Last year, I mentioned the insane baking extravaganza I partake in each Christmas. If you were wondering if I got any smarter over the course of the last year, the answer is no, because I still made seven different cookies. Seven. Let that marinate in your mind a bit.

That being said, I’ve developed a few tricks for making it easier every year. The first is not including candy. It is way too labor intensive for me. I also use parchment paper for every batch of cookies, which makes clean up much easier. I use the same bowl to mix flour for every batch. And while I do try new recipes every year, I now rely heavily on my tried and true ones.

While the process is a little crazy, I always have fun delivering the boxes to friends. The holidays are so busy that it’s nice to have an excuse to say a quick “Hi” to old friends, kiss their babies and leave them with something nice.

Here’s what I included in the cookie boxes this year with links to the recipes.

Cookie Box:

1. Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip 
2. Sugar Cookies (recipe 2) – I use my mom’s frosting recipe instead, which is just a simple glaze (milk + powdered sugar) Adjust the levels until you have your desired thickness. If it’s too thin, it won’t cover the cookies.
3. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
4. My Mom’s Snickerdoodles
5. My Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
6. Sparkly Lemon Cookies
7. Chocolate Mint Crackles