I asked our Bakeable members, Community Cooks and editors to share tips for gift-worthy cookie trays. Here's what I learned!
Today’s Home Bakers Share Secrets for the Best Cookie Platters Ever
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Always Include the Classics
Bakeable member Peggy Daczewitz-Hamlin says every cookie platter needs to include the holiday cookies that everyone is craving. For Peggy, someone who’s been baking cookie platters for 40 years, that’s sugar cookies, vanilla-almond crescents and chocolate-dipped butter cookies.
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BePrepared
The perfect cookie tray is full of cookies and treats, so be prepared. Bakeable member Erin Gardner Defendorf explains that she likes to buy all of her ingredients in advance so she’s prepared to bake whenever she has a bit of free time. No one wants to run out in the middle of a bake for extra sugar!
If you really want to plan far, far in advance, you can freeze many common baking ingredients. Butter, chocolate and even flour get an extended life when kept chilled.
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Take Your Time
If you’re planning on baking up a bundle of cookies, don’t wait until the last minute. Instead, take your time. Gina Reilly in our Bakeable group says that she and her mother would start baking right after Thanksgiving and freeze the cookies as they went along so they had enough time to tackle everything they wanted to bake. It’s a good strategy! In general, cookies last up to six months in the freezer.
Gina’s Tip: Don’t add powdered sugar or frosting before freezing. Save that step until you plate and serve.
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Think About How the Tray Will Look
“Make sure you don’t have two of the same looking cookie,” Bakeable member Melanie Krause O’Brien suggests. She also recommends having a variety of sizes, colors and shapes.
Her recipe for the perfect cookie tray: snowball cookies, thumbprints, cutouts, spritz, a drop cookie and a new favorite. Sounds good to us!
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Keep the Cookies Small
Taste of Home senior editor Katie Bandurski recommends making smaller cookies. “You want one- or two-bite treats so people can try multiple varieties in one sitting.”
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Keep Your Cookies Separate (If You Can)
Community Cook Kallee Krong-McCreery recommends wrapping each type of cookie individually if you can. “That way the crisp stay crisp and the soft stay soft,” she says.
Also wrapping strongly flavored cookies, like anything with mint or spice, is always a good idea. You don’t want your peanut butter blossoms tasting of mint!
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Make More Than Just Cookies
You don’t need to limit your Christmas cookie platters to just cookies. Bakeable member Margaret Cangiano Spinale recommends adding homemade candy to the mix, like homemade bark, chocolate-peanut butter balls or chocolate-covered pretzels.
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Get Thrifty with Your Trays
Sure, you can invest in fancy new cookie tins and trays, but several Bakeable group members have a clever suggestion: Use thrifted platters and trays to plate up your cookies.
This is not only a great cost-saving tip, but it’s eco-friendly too! Second-hand shops and yard sales are a great resource for pretty vintage plates. You might even see some vintage Pyrex for yourself while you browse.
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Opt for Variety Over Quantity
Deb Irish-Galloway in our Bakeable group recommends “small amounts of a larger selection,” and we agree! It’s more fun to sample six types of cookies than to have a ton of two or three options. Need a shortcut to more cookies? Whip up this basic cookie dough—it’s the foundation for the five cookies shown in this photo.
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Grab Cupcake Liners to Organize
Ginnylee Ragland in our Facebook group recommends grabbing a package of cupcake liners to help organize your trays. Cupcake wrappers can help separate cookies and even hold quantities of homemade candies and candied pecans.
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Don’t Assemble Until It’s Time to Swap
“I keep my cookies in separate airtight containers until I’m ready to assemble the platters,” says former senior food editor Peggy Woodward. This way, crisp cookies can stay crisp, and soft ones stay soft. Plus, stackable containers are much easier to store than trays of cookies.
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Label Your Cookies
If you’re packaging cookies as gifts, Chris Carroll Jenkins in our Bakeable group recommends labeling any treats that contain nuts or other common allergens.
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Skip the Everyday Cookies
“My rule is no chocolate chip cookies,” says home baker Lisa Keller. “Christmas cookies should be special!” Bring out your most festive recipes in December.
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Don’t Be Afraid to Call the Pros
While many of us enjoy spending December in the kitchen baking up a storm, we don’t all have the time (or patience). In that case, Bakeable member Kay Wilhelm suggests her go-to strategy: “Call and support a small local bakery.” Or, order a batch from the best Christmas cookie delivery services. Hear, hear!
