Baking tons of cookies is one great way to get in the holiday spirit. But if you’re like me, a lot of your friends live in different states. Have no fear; with a few tips, you can pack up an assortment of holiday baked goods and safely ship them to your friends or family far away.
How to Mail Freshly Baked Cookies (Yes, Really)
Published Dec. 13, 2022.
Sign up for the Cook's Country Dinner Tonight newsletter
10 ingredients. 45 minutes. Quick, easy, and fresh weeknight recipes.
You can see our packing process in action by checking out this video:
Be Thoughtful in Your Holiday Cookie Selection
Hefty cookies have the best chance of surviving the trip intact. With the right packaging, firm bar cookies such as Easy Chocolate Chunk Brownies, caramel-topped Turtle Bars, or Ultranutty Pecan Bars do well. Avoid anything really delicate or coated with frosting that will likely get smeared. And select cookies that don’t spoil quickly. Our M&M Cookies stay soft and chewy for multiple days from a slightly higher dose of baking soda, a high oven temperature, and a short bake time of only 8 minutes. For fun, you can use holiday-themed M&Ms.
M&M Cookies
This fun and playful cookie deserves to be the best it can be.Wrap Holiday Cookies Well
Bake the cookies and let them cool fully. Then wrap them and mail them the same day. You can mail different cookies in the same box, but don't wrap different cookies together, since their flavors can transfer.
- For delicate cookies and hefty, sticky bar cookies, make stacks of three or four with small pieces of parchment paper between the cookies and then wrap the stacks in a tight double layer of plastic wrap.
- For sturdy cookies, simply seal them in a zipper-lock bag.
The Perfect Cookie
The definitive hardbound go-to resource for any cookie or bar you could imagine making, based on 25 years of experience in the pursuit of the perfect cookie recipes.Pack Holiday Cookies with Plenty of Insulation
Pad the box generously with at least 3 inches of bubble wrap, recycled packing peanuts, or crumpled newspaper. For a sustainable option, we like using air-popped popcorn. It won’t be fresh enough to eat when it arrives, but it pads the cookies well and can be composted.
Turtle Bars
Three layers of fun.Ship Holiday Cookies Quickly
Spend the extra money to mail them faster so that they get to your people nice and fresh; USPS two-day Priority Mail is a good choice.