A small thank-you tin is a thoughtful way to mark the busy holiday season. These 19 cookie recipes offer a mix of familiar flavors and different textures, from jam-filled thumbprints and frosted carrot cake cookies to shortbread and chocolate crinkles. Choose sturdy cookies for stacking, add softer or frosted ones in their own liners, and arrange a few varieties for a homemade gift the mail carrier can take home.
Lemon and Blueberry Muffin Cookies
Bright citrus and juicy berries give Lemon and Blueberry Muffin Cookies a soft, muffin-like center with crisp edges. They take about 45 minutes and yield 13 cookies, with lemon zest and juice balancing blueberries in a buttery dough. A crumbly finish adds a bakery-style touch without making them fussy to pack. Let them cool fully before stacking them in a holiday tin, and tuck parchment between layers to protect their tops.
Get the Recipe: Lemon and Blueberry Muffin Cookies
Copycat Crumbl Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookie
The familiar sandwich flavor gets a bakery-style look in Copycat Crumbl Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookie. Peanut butter goes into both the cookie and its frosting, with strawberry preserves piped into the center. The batch serves six large cookies and takes about 35 minutes. Its soft, frosted finish suits a small gift box or the top layer of a tin, where each cookie can be kept separate from crisp varieties.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Crumbl Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookie
Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Spiced centers and tangy frosting bring carrot cake flavor to Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting. Shredded carrots, almond flour, oats, maple syrup, and walnuts or pecans make up the cookies, with vegan cream cheese frosting between them. The recipe makes 10 sandwich-cookie servings and takes about 50 minutes. Pack these separately in paper liners so their creamy centers stay neat in a holiday assortment.
Get the Recipe: Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chewy centers and golden edges make Chocolate Chip Cookies a familiar choice for a mixed holiday tin. Butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and chocolate chips build the classic flavor, and the batch yields 36 cookies in about 18 minutes. Their straightforward shape stacks easily once cooled, so they work well as the sturdy base layer beneath more delicate treats. Pair a few with a mug of cocoa for a simple seasonal gift.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan Amaretti Cookies
Delicate crackles and chewy centers make Vegan Amaretti Cookies a lovely small treat. Almond flour, aquafaba, lemon zest, and amaretto create their distinct flavor without eggs or dairy. The recipe yields 35 cookies and takes about 1 hour 10 minutes, including chilling. Their small size makes them easy to tuck into gaps in a cookie tin, where they add a crisp contrast to softer frosted cookies.
Get the Recipe: Vegan Amaretti Cookies
Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Sliceable squares turn a simple cake mix into a sharing treat with Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. Eggs, vegetable oil, water, and chocolate chips combine with the yellow mix, and the recipe makes 12 servings in about 54 minutes, including cooling time. Cut the bars into even pieces for a tin or gift box, adding parchment between them so the chocolate chips do not catch on neighboring cookies.
Get the Recipe: Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Pecans
Tender, warmly spiced centers make Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Pecans a seasonal change of pace in a holiday tin. Pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and chopped pecans flavor the dough. The batch makes 12 cookies in about 30 minutes. Their tender texture is best protected with a paper liner between layers, and a few alongside crisp shortbread give the tin a pleasing mix of bites.
Get the Recipe: Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Pecans
Lemon Cookies
Glazed tops give Lemon Cookies a bright, sweet-tart finish that stands out among richer holiday sweets. Lemon zest and juice flavor the buttery dough, while confectioners’ sugar forms the topping. The recipe makes 36 cookies in about 27 minutes, so there are plenty to divide between tins or share at a holiday gathering. Let the glaze set before packing, then place parchment between layers to keep the tops looking tidy.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Cookies
Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Cake Cookies
Fudgy centers and a soft, thick shape make Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Cake Cookies feel like a small cake in cookie form. Cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and a cocoa cream cheese topping give them their rich finish. The recipe yields 10 cookies in about 25 minutes. Since the topping is soft, place each cookie in its own liner and keep them on top of the tin rather than stacking them.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Cake Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Nutty, gently sweet bites make Peanut Butter Cookies a welcome classic in a holiday assortment. Peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and flour form the dough, and the batch yields 12 cookies in about 26 minutes. Their simple shape is easy to pack once fully cool, making them a useful choice for filling out a thank-you tin alongside jam-filled or chocolate-covered varieties. Add a note with the gift for a personal touch.
Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter Cookies
No Bake Maple Pecan Cookies
Oven-free No Bake Maple Pecan Cookies are a useful option when holiday baking trays are already full. Oats and pecans are held together with maple syrup and butter, then chilled until set. The batch makes 24 cookies and takes about 2 hours 20 minutes, including the setting time. Their rustic shape fits snugly into a tin, and they add a maple-forward choice beside the usual baked chocolate and spice cookies.
Get the Recipe: No Bake Maple Pecan Cookies
Marry Me Cookies
Toasty edges and chewy centers give Marry Me Cookies a warm, browned-butter aroma, with oats and white and semisweet chocolate chips adding contrast. The recipe makes 12 cookies in about 23 minutes, so it can be a last-minute addition to a holiday tin. Cool them completely before packing to keep the centers from softening the other treats. Their chewy texture and mix of chocolates give a classic cookie assortment a slightly different option.
Get the Recipe: Marry Me Cookies
Sweet Salted Honey Cookies
Lightly sweet with a sprinkle of flaky salt, Sweet Salted Honey Cookies stand apart from the usual sugar cookie. Butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and honey flavor the dough, and the recipe yields 12 cookies in about 52 minutes. Their gently spiced taste suits a holiday thank-you tin with shortbread or chocolate cookies. Let the salt-topped cookies cool fully before arranging them so the edges stay intact.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Salted Honey Cookies
Banana Pudding Cookies
Nostalgic and soft, Banana Pudding Cookies bring a new twist to a cookie tin staple. Pudding mix, ripe banana, brown sugar, and white chocolate chips shape the sweet, tender batch. It yields 18 cookies in about 27 minutes, making it easy to set some aside for gifting and keep the rest at home. Use paper liners between layers because these softer cookies can press against firmer shortbread.
Get the Recipe: Banana Pudding Cookies
Shortbread Cookies
Buttery, crisp edges make Shortbread Cookies one of the sturdier choices for stacking in a holiday tin. Butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, flour, and cornstarch form a simple dough, and the recipe yields 16 cookies in about 42 minutes. Their mild sweetness balances jam and chocolate flavors in the same box. Once fully cooled, layer them near the bottom where they can support softer cookies packed in liners above.
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Spiced Apple Cookies
Fruit-filled and warmly spiced, Spiced Apple Cookies bring a seasonal note to a holiday tin. Butter, brown sugar, and chopped apple give the cookies a soft bite, with a simple brown sugar finish adding more sweetness. The small batch yields nine cookies and takes about an hour. They make a thoughtful addition when the tin is meant for one recipient or a smaller household, and pair nicely with crisp shortbread and chocolate crinkles.
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Vegan Sugar Cookies
Soft middles and lightly crisp edges make Vegan Sugar Cookies a simple pick for a holiday thank-you tin. Vegan butter, almond milk, vanilla, and flour create an egg-free, dairy-free dough, rolled in sugar before baking. The recipe yields 12 cookies in about 27 minutes. Their plain tops can be left as they are or decorated with sprinkles, and their straightforward shape makes them easy to arrange beside more colorful treats.
Get the Recipe: Vegan Sugar Cookies
Thumb Print Cookie
Jewel-like centers give Thumb Print Cookie its familiar look and a fruity note among richer holiday flavors. The buttery dough uses egg yolks, vanilla, and flour, with strawberry or apricot jam filling each center. The batch makes 12 cookies in about 24 minutes. Let the jam set before packing and keep these in a single layer if possible, so the filled centers remain neat in the thank-you tin.
Get the Recipe: Thumb Print Cookie
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Snowy, crackled tops give Chocolate Crinkle Cookies a festive finish for a holiday tin. Cocoa, sugar, oil, eggs, and flour make a fudgy dough that chills before baking. The recipe yields 24 cookies and takes about 4 hours 27 minutes from start to finish, so plan ahead for the rest time. Their crackled tops bring a festive look alongside thumbprints, shortbread, and other homemade sweets.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies