Cookies Worth Gifting
Beautiful cookies made to be shared.
Discover inspired techniques, elegant finishes and thoughtful details that turn homemade Christmas cookies into gifts worth giving.
Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means The Refined Baker may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Every product is thoughtfully selected for its quality, usefulness, and appeal to the accomplished home baker.
DESSERT DESERVES AN ENTRANCE
THE CHRISTMAS CLASSIC
Linzer Cookies
Buttery, delicate and unmistakably festive, Linzer cookies may be the prettiest way to show off a beautiful preserve. A dusting of sugar and that jewel-like window do nearly all the decorating for you.
THE EASY SHOW-OFF
Embossed Christmas Shortbread
A deeply patterned rolling pin turns simple shortbread into something that looks almost too beautiful to eat. The secret is choosing a dough that holds its shape—and letting the pattern replace the decorating entirely.
THE LITTLE LUXURY
Chocolate-Dipped Spritz
Tender, buttery spritz cookies become gift-box worthy with one small upgrade: a dip in good chocolate. Pistachios, toasted hazelnuts or sparkling sugar add the finishing touch.
MORE THAN A DOZEN COOKIES
The Art of the Cookie Box
The most beautiful cookie boxes are all about the mix. Pair buttery shortbread with chocolate, jewel-bright Linzers with piped spritz, and crisp cookies with something tender and filled.
Vary the shapes, then add a few easy finishing touches—dark chocolate, chopped pistachios, powdered sugar or a beautiful preserve. The result feels abundant, thoughtful and unmistakably homemade.
THREE COOKIES WORTH DISCOVERING
01 — THE PASTRY-SHOP COOKIE
Hazelnut Praliné Sandwich Cookies
Two crisp, buttery cookies become something altogether more interesting with a layer of hazelnut praliné tucked between them.
Keep the cookies simple and let the filling be the surprise. A thin dip or drizzle of dark chocolate and a scattering of toasted hazelnuts are all they need to look—and taste—like they came from a very good pastry shop.
02 — THE JEWEL BOX
Golden Plum Thumbprints
Thumbprints may be familiar, but the filling can completely change their personality. Golden Mirabelle plum preserves bring a delicate fruitiness and unmistakably French touch.
Roll the edges in finely chopped almonds or pistachios before baking, then fill the centers with the golden preserves for a cookie that practically glows in the box.
03 — THE DELICATE ONE
Dark Chocolate Almond Florentines
Thin, crisp and almost impossibly lacy, Florentines look far more complicated than they really are. Almonds, sugar, butter and cream melt together in the oven to create their signature caramelized texture.
Finish them with a thin layer of dark chocolate—or sandwich two together with chocolate between them—and suddenly one of the simplest cookies in the box may be the one everyone remembers.
BEAUTIFUL WAYS TO GIVE
Nashville Wraps
The Pâtisserie Box
A metallic-gold presentation box with a clear window and attached ribbon turns a homemade cookie assortment into a proper holiday gift.
L’Étiquette
The Finishing Touch
Beautiful ribbon is sometimes all a simple box needs. Look beyond basic satin to velvet, metallics and textured finishes worthy of what’s inside.
Fran’s Cake & Candy
The Linzer Box
Six individual round wells give jewel-bright Linzers their own little stage, while the window keeps those powdered-sugar tops on display.
THE COOKIE GIFTING TOOLBOX
Ateco
Linzer Tart Cookie Cutter Set
A fluted cutter with six interchangeable centers makes those signature jewel-like Linzer windows beautifully easy to create.
Pastrymade
Christmas Reindeers Embossed Rolling Pin
Deeply engraved reindeer, snowflakes and holiday details turn simple shortbread into beautifully patterned Christmas cookies—no piping required.
OXO
Good Grips Cookie Press
Twelve stainless-steel disks make it easy to pipe a varied assortment of buttery spritz cookies ready for chocolate, nuts and sparkling sugar.
Ateco
14-Piece Decorating Set
A pastry bag, coupler and twelve stainless-steel tips provide everything needed for piped details, fillings and polished finishing touches.
Bonne Maman
Delicate golden Mirabelle plums bring a distinctly French touch—and a beautiful jewel-like glow—to thumbprints and sandwich cookies.
Golden Plum Mirabelle Preserves
Valrhona
60% Hazelnut Praliné
A professional pastry-kitchen filling made with 60% hazelnuts, with deep caramelized flavor for sandwich cookies, ganache and buttercream.
The Best Cookies Are the Ones We Give Away
A beautiful cookie doesn’t need elaborate decorating to feel special. A favorite preserve, an unexpected filling, a lovely pattern or simply a thoughtfully chosen box can turn something homemade into a gift that feels anything but ordinary.
Bake a few favorites, add something new, and make the box as much fun to open as the cookies are to eat.
Because sometimes the sweetest part of holiday baking is deciding who gets the first box.