How to Keep Homemade Cookies Fresh

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Here are our best tips on how to wrap, store, and enjoy and keep your homemade cookies fresh as long as possible.

Published Nov. 12, 2015.

Ensuring Gift-Wrapped Cookies Don't Go Stale

If you're sending a care package or gifting your home-baked treats after a couple days, make sure they arrive fresh upon delivery. Here’s a novel way to keep cookies moist when packing them in a tin. Slip layers of flour tortillas and parchment between the layers of cookies. The tortillas fit tidily into the tin, where their moisture keeps cookies soft for days.

1. Trace bottom of cookie tin on sheet of parchment paper. Cut out circle and repeat as needed.
2. Layer parchment, tortilla, parchment, and then layer of completely cooled cookies.
3. Repeat until tin is full, ending with layer of cookies.

Cookie Care

These are great tips on how to keep homemade cookies fresh to share with the recipient along with your homemade treats.

Reviving Cookies

To restore cookies to just-baked freshness, recrisp them in a 425-degree oven for 4 to 5 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before removing them and serve them while they’re warm.

How to Store Cookies to Keep Them Fresh

Here are easy steps on how to store cookies to keep them fresh longer:

A. To keep chewy cookies from turning dry and brittle, store them in a zipper-lock bag at room temperature with a small piece of bread (no more than half of a slice) placed inside.
B. Zipper-lock bags also come in handy with decorative cookie jars. These cookie jars, like those made from ceramic, are convenient and attractive, but not always airtight. Simply line the inside of the jar with a zipper-lock bag for airtight storage.

How to Freeze Cookies

Another great way to keep cookies fresh is to freeze them. Here are our tips for doing so:

  1. Let the cookies cool completely.
  2. Separate the layers of cookies with parchment paper so they don't stick together.
  3. Store in a zipper-lock freezer bag or an airtight container.
  4. Date and label them so you don't forget what they are!
  5. To serve, remove them from the freezer and let them defrost at room temperature.
Winner

Best Cookie Jar: OXO Good Grips Pop Storage Container, Big Square 4 Quart

No other container in our lineup had an airtight seal (activated by a pop-up button on the lid). We also liked that the clear plastic (BPA-free) jar showed off our baking. The container was easy to clean, but the lid’s nooks and crannies took more effort, and the lid is not dishwasher-safe. We tested the 4-quart model; the container comes in several sizes and shapes.
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