How To Ship Christmas Cookies So That They Don't End Up As A Box Of Crumbs
Many of us may be spending the holidays differently this year, and while we may not be able to share drinks, food, and laughter with everyone we want to this Christmas, there are plenty of ways to send some holiday cheer to everyone you love. If your love language comes in the form of baking delicious Christmas cookies, you can definitely still send them to your loved ones near and far, but you'll need to keep a few tips and tricks in mind. After all, wing it and your family member could end up with nothing but a box of severed gingerbread limbs. Yikes.
Make a plan for baking success.
What exactly you bake will make a big difference here. Think sturdy cookies that have a longer shelf life. Runny icing and jam fillings may hinder your cookies' travel success but there are still plenty of recipes out there that will travel well. Think of sturdy shortbreads, butter cookies, thicker sugar cookies, and even classics like chocolate chip cookies (weather permitting!). Obviously avoid anything that requires refrigeration too. A helpful tip if you're looking to send out those classic sugar cookies—skip the icing if possible, since traditional royal icing adds a lot of moisture and may lead the cookies to break. Sugar cookies are best sent when they're baked in small, sturdy shapes too.
Once the cookies are baked, make sure you give them plenty of time to cool and set. You'll want to ship these right away (more on that in a second!), but don't be too hasty or you'll end up with a big mess.
Buy the right supplies.
Yes, we're talking about cookie sheets, sugar, and flour, but you'll also want to get the right packing supplies too. Ship them in boxes big enough so nothing gets squished but not so big that they'll be loose. Some other suggested supplies include plastic wrap, plastic containers, stuffing (something like packing peanuts, bubble wrap, or even dish towels), and label cards. Label cards are important so you can list out cookie names and ingredients in case you made any that may be gluten-free, made with nuts, or use any other common allergens.
Wrap them strategically.
There are many different ways to go about this, so it may take some trial and error or may be adapted based on the cookie. That said, UPS recommends plastic-wrapping each cookie and then taking those and double-wrapping them back-to-back. Land O' Lakes, however, says you can wrap four-to-six cookies of the same size together in aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or plastic bags. If you're wrapping strong flavors like mint, you'll want to definitely double wrap those to they don't mix in with the tastes of the other cookies.
Put bubble wrap down on the bottom of your container, and then line it with tinfoil or plastic wrap. Place the heaviest cookies on the bottom and layer from there, making sure to include padding. In perhaps the most fun tip of all, Land O' Lakes also suggested making treats like puffed corn to act as edible packing peanuts. Love it!
Once you're done, make sure your cookies are secure but not stuffed in there. Wrap the top of the plastic wrap over the cookies and be sure to include a card if you want! Then, put that container into another box for extra assurance. Put bubble wrap between the two boxes as a cushion. Make sure you also mark the outer box as perishable and fragile and mark which side should be "up."
Send them off as quickly as possible!
Don't let these sit in your car for a few days while you find a time to get to the post office. Select overnight shipping if you can, and avoid mailing it on weekends or holidays because that can also hold things up. Shipping costs may vary from place to place, but USPS, UPS, and FedEx offer medium flat-rate boxes that will delivery in one to three days for prices around $15 to $30 depending on the destination,
Yeah, it's a lot of work, but that phone call when they receive the cookies? Priceless!!!
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