Shipping Cookies – Protect Your Cookies During Transit

There’s nothing like a home baked cookie to say you love someone. Cookies are good for any occasion and always popular. You can delight a family member stationed overseas, your bachelor uncle, or your co-workers on the Christmas list. Still, in order to be really appreciated, the cookies must get to their happy new owner fresh and not crumbled. Here, we give you a few points of advice on how to accomplish just that.

First, let fresh cookies cool to room temperature before packaging them. Warm cookies can lead to mold or soggy cookies, because they give off moisture in the package. However, you would do best not to wait over 24 hours after baking to send out your cookie gift. If you wait too long, the cookies can lose their moisture all together and become stale.

Now you have to wrap the cookies. The most common materials used to wrap cookies are cellophane or waxed paper. Both are decent options. Sometimes your baked goods travel a ways. In such situations, wrapping them individually may be a smart move, so they don’t stick together. For those of you sending your baked goods in a cookie tin or strong box, you can stack the baked sweets in cupcake papers or coffee filters. No matter how you wrap, make sure you keep different cookie types apart to preserve the taste and moisture levels. If you are worried about your cookies drying out along the way, try placing a bit of bread or slice of apple in the package.

Next, you want to place your cookies in an airtight receptacle. A metal tin is a necessity for most. During the christmas season, most general or grocery stores sell cookie tins for exactly this purpose. However, every day you can find tins suitable for cookies at hobby stores and home goods stores. Let’s not forget glass jars, mason jars, Tupperware, even disposable plastic containers for sale in stores. Most stores offer disposable plastic containers for not-too-expensive prices. If you’re on a budget, a zip-lock bag is always a thought, thought not the most decorative. Bags do offer flexibility and decent protection from leaks, but not durability, so you would want to put the bag in a stronger receptacle. Any container really must be airtight. This will keep moisture, dirt, and more undesirable things away from your yummy cookies, and maintain the freshness of your gift.

Lastly, place your cookies in the shipping container. You can buy a box from the shipping company, reuse a box you already own, or purchase one from any area store. Pad the cookies on every side. This can be done in a myriad of ways: bubble wrap, foam peanuts, old cardboard strips, and newspaper or magazine pages. Basically, if you can scrunch it up, it can be used. Some unique options which also work are popcorn or marshmallows and gum. These cushioning agents can then be eaten by the bachelor uncle as well! Once your baked goodies are fully boxed up and addressed, mark them as fragile and mail them out. You want to ship them fast enough that they aren’t held up in the mail for beyond three or four days. Try to ship your cookies out on a Monday in order to prevent it from sitting over the weekend. The shipping agent should be able to give you an estimate of the shipping duration to help with your planning.

Keep in mind, as long as your cookies are first cooled, then sealed, they will likely reach their recipient in good condition. Do not put more effort into shipping your baked goodies than you did baking them. Your recipient will be pleased with the sweets no matter what!

Criss White is a freelance writer for family, wedding, and baby related information. For wedding cookies (http://www.bridalandweddingfavors.com/wedding-cookies.html), visit Bridal and Wedding Favors. Note: If you think this article useful, you may reproduce it on your website, e-zine, or in your newsletter as long as the credits and resource box remain intact and the hyperlinks are functional.