I have a sick obsession with holiday baking.
(Sick like how the kids say it because all my baking is fire.)
Sending a box full of homemade treats should bring a smile to the faces of those you care for.
see to it they arrive in pristine condition, and not a broken mess of holiday disappointment.
Here are the tips I use every year to successfully ship holiday cookies.
1. go for the best cookies for shipping
Some cookies and bars ship better than others.
Keep in mind that this box will be getting tossed and rolled on its way to the destination.
Steer clear of delicate tuiles, almond macarons, or cookies that have runny jam, or sticky frosting.
Anything slab shaped, like brownies, bars, or fudge can be left unsliced.
Cool your cookiescompletely
Its a hectic time, but dont rush to pack homemade cookies.
Wait for your cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before nestling them in the cookie box.
Chill them in the fridge briefly if it’s crucial that you speed things along.
Warm cookies are still flexiblethe fats and sugars havent setand any chocolate present will still be molten.
Stacking those cookies in a box might cause them to bend, squish, or break.
Additionally, if you close up the cookie tin tightly, humidity will build in the box.
This could cause bacteria or mold to grow over the course of the shipping time.
Pack cookies for shipping
Its hard to resist a variety.
Focus specifically on like flavors or aromas, and like textures.
This will prevent treats from changing due to the impact of un-like neighbors in the immediate vicinity.
An example of a bad idea: packing soft fig cookies with crisp peppermint shortbread.
Which ends up being weird storage for them, or trash after the cookies are gone.
If youre shipping cookies year after year, this can be a cumbersome collection.
If you see your giftees often, have them return the tins to you for next year.
If not, consider bakery boxes for treats that dont need to be air-tight, or alternative repurposed containers.
Pringles cans, or coffee cans make excellent cookie holders.
The space inside the cookie vessel is the enemy too.
The main trick is packing them tightly insideandout.
I like to sit my cookies in cupcake liners inside a cookie tin.
In the space above, I crumple up a sheet of parchment paper and fit it onto the top.
Its also flexible so you’re free to still easily snap on the lid.
The U.S. postal service is getting slammed right about now, so don’t risk waiting.
Their website gives you auseful chart of shipping deadlinesbased on the throw in of service youll be using.
Faster shipping costs more and buys you a little more time, but not much.
