How to Ship Cookies So They Stay Fresh and Don’t Crumble

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There’s no joy like opening a gift box of cookies delivered to your doorstep. There’s even more joy when you’re the one sending your sweet creations to someone you know will enjoy them. 

However, planning transport for your cookies is just as important as ensuring they taste great. Unfortunately, when it comes to shipping cookies by mail, there’s a high chance that they may arrive at their destination crumbled if they aren’t packed properly. 

Whether you have a baking business or enjoy sending homemade treats to your loved ones, it’s essential to know how to ship cookies so they get to their destination in one piece.

This article will tell you everything you need to know about shipping cookies by mail. Keep reading to find out how to ship cookies to stay fresh and tasty throughout the journey.

How to Package Cookies for Mailing

Let’s talk about how to package cookies for shipping so they won’t break and preserve freshness.

Firstly, make sure to package similar cookies with each other and avoid mixing and matching. Putting a moist cookie with a crisp cookie may cause the crisp one to get soggy. The same goes for aromatic cookies, which could overtake an entire box of assorted cookies. 

The other element is knowing how to keep shipped cookies fresh until their recipient can take a bite. Letting warm cookies cool before packaging can help with this. Depending on the cookie, you might even want to consider freezing them before transport. This allows your cookies to stay fresher and become sturdy enough for transport. 

In terms of packaging, metal tins and Tupperware are your best bet due to their airtight seals. Make sure your container is big enough that you aren’t forcing all of your cookies to fit but small enough that they won’t be loose and potentially move around the container. Add parchment paper, plastic wrap, or even bubble wrap to fill in any space between the cookies and the lid.

Finally, you must place the container in a larger shipping box, which should also be reasonably sized and stuffed to avoid shifting during transport. 

It’s also important to note that some cookies ship better than others. In fact, there are a few types of cookies that you should always avoid shipping. 

Variety of tasty homemade cookies in an open box

Which Cookies Mail Best

There are a variety of cookies that are easy to ship and that, if packaged right, you can reliably assume will make it to their destination safely.

As a rule of thumb, you should try to ship denser cookies, as brittle or soft cookies will break easily. Some cookies that are good for shipping include:

  • Gingerbread cookies
  • Bar cookies
  • Brownies
  • Sugar cookies
  • Chocolate chip cookies

Which Cookies Not to Mail

Avoid shipping delicate cookies by mail. No matter how well you package them, there’s a high likelihood that they will crumble. Tuile cookies are a perfect example of cookies that you should stick to hand-delivery due to their super thin and fragile nature.

Beyond that, you should also avoid shipping cookies that require refrigeration, such as cream-stuffed cookies or anything with tempered chocolate. The same goes for anything with frosting or icing that easily smears. 

Finally, if your cookies are intricate with finicky bits that can easily come off, you should avoid shipping these by mail. These types of cookies are usually best enjoyed fresh anyway!

Let’s look at how to ship cookies with different mailing services. 

How to Ship Cookies with Different Mailing Services

The general rules for packaging cookies apply no matter what shipping service you use. However, different shipping services have their own suggestions for packaging and shipping your baked goods based on their services. 

To illustrate, here are what USPS, FedEx, and UPS recommend when figuring out how to ship cookies. 

Fruit-topped sweet cakes packaged in a box

How to Ship Cookies USPS

USPS provides guidance on how to ship delicate objects and keep food fresh. They also have a few tips on shipping cookies and other baked goods to keep them fresh and intact. Their main advice is to arrange your homemade cookies neatly in a container with crumpled wax paper between them and to add a slice of white bread to a container of soft cookies to absorb moisture. 

How to Ship Cookies UPS

UPS’s instructions for food shipment prioritize the need to keep your food fresh through insulation and refrigeration. They emphasize the importance of wrapping your baked goods to create an airtight seal when mailing cookies. They even suggest wrapping cookies individually and filling the extra space with something like crumpled wax paper or packing peanuts in the package to prevent movement during transport. 

How to Ship Cookies FedEx

While FedEx strongly recommends shipping perishables with insulation or dry ice, they suggest that cookies and other baked goods are fine to ship without insulation or refrigerants. Otherwise, their recommendations for sending treats echo those of other mailing services. FedEx also offers a variety of options to track your package along the way.

Wrap-Up: The Best Way to Ship Cookies

Shipping cookies is an act of love that brightens anyone’s day. You shouldn’t be afraid of what may happen during transport to send delicious baked goods to your loved ones. 

Hopefully, this article has helped you learn how to ship cookies so that they stay fresh and so that your loved ones can enjoy your tasty creations, no matter where they are!