4 Tips for Mailing Cookies
Thinking of sharing the bounty from your holiday cookie baking marathons with friends far and wide? Make sure those tasty cookies of yours arrive with nary a crumb out of place. Here are some tips for packing up your cookies and sharing the sugary joy.
• Choose Your Cookies with Care: The best cookies to ship are those that are fairly firm and sturdy, like crinkle cookies, thumbprint cookies, gingerbread, Mexican wedding cookies, and sugar cookies. These also tend to be the cookies that stay fresh and tasty for longer. Sadly, buttery flaky fragile cookies will most likely be crumbs by the time they arrive. Other good edible candidates for mailing are brownies, fudge, caramels, and candies.
• Contain The Crumbs: You’re bound to get a few crumbs and cracked cookies even when mailing a batch of sturdy, well-chosen baked goods. Plastic bags help keep things tidy and helps keep those cookies fresh while they’re en route to their destination. I use plain zip-top bags, but pretty pastry bags will also work just fine.
• Pack Tightly…But Not Too Tightly: Save the Christmas tins for hand-deliveries. When mailing cookies, make sure they are packed tightly enough so that the cookies won’t knock against each other during shipping, but not so tightly that the cookies will break if the box gets bumped or compressed at some point. I like to use packing peanuts, shredded paper, or crumpled newspaper to create a nest for the cookies, and then pile more on top for more cushioning.
• Leave a Roadmap: Last but not least, label each package of cookies or describe them in a letter so your friend knows just what they’re getting. Not a packing tip, per se, but a courtesy to the happy recipient of your cookie love!
What are your favorite cookies for mailing?
Related: Holiday Gift Guide: Homemade Edible Gifts for Mailing
(Image: Emma Christensen)