Tag Archives: Cookie boxes

Holiday Cookies 2023

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This year’s holiday roundup is probably my prettiest and most delicious ever. I made all my favourites for gifting. Cookies are my love language and I love to share them. I enjoy the entire process of gifting, from baking to sourcing packaging, and designing and choosing the fonts for the labels.

Here are the links to all the recipes:

These adorable gingerbread cookie boxes are from karentology I preordered them in August as soon as I saw them.

I like to package each kind of cookie in a separate bag. These flat bottom cello bags are perfect for keeping cookies fresh.

I invested in a bag sealer many years ago. It just makes your cookies look so professional.

I label each kind of cookie. I really like these Avery kraft brown labels. They let the cookie be the star. Avery labels have a great free online design program that is simple to use.

Cookie Box

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Today is International Cookie Day. I can think of no better way to celebrate than with a cookie box. It’s hard to choose my favourite cookie. It’s like asking a parent to choose a favourite child. It all depends on the day and mood.

Some of the cookies in this box are over the top decadent indulgences. The Raspberry Sandwich Cookies ,the Coffee Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies and the Toblerone Shortbread fall into this category.

Some of the cookies have a quieter more humble flavour, like the Lemon Coconut Cookies and the Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies.

As in nature, no two of my snowflake cookies are exactly the same. I went with a pink and gold colour theme this year. Very glam. Even though we’re still mostly staying home, my cookies are dressed up and ready to party.

I make Chewy Gingerbread and Brown Sugar Snowflakes every year. This year I also added some reindeer to my collection. They are undeniably adorable and so much fun to decorate.

However you’re celebrating International Cookie day at your house, I hope it’s filled with lots of sweetness, butter and sugar.

Valentines Heart Brown Sugar Cookies

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I’m very excited to share these cookies with you. This little cookie box, packed with hearts would be such a lovely gift! While I love the look of decorated sugar cookies, most of them are just too sweet and lacking in flavour. I have solved that problem by flavouring and colouring the icing naturally, with freeze dried fruit powder. These are sugar cookies that people will actually want to eat.

Freeze dried fruit is not the same as dried fruit. Dried fruit is dehydrated and only about 75% of the water is removed. With freeze-drying, the fruit is placed into a vacuum chamber where the temperature is well-below freezing and 99% of the moisture can be removed from the fruit.

There are so many fruits that are freeze dried these days. I chose strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and peach. I buy my freeze dried fruit online. You can grind up the fruit in a food processor or spice grinder. I like to strain the powder after grinding, to eliminate any seeds. I mixed up a big batch of royal icing and divided it into 4 bowls and added the fruit powder until I got the colour and flavour I wanted. I also mixed in a little fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavours.

For the cookies, I used my favourite sugar cookie recipe from Bon Appetit. It uses brown sugar instead of regular granulated sugar, They are a little bit chewy in the centre and very delicious. I used a variety of heart cookie cutters sizes. I bought these ones on Etsy this year.

Click here to print recipe for Brown-Sugar-Heart-Cookies-Download

Double Chocolate Almond Butter Bark

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Today, an old favourite gets a makeover. I have been making this treat for many years to give away as part of a holiday cookie box. It is always met with awe at how pretty it is and, more importantly, how addictively delicious it is. The original was made with peanut butter but this year, I went rogue and used almond butter.

There is no baking involved and that gorgeous marbling effect on top takes about 40 seconds to create. No skill involved. It’s the perfect last minute holiday present or hostess gift. Everyone loves it and people will be impressed by your mad pastry chef skills.


A few tips to make sure yours comes out perfectly.

  • Line the baking pan with foil and then lay a piece of parchment paper on top of that.
  • Use real white chocolate, not white compound coating chocolate. Real white chocolate is ivory coloured. Compound coating chocolate is white and tasted like wax.
  • Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over gently simmering water, or on very low power in the microwave. White chocolate does not like high heat. You will scorch it.
  • I suggest adding chopped almonds to the mixture for extra crunch. Please use toasted almonds. Untoasted almonds take like sawdust when you chew them. Salted roasted almonds are an excellent choice.
  • Use good quality bittersweet chocolate for drizzling.
  • Don’t forget to finish it with flaky sea salt while the chocolate is still wet.
  • Give the bark at least 2 hours to chill before cutting it.
  • A large sharp chef’s knife or serrated knife is easiest for cutting into nice squares, although no one will complain if they get irregular shards.

Go forth and create. This confection is one of my favourites to make. I feel so artistic when I swirl the wet chocolate and create beauty.

Click here to print recipe for Double Chocolate Almond Butter Bark.