Free cookie platter calculator. Enter servings to find the cookies and the chocolate in grams you need for a cookie platter at a party.
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Enter the number of servings you plan to serve. This cookie platter calculator allows 3 cookies and 20 grams of chocolate per serving, so a cookie platter for a party is easy to plan. For 20 servings, you need 60 cookies and 400 grams of chocolate, which is 5 dozen cookies. For 10 servings, you need 30 cookies and 200 grams of chocolate. Cookies per person scales in direct proportion, and the guest chart and chocolate guidance below help you turn the count into dozens, varieties, and a platter that looks generous without running out.
For a standard party, plan 3 cookies per person. That number matches the most common advice from party platter guides: enough for guests to try more than one variety, without assuming cookies are the only food on the table. If cookies are the only dessert, plan 4 cookies per person instead, and if the table also holds cake, brownies, and fruit, 2 cookies per person is plenty. Kids at a birthday party often eat 3 to 4 each, while adults at a wedding or office party usually settle at 2 to 3. The calculator uses 3 cookies per serving as its standard, and you can raise the servings number when cookies are the star of the dessert table.
Type in servings, and the calculator returns two numbers: total cookies and total chocolate in grams. The maths is simple and shown openly, so you can check it by hand. Cookies equal servings times 3, and chocolate equals servings times 20 grams. A dozen is 12 cookies, so divide the cookie total by 12 to get dozens for ordering. For a party of 25 guests, that is 75 cookies and 500 grams of chocolate, or 6 dozen plus 3 extra cookies. For 50 guests, it is 150 cookies and 1000 grams of chocolate, or 12 dozen plus 6 extra.
Cookies = servings × 3. Chocolate = servings × 20 g. The 3 cookies per serving covers a guest taking one of each of two or three varieties, which is how most platters are actually eaten. The 20 grams of chocolate per serving covers chocolate chips baked into the cookies and a small amount of chocolate for dipping or drizzling, which is the part other platter guides rarely quantify. If your cookies are mini cookies, use a higher servings number, because guests take more small cookies. If they are large bakery cookies, use a lower servings number, because one large cookie fills a guest the way two standard cookies would.
A birthday party needs 3 cookies per person, and 4 for children who treat the platter as the main event. A wedding dessert table needs 2 to 3 per person, because cake is usually served too. A holiday party or Christmas party needs 3 per person, with extra for guests who take cookies home. An office party needs 2 to 3 per person, since many guests graze rather than sit down to dessert. A cookie exchange is different: guests bring one dozen per person attending and take home one dozen, so the exchange total is 12 cookies per guest, not 3. A dessert table where cookies stand alone needs 4 per person, and a tasting party needs 2 to 3 dozen in total rather than a per guest count.
Use this chart to shop at a glance. For 10 guests: 30 cookies, 200 grams of chocolate, 2 dozen plus 6 cookies. For 20 guests: 60 cookies, 400 grams of chocolate, 5 dozen. For 25 guests: 75 cookies, 500 grams of chocolate, 6 dozen plus 3 cookies. For 50 guests: 150 cookies, 1000 grams of chocolate, 12 dozen plus 6 cookies. For 100 guests: 300 cookies, 2000 grams of chocolate, 25 dozen. Add a buffer of about 10 percent for breakage and for guests who take a cookie home, which turns 60 cookies into 66 and 150 cookies into 165. Rounding up to the next dozen is the simplest way to apply that buffer.
Mini cookies, about 1.5 inches across, are eaten in larger numbers, so plan 4 to 6 mini cookies per person. Standard cookies, about 2.5 inches across, are the calculator default at 3 per person. Large cookies, about 3 to 4 inches across, are filling enough that 2 per person is usually right. A standard recipe makes about 24 standard cookies, 36 mini cookies, or 12 to 15 large cookies, so a 60 cookie platter needs about 3 batches of standard cookies, or 2 batches of mini cookies. Mixing sizes on one platter looks generous, but keep the count honest: count each mini cookie as one cookie, and let guests take more of the small ones.
