Stock up before your next cookie swap.
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While it’s the most wonderful time of the year, the holiday season is also the busiest. From shopping for presents to hanging holiday decorations and spending time with family, there’s so much to do during the season. Another seasonal gathering that’s popular in the South is the cherished cookie exchange. Cookie exchanges are a great way to get the family baking together and share beloved recipes with friends.
As you prepare for your upcoming cookie exchange, you’ll need to purchase some kind of container to store your cookies. While Tupperware can work, there’s something so festive about a classic Christmas cookie tin. Not only are cookie tins much more decorative than other containers, but the right ones will keep your cookies nice and fresh as you transport them.
To help you purchase the best Christmas cookie tins, we have included a few options below, along with important tips about the best type of tin to buy, storing the cookies, and other uses for cookie tins.
These spacious Christmas cookie tins are ideal for holding a variety of cookies and treats. The set of three includes small, medium, and large tins, all of which have a festive red and white design. As opposed to standard tins, these are made from food-grade steel that will last for years. Whether you’re attending an office Christmas party or a large family gathering, these tins will help safely transport baked goods to any event. Plus, they nest inside one another for compact storage. And after the holidays, you can also use the tins to store sewing supplies, office items, and small Christmas decorations.
Size: 5.7 x 3.5 inches; 6.8 x 3.5 inches; 8 x 3.5 inches | Material: Stainless steel
This affordable container is perfect for smaller gatherings or for giving cookies to your neighbors. It’s the only plastic container on our list, and the tight-fitting lid ensures cookies and other baked goods stay fresh for days. Our only suggestion is that you wait until the cookies cool off before adding them to the container. Choose from seven different festive designs, including snowmen, snowflakes, Santa, and more—grab one of each for everyone on your list.
Size: 7.4 x 2.7 inches | Material: Plastic
This tall cookie tin makes it easy to layer different Christmas cookies with other holiday desserts such as peppermint bark, gingerbread, and Oreo balls. The exterior of the tin is adorned with mistletoe and poinsettia flowers. Besides using the box to store desserts, this gift box is the perfect centerpiece to use for holiday gatherings. For a great gift for neighbors or anyone on your list, try pairing it with the matching kitchen towel from Wondershop.
Size: 8.5 x 6.8 inches | Material: Tin
Now you can build a snowman without having to go outside. These festive holiday tins can easily be stacked to create a snowman or Santa Claus figures. You can even mix and match the tins to create different figurines. This set features small, medium, and large tins (a hat, face, and body, respectively). Besides cookies, you can also use the tins as storage containers for holiday crafts or just for decor.
Size: 3.5 x 2 inches (hat); 4 x 3 inches (face); 5 x 4.3 inches (body) | Material: Tin
The holiday ham won’t be the only item that receives a bunch of compliments. This Christmas cookie tin features a Santa workshop theme complete with snowmen, Christmas trees, and of course, Santa Claus. While the upper part of the tin can’t hold any cookies, the bottom part has more than enough room to store those delicious baked goods. Since this is such a decorative tin, kids can use it to store their toys once the cookie swap is over.
Size: 5.5 x 6.5 x 6.25 inches | Material: Tin
The transparent lids of these containers will put your delicious cookies and baked goods on full display. These tins come in a set of three, so you can give away multiple during the holiday season. Each tin comes in a different size and has a different festive design on the lid for a bit of variety. To add to the presentation of the cookies, try using cupcake liners to package them.
Size: 6 x 2 x 6 inches; 7 x 2.4 x 7 inches; 8 x 3 x 8 inches | Material: Tin and plastic
These charming cookie tins are small enough to use as stocking stuffers—just note that they’re better suited for smaller treats like homemade fudge or divinity. Each tin is shaped as a holiday character, including Santa Claus, a snowman, a gingerbread man, and a penguin. The tin can easily be reused to store small items like a sewing kit, small toys, or Christmas cards.
Size: 4.3 x 2 x 5 inches | Material: Tinplate
Inspired by the 19th-century American poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, these tins are embellished with holiday illustrations and golden swirls, making them as decorative as they are functional. And come time to put away the decorations, the tins can easily fit inside of each other for compact storage. Consider adding the matching silicone spatulas to make a more complete gift.
Size: 7.5 x 2 inches; 8 x 2.8 inches; 8.8 x 3.5 inches | Material: Tinplate
What makes this tin stand out from all the rest is the ability to customize it with a name and phrase of your choosing. You can also choose from three different sizes. The tin comes with a festive wreath design encircling the text. The personalized lid makes this a tin they’ll continue to use for years. And when filled with homemade treats, it makes a thoughtful gift for teachers, too.
Size: 7 x 2.5 inches or 8 x 3 inches or 10 x 3.5 inches | Material: Tinplate
While not technically a “tin,” this glass food storage container is another great option for storing and gifting cookies and treats of all kinds. Decorated with a gingerbread man, candy cane, Santa hat, and other holiday prints, the glass body is freezer, microwave, and oven safe (without the lid). The plastic green lid fits snug and keeps goods fresh for longer. The glass construction is sure to give years of use without denting or other damage.
Size: 6.2 x 3 inches | Material: Glass with plastic lid
Similar to our best overall pick, this set also has small, medium, and large tins that nest inside one another. Each tin has more than enough space to store brownies, cookies, and other delicious treats. The plaid design—available in both red and white versions—is versatile enough to use outside of the holiday season, too.
Size: 5.5 x 3.5 inches; 6.5 x 3.5 inches; 8 x 3.5 inches | Material: Tin
Although this tin is on the smaller side, we love its festive pickup truck design and seasonal message. On the upper part of the red lid, it says “Merry Christmas,” and on the bottom it reads “the most wonderful time of year.” You can purchase one for everyone on your list.
Size: 5.9 x 2.5 inches | Material: Tinplate steel
If you’re shopping online, some companies will provide you with a sizing chart that indicates the number of cookies that can fit into a small, medium, or large tin. Depending on the size of the cookies, an 8- by 3-inch round tin can fit about one batch of cookies (usually around two to four dozen cookies). For smaller treats like fudge or bourbon balls, you may be able to fit even more.
After letting the cookies cool for a few minutes, you will now have to place them in some type of container before giving them to the recipient. In general, it’s better to store cookies in a metal tin rather than a plastic one. Unlike plastic tins, metal tins are more durable and can protect the cookies from being easily damaged. Plastic also has a tendency to trap moisture inside, causing the cookies to become soft. Glass is another option if you want something freezer, oven, or microwave safe.
While it’s important to select the right tin, you also need to add other contents to further protect the baked goods. Lining the tin and layering cookies between parchment or wax paper will prevent them from sticking together and prevent them from losing their crispiness. If you’re adding a combination of cookies, we suggest putting them in cupcake liners. This method will help the cookies to stay separated from each other so the flavors don’t mix.
Besides storing delicious baked goods, you can use cookie tins to store sewing items, decorations, children’s toys, ingredients, clothing items, etc. Additionally, you can give a tin of cookies to the recipient, and then another tin full of small gifts.
This gift guide was written by Moriah Mason, a commerce writer for Southern Living. After thoroughly researching Christmas cookie tins, she determined the best based on cost, size, decor, shape, material, and other factors.
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