Everyone, even the diet-conscious, loves a cookie basket gift!

Have you ever known a person who doesn’t love cookies? The absolutely perfect companion to a glass of milk or a steaming cup of Joe? I certainly have never met such an individual. Sure, a few people may be trying to watch their waistlines, but on the other hand, you only live once! Cookies are one of those wonderful, cheap thrills that must be indulged in, if only on occasion. So if youíre looking for a quick gift idea, think cookie baskets!

Baking cookies can be as much fun as eating them, so your gift brings a little joy to you right up front. No one cooks up a batch of cookies without tasting at least one. If youíre having a cookie-baking marathon, with a half-dozen different cookies to approve, you and the kids may then pass on dinner, but that can be OK once in a while.

If the recipient of your cookie basket gift is on a perpetual diet, but itís Christmas nonetheless, choose tasty low-calorie cookie recipes and donít get a gigantic basket! Be sensitive to dietary restrictions as well. Your friend suffering with diabetes may not have experienced the delights of a cookie in a year! Find cookies to fill that friendís cookie basket with cookies made with Splendaô and rolled oats for a cookie basket youíll know went to the right place. Including the recipes for your cookie basket treats can be an additional bonus for cookie-starved friends.

No matter who youíre bestowing with cookie goodness, the basket is of great importance when youíre evaluating the impact of the presentation. Itís somewhat like a cup of coffee. A cup of Joe in a plastic or paper cup will never taste as good as that self-same cup in an elegant ceramic or cut glass cup. The same applies to cookies. Look for baskets, of an appropriate size, which have some character or pizzazz about them. A good rule of thumb in choosing a good looking cookie basket is to ask yourself if that basket could be used decoratively for another purpose, such as a bread basket or sewing supply caddy. If it looks good as a display item, youíve got a winning cookie basket.

Next, search out a material to line the basket before you install your cookie treats. Fancy tissue paper, or colored cellophane with a pristine white paper doily on top make a nice presentation. Slip the cookies into the cookie basket and make a visual check. One trick to a successful cookie basket is to make the container as visually attractive as the contents are to the palate.

You can add ribbons, lace and other ornaments according to the taste of your recipient. Hey, that reminds me! How about a bag of freshly roasted coffee beans to make your cookie basket perfect?

If youíre baking for kids, you may as well forget the basket. Those cookies wonít make it past the cookie sheet!