I was so pumped about last year’s cookie tins, I just wish I had thought to take better photos!

Every year I get some cookie tins (usually from Michaels) to hand out some baked goodies as gifts. Try and round up some tins after the holidays when they are on sale!

I try and include a bunch of different ends of the cookie spectrum in the tins. Variety is key! Something jammy, something with nuts, something chocolaty, something gingerbread and/or iced, something crunchy etc.

To bring the wow factor in a cookie tin, I like to add in little extra details. You can add things like cupcake liners to hold groups of cookies, festive string to tie some cookies together, little chocolates and candy canes. The little store bought extras also double as fillers for any empty spaces! I also line the bottom of my tins with some tissue paper.

Here’s a roundup of the cookies I included in my tins last year:

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  1. Almond Spritz Cookies – My favorites that I’ve make every year since forever! You need a cookie press for these. Super simple almond flavored cookies, and little and easy to eat 10 in one sitting.
  2. Shortbread Linzer Cookies – Jammy classics! An American take on the festive sandwich cookie. You need some linzer cookie cutters for these bad boys to get the cute little cutout window.
  3. Dark Chocolate Pistachio Slice & Bake Cookies – Salty, sweet and super simple to make. Bonus is that you can make these ahead of time and they look impressive!
  4. Gingerbread Cookies – Gingerbread usually isn’t my thing but these were delicious and I ate my body weight in them. I dunked some gingerbread men in chocolate to make it look like pants and added some icing for suspenders! Snowflakes and trees were also relatively easy to ice as a novice cookie decorator.
  5. Lace Cookies – These might have been my favorites but they are tough to make ahead of time so keep that in mind! These cuties looked great tied up with red and white string.
  6. Chocolate Crinkle Cookies – Yummy and festive with candy cane Hershey’s Kisses!
  7. Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge – The most simple and easy of all the recipes in here. What makes them so dang cute was using a silicone Christmas tree mold.

I’ll report back with any new recipes I add to my tins this year! Happy baking.