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Cookie Advent Calendars 101: Your Questions Answered
Cookie Advent Calendars have been a part of Miss Cookie Packaging since day one! In fact, they're the very reason our company exists. What started in 2020 as a solution to one cookie decorator's packaging dilemma has grown into one of our most popular product lines, with coordinating cookie cutters, accessories, and even calendars for cake bites!
We know that creating advent calendars can feel like a pretty big undertaking. Between planning your designs, baking and decorating dozens (or hundreds!) of cookies, packaging everything, and figuring out pricing, there's a lot to consider. But the good news is that we've already done a lot of the planning for you!
Our calendars were designed by a cookier, for cookiers, with the goal of making the entire process a little easier. From matching cookie cutter sets to those little finishing touches that make your calendars look professionally packaged, we've thought through the details so you can spend more time doing what you do best.
Whether you're making advent calendars for the first time or looking to streamline your holiday production, we're sharing our favorite tips, answering your most frequently asked questions, and showing you all the products that can help make your advent calendars a holiday bestseller!
We've Done the Planning for You!
One of the biggest challenges of making cookie advent calendars is planning out all those little cookie designs! Luckily, we've taken care of that part for you. We offer a large selection of matching cookie cutter sets for both our 12-day and 24-day advent calendars, designed to coordinate with the artwork on each calendar. Every cutter is sized to fit perfectly inside our 2.5" x 2.5" tray cavities, so there's no need to worry about whether your cookies will fit!
Many of our matching cookie cutters are also available as STL files for those who prefer to 3D print their own cutters. We even offer edible printer images for some of our advent calendar cookie designs to make decorating that much easier!
Spend less time planning and more time baking and decorating!
SET – Grouchy Green Guy 12 Day Matching Cookie Cutters – 12 Cookie Cutters
Price range: $3.00 through $36.00
Not Just for Cookies This Year!
Over the past couple of years, cake pops have taken the confection world by storm, in no small part thanks to our friends over at Daisy Makes! This surge in cake POPularity has brought with it plenty of requests for a cake pop advent calendar, so we partnered with Daisy Makes to bring you the next best thing: Cake Bite Advent Calendars!
You might be wondering, why cake bites instead of cake pops? Well, there's one little problem with a traditional cake pop calendar: the sticks! A calendar designed to accommodate cake pops with 4.5" sticks would have to be HUGE, making it pretty impractical for both bakers and their customers.
That's where cake bites come in! If you're not familiar with them, cake bites are essentially cake pops without the sticks. Same delicious cake and frosting center, same chocolate coating, just in a convenient bite-sized form that's perfect for an advent calendar!
Together with Daisy Makes, we created the very first Cake Bite Advent Calendar, and Daisy Makes designed adorable matching poppers to go along with it! These poppers make it easy to create perfectly sized, uniform cake bites that fit right into the calendar's compartments.
Our Cake Bite Advent Calendars have slightly smaller tray cavities than our cookie calendars, measuring 1.5" x 1.5" x 1" deep. Most small poppers should work beautifully as long as the finished treats stay within those dimensions! Just be sure to roll your cake dough thin enough to leave room for the chocolate coating, keeping your finished cake bites under 1" thick.
If you'd rather keep your designs simple, we've also brought in some of Daisy Makes' square and circle poppers! Pair them with our BEAUTIFUL Sprinkles & Sparkles BB sanding sugars to add a little razzle-dazzle to your cake bites without spending hours on intricate designs!
Whether you're creating detailed holiday designs or keeping things simple with a little sparkle, our Cake Bite Advent Calendars are a great addition to your holiday menu!
Cake Bite Calendar – 12 Days of Cake Bites Countdown Calendars – Ornaments
Price range: $30.00 through $95.00
The Finishing Touches
You've got your calendars, your cutters, and your treats planned out, but what about those finishing touches? We've got plenty of accessories to help you package your advent calendars beautifully and give your customers the best experience possible!
Care Cards
Proper storage is important when you're gifting someone 12 or 24 days' worth of treats! Our pre-printed Sugar Cookie Care Cards provide helpful storage instructions for your customers, taking the guesswork out of keeping their cookies fresh throughout the countdown.
For our cake bite makers, we also offer a FREE printable Cake Bite Care Card PDF that you can download and print right at home!
We'll be covering general cookie and cake bite care in our FAQ below, including how far in advance you can prepare your treats, freezing recommendations, and tips for keeping everything fresh!
