holiday cookie box 2020
Here it is! The inaugural Venturing East cookie box. Don’t let the variety intimidate you – there is no one perfect way to bake for and style a cookie box. One can be as simple or as decorative as you’d like. This year, with isolation and thus an extra span of time on my hands, I went a little hogwild with my baking sheets, but if I’m honest I’ll probably embrace this project even when the current era melds into something hopefully calmer. Such a wonderful way to gift a swath of people with a mishmash of tastes, and I’m sure too plenty of leftovers to keep for yourself. I ate so much dough in the process of each recipe. Not advocating for e.Coli, obviously, but we all do it. Don’t lie.
This year’s cookie box:
Links added as recipes post!
Soft Double Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies (An early VE favorite!)
Graham Cracker Gingerbread Crumb Bars
Salty Pretzel Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Bars
Salted Caramel Mocha Fudge Brownies with Coffee Buttercream
Slice & Bake Brown Butter Candied Pecan Cookies
Prep your box
Since I wasn’t shipping any of my cookies, I chose to use t-shirt boxes as my cookie-bearing vessel. I bought a three pack for $3 at Target, they have a ton of adorable designs and are suitably affordable. If you are sending them out into the postal world, grab some clean shoe boxes instead for the thicker, sturdier walls.
As dividers, I purchased a big sheet of cardboard and spent maybe 15 minutes cutting rectangles measured to fit the box appropriately with the number I needed. I made 7 of similar size. Doesn’t need to be perfect!
To fill the empty spaces and as extra cushioning, I used tissue paper. If you are shipping, bubble wrap or foam beneath the tissue paper adds an extra protective layer against bumps and jostles. Wrap two cookies, undecorated sides pressed gently together, in plastic wrap to consolidate space and keep them even safer.
When placing your cookies, always set the heavier ones on the bottom and the more fragile ones atop. Divide layers of cookies with parchment or additional tissue paper, and add a sheet on top, nudging the edges into the crevices between cookies and the walls of the box, before putting the lid on to further keep things from sliding around. The more snug the cookies are, the better!
If you are shipping, write FRAGILE in the biggest, boldest, most obnoxious print you can. Write it 100 times. Don’t let the postal company bully your cookies.
What a treat for your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, whomever! Who will you give a cookie box to this year? Which recipe are you most excited to try? Let me know your thoughts on this holiday cookie box expedition and don’t forget to connect with me on Instagram!
