Why Did My Cookies Get Soggy (And Can I Save Them)? Good Questions

Q: My sister and I made Linzer cookies, and they turned out swimmingly, but I stored them in a Tupperware container with a lid that fall slightly short of airtight, and now the cookies are soggy.

Is there any way I can save them at this point?

Sent by Ariel

Editor: Ariel, your cookies got soggy because of the jam sandwiched between them. This will happen pretty consistently with jam-sandwiched cookies.

Readers, do you have any answer for Ariel's cookie dilemma?

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(Image: Romulo Yanes/Epicurious)

Comments (8)

Storing in the fridge might help. Although in my house no cookies last long enough for anything to go wrong with them...

I have no idea whether this will actually work or not but for stale chips etc which is a moisture problem we always put stuff into a low temp oven pretty much until you can smell it. This might dry out the jam layer a bit but better than a soggy cookie. You might want to store them in the freezer next time if they have to be jammed otherwise its best to store the two separately and make the sandwiches as you eat them.

I find that storing baked goods in plastic containers sometimes makes them a bit gummy. I much prefer metal tins for storing cookies. Good luck finding them without a Christmas design on them!

I've heard that buttering the bread in contact with the jam in a PB&J would stop the bread from soaking up the jam, it might work for the linzers in the future. Now though, I'd say you're probably out of luck, unless Sally599's idea works.

Isn't there something where you wash the inside of a pie crust with egg or butter before baking it to help prevent the crust from getting soggy from the coconut or banana or chocolate cream filling? Could you do something similar with cookies before they are filled?

The jam-filled cookies at the store are usually filled with a gooey substance that seems like it used to be jam/preserves/whatever and had a substantial amount of liquid removed, thus preventing the sogginess.

Of course, I have no idea how this could be done at home (and am not really a jam/jelly person myself), but maybe someone else does.

No, no, no! Linzers are, in fact, quite long lasting-- their flavor actually develops a bit more when they've sat for a while. don't store them in tupperware, don't store them in the fridge. keep them on a plate at room temperature. cover them with foil if you must. also, make sure you are using a thick enough jelly. it should be a very sticky, gooey jelly, not at all watery. you can also make a large batch and simply put jam on them as needed.