Homemade Holiday Cookies Gift Box

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These are my best holiday cookies for gifting! Plus, get ideas and how-to for packaging pretty cookie gift boxes to send to friends and family.

Whether or not your family baking traditions involve epic baking sessions, elaborate decorative icings or something more straightforward, making homemade cookies and packaging them as gifts is literally one of the sweetest ways to share the holiday love.

My favorite Christmas cookies to make are simple sugar cookies and drop cookies. In other words the ones that are homey, simple and not too fussy.

Read on to get the most popular holiday cookie recipes from Familystyle Food, plus ideas for packaging up the goodies for giving!

The best cookies for gift-giving:

• Choose cookies that aren’t too delicate.
• Variety in shape, size and texture is ideal.
• Include a few different cookies to mix things up.

Try making two, three or more different kinds:

• Crunchy and sturdy: Biscotti, shortbread or gingerbread.
• Dense and chewy — Chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, sugar cookies.
• Bar cookies — Brownies, blondies, fudge, nut bars.

How to pack cookies for holiday gifts

Pile a bunch of cookies in a box and hand them off with a bow on top — it’s not exactly rocket science.

However, the secret to transforming an otherwise humble package of baked goods into something memorable all comes down to presentation.

Even adding a simple handwritten tag to a plain brown paper bag of homemade cookies adds a touch that comes straight from the heart.

• Choose a sturdy container like a covered tin or plain heavy cardboard. I love this wooden box, with a sliding top and compartments for each cookie stack. It can be used over and over, and it’s sturdy enough for transporting your creations without crushing or crumbling them.
• Line the container with parchment or wax paper. If you can find festive food-friendly tissue paper, use it for wrapping stacks of cookies.
• For shipping the cookies, cut out a sheet of bubble wrap to fit into the bottom of the container, adding more between layers.
• Use large muffin or cupcake liners or other dividers like pieces of cardboard to organize the cookies.
• Fill spaces in between the cookies with crinkled gift basket paper, crumpled foil or tissue.

Decorating cookie boxes or bags

Make your gift package some holiday flair by embellishing it with a few inexpensive items, easily found in stationary or craft stores. For containers without a lid, securely wrap in plastic or cellophane before adding a ribbon.

If your container has a lid, tie a ribbon around it and add a gift tag attached with a piece of twine or colorful string.

• Fabric ribbons and rustic jute twine
• Plain gift tags or labels to write on
• Tissue paper (if you’re wrapping cookies directly in tissue, use food-safe paper)
• Kraft paper and bags

Easy cookie recipes for making and sharing

This is a selection of sample of cookies I used in my holiday cookie box:

Rosemary Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

These tender bites are pretty, easy to make lemon-scented glazed cookies made with Italian polenta (or cornmeal), and decorated with fresh rosemary and pine nuts.

Rustic Almond Jam Cookies

Fuss-free, tender jam-filled cookies made with a buttery toasted almond dough.

Double Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Easy to make chocolate biscotti cookies dipped in dark chocolate. These crunchy cookies are perfect for gift-giving or a coffee break treat!

Hazelnut and Cocoa Snowballs

The classic nutty, crumbly snowball cookie, updated with toasted hazelnuts and cocoa powder.