Stretch Loops
Our 16" stretch loops are perfect for easily attaching a poem card, care card, or gift tag to your advent calendars, or simply adding a beautiful finishing touch! We offer 6 gorgeous metallic colors in classic holiday shades to coordinate with your calendar designs. No fussing with ribbons or tying bows, just slip one around your calendar and your work is done!
Advent Calendar Poem Cards
Add a little extra Christmas magic with our Advent Calendar Poem Cards! These adorable cards are a sweet addition to your finished calendars and make the countdown feel even more special for your customers. They're an easy little extra addition that helps turn a box of treats into a memorable holiday gift!
Heat Seal Bags
We HIGHLY recommend individually bagging and heat sealing your cookies before placing them inside your advent calendars! Our 3" x 4" clear bags are a great fit for the mini cookies used in our calendars and help protect your decorated treats while keeping them fresh throughout the countdown.
Not sure which heat sealer to use or how far in advance you can package your cookies? Don't worry! We're answering those questions and more in the FAQ below!
Advent Calendar FAQ: Your Questions Answered!
From how far in advance you can bake your cookies to pricing, packaging, and storage, we get LOTS of questions about making advent calendars! We've rounded up some of the most common questions we receive to help you plan, prep, and sell your holiday treats with confidence.
Q: Can I Make My Cookies in Advance? Can I Freeze Them?
YES! You can absolutely make your cookies ahead of time, and they can last for MONTHS in the freezer! In fact, my husband and I actually think my cookies taste even better after they've been frozen. Weird, but true!
One of the best ways to take some of the stress out of holiday baking is to get a head start on your cookies. Whether you're making 12-day or 24-day advent calendars, baking and freezing in advance can save you a TON of time when those holiday orders start rolling in. So, if you haven't started baking for your advent calendars yet, this is your sign to get started TODAY!
Here's how we recommend freezing your cookies:
Undecorated Cookies (Naked Cookies, oo-la-la!): Once your cookies have cooled completely, stack them in a food-safe, airtight container. You can place parchment paper between the layers if you'd like, but it's not necessary. Secure the lid and pop them in the freezer!
Decorated Cookies: Make sure your royal icing has dried completely before individually heat sealing your cookies. Once sealed, stack them in an airtight container, secure the lid, and place them in the freezer.
Choosing Your Containers: Any food-safe container with a good seal should do the trick! I use Rubbermaid TakeAlongs containers, which measure approximately 13" x 8" x 3". I can fit about five layers of 3/8" thick (undecorated) mini cookies in each container! Just make sure your containers will fit in your freezer before stocking up, especially if you have an upright freezer.
Thawing Your Cookies: This part is IMPORTANT! When you're ready to use your cookies, remove the container from the freezer and leave it on the counter with the lid ON until everything has completely reached room temperature. This can take several hours or even overnight, depending on the size of your container. Opening the lid too early can cause condensation to form on your cookies, potentially damaging your beautiful decorations. But, if you leave the lid on, the condensation forms on the container, and not your cookies.
And here's some more good news: Your customers can freeze their cookies, too! Properly handled cookies can be frozen again, so your customers can keep their treats fresh until they're ready to enjoy them.
For the best quality, aim to use your frozen cookies within about 2–3 months, although the exact storage life will depend on your recipe, packaging, and freezer conditions.
Q: What Heat Sealer Should I Use for My Advent Calendar Cookies?
We HIGHLY recommend individually heat sealing your cookies before placing them inside your advent calendars! Not only does this help keep your cookies fresh throughout the Christmas countdown, but it also protects your beautiful decorations during packaging and handling.
You don't need any fancy or expensive equipment, either! A basic impulse heat sealer works great for cookie bags and is a worthwhile investment if you're planning to sell decorated cookies regularly.
Our 3" x 4" clear bags are perfectly sized for the mini cookies in our advent calendars. Simply slip your completely cooled and dried cookies into the bags, heat seal the open ends, and they're ready to go!
Just be sure to follow the instructions for your particular heat sealer, as settings can vary depending on the machine and the thickness of your bags.
Here are a few impulse sealers I recommend:
Q: How Should I Store My Cake Bites? Do They Need to Be Heat Sealed?
Unlike decorated sugar cookies, cake bites that are completely covered in chocolate or candy coating don't necessarily need to be individually heat sealed! The coating creates a protective barrier around the cake, helping lock in moisture and prevent it from drying out. Of course, that doesn't mean your cake bites will last forever! They still have a shelf life, and proper storage is important to keep them fresh and safe to eat.
