The Baker
Cat mom, software engineer, world traveler, baker, and probably the most Type A person you will ever meet… I’m Rachel Forbes, aka, SchleppingSugar!
The fact that I have an Instagram, adorable logo, and website for something that I basically do once a year probably tells you enough about me… If I can do it, I can overdo it.
Yes, I’m already in therapy.
I love to bake, I love to plan things, and I love to bring as much light as I can into this dark, weird world. I’ve learned over the years that I can’t do it alone, so join me!
Backstory
When I was little, my great grandma Hotchkiss would send us a tin of cookies every holiday season from New York. They were always so yummy and beautifully decorated, it was something I always looked forward to and it helped me to feel connected to her despite the distance. Even though she's been gone for many years, she continues to inspire me. Since her death, I've had the chance to look through her recipe box and I now have her pastry board in my home.
2020 was a pretty difficult year and the holiday season seemed so dark and lonely... I remembered how much I loved those tins of cookies from her, so I decided to bake holiday cookie boxes for select family and friends. I just wanted to bring some light into everyone's lives and it ended up being a huge hit!
After the success of 2020, it has now formed into a yearly fundraiser for a non-profit I am passionate about.
Supporting
Supporting
In 2025, I made cookie boxes to support World Central Kitchen (WCK). World Central Kitchen is a nonprofit organization that provides fresh meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. They believe, like myself, that food is a universal human right. WCK responds everywhere, no matter the circumstances, and they respond rapidly, because hunger is now. Have you ever had a horrible day or week and someone made or brought you a meal? It wasn't just about the meal, it was about the care put into it. Food is love, especially in a crisis. WCK provides hope and dignity for people by bringing them food familiar to the region, working with local partners to enable the community to be involved, while also focusing on sustainability.
2025 Cookies
Gingerbread Blondies
It’s time to capture all the warmth and spice of a classic gingerbread cookie in a rich, chewy bar form. With notes of molasses, brown butter, and cozy spices like ginger and cinnamon, they offer a festive and deeply caramelized twist on the traditional blondie.
Sugar Cookies
A classic cutout sugar cookie with delicious homemade royal icing and a subtle almond flavor to bring it home. This is the sugar cookie you take out of the tin and say, “I’ll only have one…” Then you end up eating all of them because they’re sweet, but somehow not too sweet?
Espresso Amaretti
This is a sophisticated twist on the classic Italian confection, infusing the almond-rich chewiness with a bold coffee flavor. The bittersweet espresso perfectly complements the sweet almond, creating a wonderfully complex and irresistible bite-sized treat.
Raspberry Pistachio Rugelach
Made of a flaky, buttery, cream cheese pastry with layers of cinnamon and sugar, raspberry jam, and toasted pistachios, this rugelach is so delicious. I've even seen people fight over the last one on the plate.
Apple Pie Bites
If you think it doesn’t get better than a good apple pie, get ready to be wrong. These apple pie bites are spice forward, buttery, and the perfect size to eat 100 of.
Chocolate Irish Cream Macarons
Chocolate macaron shell with a lightly boozy whipped chocolate ganache… It wouldn’t be boozy enough for Prue Leith, but it’ll get you through the next hour of the family gathering… Plus, it’s kid approved!
Process
Plan & Test Cookies
To me, this is the most stressful part… It’s all about choosing exciting cookies, balancing flavors, and creating a beautiful looking assortment. In classic Rachel form, I test bake all of the cookies while taking detailed notes and photographing everything.
Finally, I invite a very special group of people over for a lovely Friendsgiving where we taste test all the cookies and figure out if anything needs to be tweaked.
Signup Window
Cookies have been tested, photographed, and tweaked… Now folks can sign up for holiday cookie boxes until December 13th!
I’m not just sitting around during this time… I’m actively prepping the logistical side of the boxes! This means printing ingredient cards, shopping for ingredients, and putting together the aesthetics of the box as orders come in.
Baking Begins
Orders are in, boxes are set, it’s time to bake! It is at this point that NO changes can be made to the boxes, so get any tweaks, requests, or dietary concerns in before signups close!
For the next four and a half days I will be spending at least 12 to 14 hours each day in the kitchen batch baking and packing all of the cookies into the boxes for each order. I’ll be very busy and hard at work to get all the holiday cookie boxes together, but will post periodically on Instagram with small updates.
Holiday Cookie Boxes Delivered & Shipped
For special cases, I deliver and ship holiday cookie boxes. Now that the baking is done and boxes are packed, it’s time to load up and get all of the shipped boxes to the lovely USPS and deliver the few to those who have special needs.
Pick up your holiday cookie box (or boxes!) from my home in Whittier Heights, Seattle during the listed dates/times. This is when I will be home relaxing and available for pickup, however, you can always contact me to figure out another date/time to pick up.
Please note that I cannot accept pickups before December 19th as I need the time to actually batch bake the cookies.
Pickup Window
Final Update
At this point, hopefully everyone is digging into their holiday cookie boxes and enjoying all of the delicious cookies. But my job isn’t over yet… I will do a final post with all of the details about how much money was raised and also send out a thank you email to everyone who donated and ordered a holiday cookie box.
FAQs
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I worked in food service during my teen years, but most of my experience comes from working in my synagogue’s commercial kitchen to cook and bake food for Shabbat and various holidays. In order to do this, I maintain a current food handler’s permit.
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No, in fact I donate all of my time and pay for all of the ingredients and supplies myself. I do all the baking and packing during the first week of my winter PTO, so I can focus on getting the cookie boxes out on time.
I also don’t make any money from my Instagram. I probably could, but I honestly can’t be bothered to figure out how to do it.
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You can! I do take occasional orders for baked goods, but during the month of December I specifically do a fundraiser with holiday cookie boxes.
If you would like to place a regular order, you can fill out my regular order form here.
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Yes, but each box requires its own donation.
Please only order a box for someone else if you plan to bring it to them or they have agreed to pick up.
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I value my time and skills, so I hope you do too! While this is a great way to get an amazing holiday cookie box, ultimately this is a fundraiser. Help me do some good and surpass my goal while getting an incredible cookie box in the process.
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I currently only do regular and gluten free holiday cookie boxes. I am as careful as I can be when creating the gluten free holiday cookie boxes… However, please note that I cannot support life threatening allergies and that all cookies are baked in a home kitchen with known allergens such as eggs, gluten, dairy, and nuts.
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Yes! I ship within the USA using USPS. I have a limited budget for shipping, so you have to pay for shipping to guarantee a shipped box.
Shipping fees range from $14 - $18 depending on the size of the box. I utilize Shippo to keep costs down.
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Yes. I have a limited capacity for how much I can physically bake within the four days I have alotted. If I hit the limit, I will have to close signups early.
The best way to guarantee a box is to donate and sign up early!
