The Top Tip To Remember For Mailing Cookies

Whether you're sending a taste of home to a child away at college, gifting relatives a special celebratory treat, or you've started a cookie business, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of shipping the beloved baked goods. The good news is, you can easily rely on USPS, UPS, FedEx, and other shipping companies to deliver your goods. However, there are challenges involved in ensuring your sweet confections arrive undamaged and as tasty as the day you sent them.

Obviously, you'll want to properly protect them within the package, but there's another tip to keep in mind — when mailing more than one kind of cookie, make sure to store each type on its own if you plan to ship them in the same box. This is to keep the flavors and aromas of the individual cookies from transferring between each other. You don't want your intended recipient to bite into their favorite soft and chewy snickerdoodle only to have it taste like a savory pesto cookie. Instead, allow each variety to present its best self by encouraging a bit of divergence.

We're all for providing a cookie assortment. After all, there may be nothing better than a few bacon-stuffed chocolate chip cookies served up with a side of maple-glazed breakfast cookies to cleanse the palate. However, we don't want those distinct flavors to marry in the box. Keep this from happening by individually wrapping each cookie, or at least each type of cookie. You can wrap them in plastic wrap or place them into storage bags.

Whatever you decide, also consider how well your cookies are protected. Avoid a crumbly mess by putting cookies inside a tin, plastic or glass storage container, or thick box that is sized to hold your cookies without excess space. Don't overly pack them, but do allow just a touch of wiggle room so they aren't compressed onto each other. Place each type of cookie in its own container or place separate bags inside the container together. On a similar note, avoid cross contamination between specialty cookies such as vegan, nut-free, or gluten-free by also giving them their own packaging.

Before you put your carefully-crafted cookies into any container, place a protective layer at the bottom. Use bubble wrap, crumpled or shredded paper, or packing peanuts. Since you're dealing with a food product, natural materials are best. Choose your heaviest cookies as the base layer. This will keep them from crushing lighter or more fragile cookies.

Also make sure your cookies are completely cool before wrapping them up. You don't want to lock in moisture that can cause your cookies to sweat during their trip. Although most cookies travel pretty well, think twice about messy options like jam-filled thumbprint cookies that will stick to wrap, packaging, and each other.

Once you have your goodies sealed up, add a layer of insurance by labeling the box with information such as "This Side Up," "Perishable," "Fragile," or "Handle with Care". You can also pay a professional at the shipping company to package up your cookies for mailing. Since cookies don't retain their freshness forever, choose a fast shipping method to ensure they arrive while they're in prime condition. If possible, plan to ship your package early in the week to avoid your box languishing in a warehouse over the weekend, and be aware of delays during heavy shipping periods, such as the weeks before Christmas. Ship early and avoid the rush.