The Tray & Twine Christmas Baking Planner is a 19-page printable and fillable PDF for anyone who bakes a lot of cookies in December. It helps you decide how many cookies you actually need, plan the menu, shop once, bake on a schedule and get every tin to the right person on time. Type into it on your computer or tablet, or print the pages and use a pen.
Soft pink gingham, cranberry and sage colors make it feel festive without wasting ink, and every page has room to write.
Why this Christmas baking planner is different
Most holiday baking printables give you a recipe page and a grocery list. That helps, but it doesn’t answer the big questions: How many batches? Which day do I mix the dough? Did Aunt Lena’s box ship? This planner walks you through the whole season in order.
- Cookie Count Calculator: add up gift tins, parties and treats at home, allow 10% for breakage, then turn the total into batches and dozens.
- Six-week timeline: ready-made tasks for each week, so doughs get mixed and frozen early instead of all on one weekend.
- Gift tracker with Packed, Sent and Thanks boxes: no forgotten neighbors or late shipments.
- Reference pages you’ll actually use: scaling charts, cups to grams, oven temperatures and a storage and freezer guide.
What’s included
- Tray & Twine Holiday Baking Planner, US Letter PDF (8.5 x 11 in), 19 fillable pages
- Tray & Twine Holiday Baking Planner, A4 PDF, the same 19 pages
- User guide (Word .docx) with getting started steps, tips, troubleshooting and FAQ
The 19 pages
- Cover with a name plate for your kitchen
- Contents and how to use (every title is a clickable link)
- Baking Season Timeline: six weekly cards with check boxes and blank lines
- Cookie Count Calculator
- Cookie Menu: up to 25 cookies with recipe source, batches, cookies per batch, total, mix day, bake day, freezes and done
- Bake Day Schedule: two weeks of day boxes
- Pantry Check: 20 common baking ingredients listed, with Need, Have and Buy columns
- Grocery List sorted into six store sections
- Tools & Packaging checklists with Have and Buy boxes
- Cookie Gift Tracker
- Cookie Exchange Planner: party details, host checklist and guest table
- Cookie Swap Tags: eight cut-out tags with Contains (allergen) lines
- Family Recipe page
- Second Family Recipe page
- 4 x 6 Recipe Cards, two per page with cut lines
- Scaling & Conversions
- Storage & Freezer Guide with a freezer inventory table
- Taste Test Scorecard with three winner spots
- Notes for Next Year
How the holiday baking planner works
- Count. Fill in the Cookie Count Calculator. Six neighbor tins of 12 cookies is 72. Add your swap, the office party and Christmas Eve, add 10%, and you have your target.
- Plan. Pick recipes on the Cookie Menu until the totals reach your target. Give each one a mix day and a bake day.
- Schedule. Copy those days onto the Bake Day Schedule and tick off the timeline as you go.
- Shop. Check the pantry, then write only the missing items on the Grocery List.
- Share. Pack tins, tape on swap tags and track each delivery on the Gift Tracker.
- Remember. Score the batch on the Taste Test page and jot notes for next year.
Who it’s for
- Home bakers who make five, ten or fifteen kinds of Christmas cookies
- Parents sending treats to teachers, coaches and bus drivers
- Anyone hosting or joining a cookie exchange
- Families shipping cookie boxes to relatives in other states
- Bakers who want family recipes saved in one tidy place
Real ways to use it
The neighborhood tin run. List 14 households on the Gift Tracker, note who needs nut-free cookies and tick each box as you drop it off.
The cookie swap host. Send invites four weeks out, collect RSVPs and allergens in the guest table, then print a sheet of swap tags for everyone.
The make-ahead baker. Mix and freeze sturdy doughs in mid November, use the freezer inventory to see what’s ready, then bake fresh the week of the party.
File formats and software
- PDF files in US Letter and A4 sizes
- To type in the boxes, use a free PDF reader with form support, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader on Windows, Mac, iPad or Android
- To print, any home printer works. Print at Actual size or 100% so the recipe cards stay 4 x 6 inches
- The user guide opens in Microsoft Word or any app that reads .docx files
Customizing
Every blank line, table cell and check box is a fillable field. The ingredient names on the Pantry Check page are editable too, so swap molasses for maple syrup if that suits your recipes. The Grocery List uses a neutral Amount column, so write prices in any currency or use it for quantities. Print any page as many times as you need for your own home.
Digital download
This is an instant digital download. You will receive one ZIP file with both PDFs and the user guide. No physical item will be shipped. For personal use only: please don’t resell, share or upload the files.
Christmas baking planner FAQ
Is the planner dated?
No. It’s undated, so you can use it this Christmas and every year after.
Can I type in it on my iPad?
Yes. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader and tap any line to type. Some other apps only show the pages without the typing fields.
Does it do the math for me?
No, it’s a planner rather than a spreadsheet. The Cookie Count Calculator shows each step with a space for every number, so a phone calculator is all you need.
Which paper size should I use?
US Letter for the US and Canada, A4 for most other countries. Both files are included.
Can I print it more than once?
Yes, print as many copies as you like for your own household.
Will it print well in black and white?
Yes. The colors are soft and all lines and text stay clear in grayscale.
Is this a physical planner?
No. It’s a digital file you download and print or fill in yourself.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.