Macarons are popular French pastries made of meringue-based cookie sandwiches filled with a variety of fillings such as ganache, buttercream or jam. They come in a variety of colors and make great gifts for all occasions. Because they are highly perishable and very fragile, French Macarons must be properly packaged prior to shipping to avoid breakage and spoiling during transit. Here are some tips on how to properly pack and ship French Macarons.
French Macarons can easily get stale and chewy when exposed to air. To prevent this, pack the pastries in an airtight container. A decorative jar with airtight lid will make a perfect container when sending macarons as gifts. The jar must be filled with the confections to prevent movements.
Wrap the macaron-filled jar in a couple of layers of bubble wrap and secure with Scotch tape. Place the jar in a sturdy shipping box with a layer of packing peanuts in the bottom. The box should have about two to three inches of extra space on each side, top, and bottom. Fill the empty spaces with more packing peanuts up to the top such that the jar will not shift when the box is shaken.
Close and seal the shipping box with packaging tape. Also, seal the bottom seams and flaps of the box to prevent it from bursting open. Address and label the box with “Perishable.” Adding a “Glass” label is also a great way to instruct shipping personnel to handle the package with care because they don’t want to clean up the mess in case such an item breaks.
Take the package to your local post office or shipping company and pick an overnight delivery or any expedited service. The faster the French Macarons gets to its destination, the better.