You can absolutely still package your cake bites individually using our 3" x 4" clear bags, but keep in mind that our Cake Bite Advent Calendars have smaller compartments than our cookie calendars. You'll need to do a little extra trimming to get those bags to fit neatly inside!
Here are a few tips for storing your cake bites:
Room Temperature: Cake bites made with shelf-stable ingredients can generally be kept in a cool, dry place for 3-4 days. Keep them away from direct sunlight and heat to prevent the chocolate coating from melting. Remember that the coating helps preserve freshness, but it doesn't make perishable ingredients shelf-stable!
Refrigeration: Cake bites used in advent calendars should be refrigerated to help keep them fresh and safe to enjoy throughout the countdown! Cake bites made with shelf-stable, nonperishable ingredients may last up to 2 weeks when properly refrigerated at 40°F or below, depending on the recipe and preparation methods.
Freezing: Want to get a head start on your holiday orders? Cake bites can be frozen, too! Store them in a freezer-safe, airtight container, ideally in a single layer or separated with parchment paper. For best quality, aim to use them within 1–2 months.
Keep Them Protected: Even if you aren't individually bagging your cake bites, store them in a clean, covered container until you're ready to assemble your calendars. Be sure your chocolate coating is completely set before packaging.
One important thing to remember: Every cake bite recipe is a little different! Ingredients, fillings, and preparation methods can all affect shelf life. If you're selling cake bite advent calendars, make sure you've determined the appropriate storage requirements and use-by date for your specific recipe, especially since your customers will be enjoying their treats over several days.
And don't forget about our FREE printable Cake Bite Care Cards! They're an easy addition to your calendars and help your customers understand how to properly store and enjoy their treats throughout the countdown.
Q: Will Larger Treats Like Macarons or Rice Krispie Treats Fit in Your Advent Calendars?
Our traditional Cookie Advent Calendars are designed for mini cookies, with tray cavities measuring 2.5" x 2.5" x approximately 1" deep, so larger treats won't fit. BUT don't worry, we've got something for you, too!
We offer two holiday-themed Surprise Calendars with MUCH larger cavities measuring 3" x 3" x 3"! These calendars are incredibly versatile, and we have several customers who use them year after year for macarons, chocolate-dipped Rice Krispies treats, and all kinds of other delicious confections!
And the possibilities don't stop there! Think hot cocoa bombs, small sample bags of gourmet popcorn or snack mix, chocolate-dipped pretzel twists, and more! You could even package a few dipped pretzels together in a gusseted bag and tuck one into each compartment. How fun would that be?!
Whether you're a cookie decorator, chocolatier, or confectioner, our Surprise Calendars give you plenty of room to get creative with your holiday offerings. Who says advent calendars have to be just for cookies?
Q: How Do I Fold and Assemble My Advent Calendar?
Need a little help putting your advent calendars together? Check out this video below from my YouTube channel for a step-by-step walkthrough of how to fold and assemble your calendars!
Q: How Much Should I Charge for My Advent Calendars?
This is actually a SUPER in-depth question, and one with so many variables that I wrote an entire blog post AND created a pricing calculator to help you price your advent calendars (cookies or otherwise!) with ease!
The short answer? There's no one-size-fits-all price! Your pricing will depend on everything from your ingredients and packaging costs to the time you spend baking, decorating, and assembling your calendars.
If you're struggling to figure out what to charge, I highly recommend taking the time to read through my Pricing Blog and try out the calculator! It takes the guesswork out of pricing so you can make sure you're not just covering your costs, but actually making a profit from all your hard work!
Ready to Make Your Advent Calendars This Year?
We hope this guide has answered some of your questions and made the idea of tackling advent calendars a little less intimidating! Whether you're making cookies, cake bites, or something completely different, we can't wait to see what you create this holiday season!
Be sure you're following me on social media, because I'll be sharing DAILY advent calendar tips to help you make the most of your calendars this year!
And while you're here, don't forget to check out our HUGE CLEARANCE SALE! We're currently offering 50% OFF select 24-day Advent Calendars! There's absolutely nothing wrong with these calendars. We simply need to make room in our warehouse for new products and designs!
That means we're retiring some of our beloved calendar designs, and once they're gone, they're gone for good! So even if you're already set for this holiday season, if you're thinking about offering 24-day calendars next year and see a design you love, NOW is the time to stock up!
Happy baking, and here's to a sweet and successful holiday season!
