Homemade cookies make excellent gifts for family or loved ones who live far away. They always make the recipient feel special and bring back fond memories. Thanks to modern advancements, it is now easy to ship homemade goodies to anyone living miles away.
However, shipping homemade cookies is more than just dumping the goodies in a box, mailing it and hoping that it arrives without any hassles. While the post office and shipping companies promise to take care of parcels, it is still up to the shipper to properly pack the items he is sending and ensure that the package arrives in excellent condition. We list down some shipping tips to ensure that your homemade cookies will arrive fresh and ready to be enjoyed.
Cool the cookies before packing
Packing homemade cookies while they are still warm is never a good idea. Make sure they are at room temperature when you pack them for shipping. Warm cookies will create condensation in the packing container. Moisture will not only make the cookies soggy, it will also cause mold and bacteria growth.
Pack cookies in an airtight container
Decorative boxes, vintage tins and baskets make for awesome presentation but they are not airtight and may affect the cookies’ freshness and shelf life. Homemade cookies are best packed in airtight and food grade containers to keep them fresh and edible. If you want to use decorative boxes, vintage tins, baskets or gift-wrapped box, pack the cookies in airtight containers or sealable pastic bags first. Then, double box in a sturdy cardbord box.
Use enough padding and cushioning materials
The last thing you want is for the cookies to arrive in crumbs! There’s a good chance that a package will be dropped and tossed during transit and if you pack them losely, they will surely bounce around and break. Prevent your cookies from breaking by packing them snugly and using sufficient packing materials (shredded paper, bubble wrapp, or even popcorn!).
Ship only sturdy cookies
Not all types of cookies can be shipped successfully. It is best to avoid shipping fragile cookies such as macarons, lacey Florentine cookies and cream-filled sandwich cookies as there is a good chance they will not survive the harsh shipping environment no matter what how well they’re wrapped. Stick to sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, chocolate chip cookies, biscotti as they can better withstand impact specially when properly packed.
Use expedited shipping
Most homemade cookies have a shelf life of about two weeks, a lot shorter than the store-brought variety because they usually don’t have preservatives. That being said, it is a good idea to ship them immediately after making them so the recipient can enjoy them before their best-by date. Also use expedited or the fastest method to prevent them from arriving in their stale state. It’s also smart to let the recipient know that a package is coming and that they should open before the best-by date.