Chocolate on a cookie platter means two things: chocolate inside the cookies and chocolate for dipping or drizzling. At 20 grams per serving, a 20 guest platter needs 400 grams of chocolate in total, and a 50 guest platter needs 1000 grams. If you buy chocolate chips, that is roughly 2 cups for 400 grams and 5 cups for 1000 grams, depending on chip size. For a platter of plain sugar cookies with a chocolate dip on the side, reserve about half the chocolate for dipping and half for baking. Dark, milk, and white chocolate all weigh the same per gram, so the calculator total stays valid whichever chocolate you choose.
For a crowd, offer 3 to 4 varieties on a cookie board platter: one familiar favourite, one chocolate variety, one seasonal or nutty variety, and one lighter option such as a shortbread. Keep any gluten free cookies on a separate plate so guests with allergies can serve themselves safely. Arrange cookies in loose rows with small gaps, rather than stacking them high, so the platter looks full and guests can see every variety. Label each variety with a small card, and put the chocolate dipped cookies in the centre where they draw the eye. Refill from a backup tray rather than letting the platter sit half empty.
Bake drop cookies, shortbreads, and bars 2 to 3 days ahead and keep them in airtight containers at room temperature. Bake decorated sugar cookies 3 to 5 days ahead, once the icing has set. Freeze cookie dough in disks for up to 3 months, freeze baked undecorated cookies for up to 2 months, and freeze decorated cookies for up to 1 month, stored in single layers with parchment between them. If you buy cookies instead of baking, order by the dozen and round up: a bakery dozen is 12 cookies, so a 60 cookie platter is 5 dozen exactly. Buy the chocolate at the same time as the cookies, so the dip and drizzle are ready when the platter is built.
The most common mistake is counting only one cookie per person, which leaves the platter empty halfway through the party. The second is forgetting a buffer: breakage, crumbs, and take home cookies eat about 10 percent of the total. The third is planning a cookie exchange like a normal party: an exchange needs 12 cookies per guest, not 3. The fourth is offering only one variety, which bores guests who want a choice. The fifth is buying large cookies but counting them like standard cookies, which overshoots the budget. Check the count against the chart above, add the buffer, and the platter will last the whole party.
Plan 3 cookies per person for a standard party. That is the calculator default: 3 cookies and 20 grams of chocolate per serving.
For 10 guests you need 30 cookies, for 25 guests 75 cookies, for 50 guests 150 cookies, and for 100 guests 300 cookies, each at 3 cookies per person.
Plan 4 cookies per person when cookies are the only dessert. Raise the servings number in the calculator, or multiply your guest count by 4 instead of 3.
Plan 2 cookies per person when cake, brownies, or fruit are also served. Guests fill up on the other desserts, so the cookie platter lasts longer.
A birthday party needs 3 cookies per person, and 4 for children. A wedding dessert table needs 2 to 3 per person. A holiday party or Christmas party needs 3 per person. An office party needs 2 to 3 per person.
Divide the cookie total by 12. For 20 guests, 60 cookies is 5 dozen. For 50 guests, 150 cookies is 12 dozen plus 6 cookies, so order 13 dozen to cover the buffer.
Kids at a birthday party usually eat 3 to 4 cookies each, while adults usually eat 2 to 3. For a mixed party, use 3 per person as a safe middle number.
Yes. Mini cookies need 4 to 6 per person, standard cookies need 3 per person, and large cookies need 2 per person. Adjust the servings number when your cookies are much smaller or larger than standard.
Plan 20 grams of chocolate per serving. For 20 servings that is 400 grams, and for 50 servings it is 1000 grams, covering chocolate in the cookies plus dipping and drizzling.
Bake drop cookies and bars 2 to 3 days ahead, decorated sugar cookies 3 to 5 days ahead, and freeze dough for up to 3 months. If you buy cookies, order by the dozen and pick them up the day before the party.
Include 3 to 4 varieties: one familiar favourite, one chocolate variety, one seasonal or nutty variety, and one lighter option. Arrange them in loose rows, label each variety, and keep gluten free cookies on a separate plate.
Yes, add about 10 percent. For 60 cookies that means 66 cookies, and for 150 cookies it means 165 cookies. Rounding up to the next dozen is the simplest buffer.
A decorating party needs 3 to 5 cookies per person, since guests decorate and keep some. Gift tins need 4 to 8 cookies per box, depending on tin size.