How to Assemble the Perfect Holiday Tray

The holiday season is all about the treats!  Everywhere you turn, there’s offerings of cookies, candies, cakes, candies, breads, rolls…you name it, there’s sure to be some sort of sweet and tasty dessert.  If you’re the one receiving these gifts of sweets – excellent!  If you’re the one assembling the tray to give out to others, we feel for you.  It can be quite stressful trying to figure out what items transport well, aren’t too tricky to make, look festive and appetizing, and most importantly – taste amazing!

We are here to present you with our comprehensive guide to THE PERFECT HOLIDAY TRAY!  This guide will give you the top items to gift to your friends and family, including both sweet AND salty goodies (because every now and then you need to balance out the sweet with something a little salty, right)?  Let the holiday festivities begin!

First Up – The Actual Tray!

There are plenty of cute baskets, boxes, bowls, platters, etc. that you can use for your holiday treats, but we’ve narrowed the choices down to ONE.  This is an affordable, large option that you can give to people without worrying about getting it back.  If you’re feeling extra creative, you could always use some paint pens to doodle around the outside edges.

The Unbeatable Cookie Combo

Next up – the cookies!  We think this is the perfect formula.  You have some festive options involving flavors like gingerbread and peppermint, and then some fruity flavors like dried cranberries and orange.  Check them out!

Soft Baked Gingerbread Cookies with Maple Glaze – not to exaggerate, but this is one of our favorite holiday cookies of all time!  Feel free to add more ground cloves and cinnamon for even more comforting flavor.

Chewy Cranberry Orange Cookies – good enough to eat year-round.  Plus, if you buy the giant bag of Craisins from Sam’s Club, this is a good way to use some of them!

Peppermint Shortbread Cookies – because they involve a shortbread dough, this makes them a little more unique than your average cookie.  Dip them in chocolate for added decadence!

Chocolate Espresso Martini Cookies – you can’t go wrong with a chocolate/espresso combo.  These decadent cookies will be a favorite of chocolate lovers everywhere!

Christmas Linzer Cookies – this is a classic cookie that’s simple but oh so delicious.  Who doesn’t like a cookie that involves copious amounts of raspberry preserves?

Salty Selections

We all know people who don’t particularly love the sweets.  Don’t leave them out from your holiday gift though!  Here’s some salty options everyone can snack on.

Sweet, Spicy, Smokey Almonds  – as the name suggests, these almonds have a little bit of everything!  Try Member’s Mark™ Cayenne Pepper for that hit of spicy flavor that makes these so addictive.

Parmesan Garlic Ritz Bites – these look so fun and festive, and they’re easy to make, too!  (Not to mention scrumptious, of course.)

Holiday Chex Mix – we know this has been around awhile and it’s at almost every holiday party you go to, but there’s a reason for that!  Here’s a quick recipe to get you started:

Ingredients

• 3 cups Corn Chex

• 3 cups Rice Chex

• 3 cups Wheat Chex

• 1½ cups pretzel twists

• 1½ cups mixed nuts (peanuts, cashews, or almonds)

• 6 Tbsp butter, melted

• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1½ tsp seasoned salt (like Lawry’s)

• ¾ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp onion powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250°F.

2. In a very large bowl, combine Chex cereals, pretzels, and nuts.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, Worcestershire, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.

4. Pour butter mixture over cereal mix and gently stir until evenly coated.

5. Spread onto a large rimmed baking sheet (or two).

6. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

7. Cool completely (it crisps as it cools), then store or serve.

Other Tasty Things

What would the holiday tray be without some of the goodies that people may not be familiar with, but they’ll end up requesting next year?

Salted S’mores Toffee Bark – so many flavors, so much deliciousness.  This is not your average peppermint bark!

Cinnamon Roll Muffins – people may not be accustomed to a breakfast item on their cookie tray, but trust us when we say, they will NOT be disappointed!

White Chocolate and Chocolate Dipped Mandarin Oranges – what a unique treat!  Only 3 ingredients are required for this new favorite.

Homemade Gumdrops – have you ever thought of making your own candy at home?  While it might not be at the top of your mind, it is rather satisfying when you tell people that everything on the tray is made from scratch!

Assembly and Transportation Tips

After all your hard work, you don’t want your efforts to be spoiled by crumbled cookies, flavors mashing up that definitely don’t belong together, and worst of all – stale food.  Here’s how to avoid all those mishaps!

Use the “Rule of Odd Numbers”

• Aim for 5–7 different cookies.

• Mix shapes, colors, and textures so the tray feels full and interesting.

Good variety combo:

• Chocolate (fudge brownie bites or crinkles)

• Light/vanilla (spritz or sugar cookies)

• Nutty (pecan sandies)

• Spiced (gingerbread or molasses)

• Filled or dipped (thumbprints)

Create Visual Balance

• Place larger cookies first as anchors.

• Group similar cookies together rather than scattering.

• Alternate light and dark cookies around the tray to avoid clumps of one color.

Add Height (Key for Wow Factor)

• Stack cookies in small piles of 2–3.

• Angle some cookies upright or lean them slightly.

• Use cupcake liners or small ramekins to lift smaller cookies.

Fill the Gaps Thoughtfully

• Use bite-size fillers to avoid empty spaces:

  • Chocolate truffles

  • Chocolate-covered pretzels

  • Peppermint bark pieces

  • Candied nuts

Keep Flavors Fresh

• Separate strong flavors (peppermint, anise) in their own area.

• Use cupcake liners to keep soft cookies from touching crisp ones.

Finish with Festive Touches

• Light dusting of powdered sugar right before serving.

• Garnish tray (not cookies) with:

  • Fresh rosemary sprigs

  • Cinnamon sticks

  • Dried orange slices

• Add small labels if gifting or hosting a cookie exchange.

Be sure to wrap the tray in Press’n Seal – it’s the best way to ensure the wrapping will stick to your tray and nothing gets lost along the way.  It even comes in festive colors!

Will you be making all these goodies for your friends and family?  Be sure to bookmark this post for next year!