How to Ship Cookies During the Holidays

When we think of Christmas, we think of fresh baked goodies. Nothing says home better than a batch of the family's secret recipe cookies. How do you ship Christmas cookies? What is the best way to shop the family treasures without ending up with a bunch of squished and broken cookies? There are some tips and tricks that will assure that your Christmas cookies arrive at their destination in perfect condition.

Choosing Your Cookies

When shipping cookies there are a couple of things to consider when choosing your cookie.

A thick cookie will not break as easily as a thin cookie.

A small cookie will not break as easily as a large cookie.

Moist cookies may dry out.

Royal Icing-made with egg whites dries harder and will not smear like store-bought icings. You can also stick a container of frosting in the box for frosting on the other end.

Chocolate melts-need I say anything else?

Filled cookies, unless wrapped with extreme care, can make a real mess and may not survive the 2-3 week shipping period.

However, regardless the size or the shape, if packages well, your cookies should arrive unscathed.

Wrap Your Cookies

Your cookies will be bounced and shuffled a great deal. To assure that they arrive unbroken you should wrap each cookie individually. You can also wrap your cookies two at a time by placing the flat sides together. Use festive tissue paper, indicative of the season. Do not use printed-paper to wrap moist cookies. You can also use materials such as waxed paper, plastic wrap or purchase small cookie bags.

Wrapping your cookies individually will provide more cushion during the shipping process. It will also keep them separated, which is a great idea if shipping more than one type of cookie. This will assure that flavors do not mix.

Never wrap cookies while still warm or if they are not dry. You should also separate cookies of different textures such as crisp and chewy.

Cookie balls do not require individual wrapping if packed in a tin.

Inside Box

It is a great idea to double-box. This will provide extra protection and provide the opportunity for a decorated box. Your inner box should be an airtight container. Cookie tins are a great option and are available in a number of sizes. Plastic containers tend to sweat and can dampen the cookies causing mold.

Packing Material - Cushion

Here you have a wide range of choices. You can use any of the following ideas, or come up with some of your own:

Shredded, unprinted paper

Styrofoam peanuts

Newspaper

Paper towels

Bubble wrap

Plain, unsalted popcorn

Outside Box

Choose a sturdy box. It is important to remember that many packages are moving about during the Christmas season. Because of this, allow 2 to 3 weeks for your package to be delivered. Do not ship cookies that will not survive this period. The USPS (United States Post Office) offers great boxes for shipping at a set rate. This is a great choice, takes the guesswork out of shipping charges. If this is not an option and you reuse a box, make sure that all previous labels and markings are covered.

On the longest side of the box, clearly print the name and address you are shipping to. Use a dark colored permanent marker. In the upper left corner, write the return address. Cover both addresses with clear packing tape to prevent smearing.

Your postal carrier or shipping clerk will be careful with your box if they know they need to be. Mark your box with the words "breakable", "perishable", "top" and most important "please handle w care".

Before you close your box, give it a little shake. If the inner box moves around add more packing. When you have the inner box secure, close the box and seal using a good quality packing tape.