookie to add to a gift box because you can pipe them into any shape that works for you. These are a classic old-school bakery cookie, barely sweet but very buttery, with a sandy, crumbly texture that holds up well in packaging. Adding the white chocolate coating amps up the sweetness to suit modern tastes, and sprinkles add a festive flair.
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