Ultimate Guide to Storing and Packing Cookies

Struggling to keep your cookies fresh? Not sure how to pack up your orders?

So, you may be standing there, staring at your baked cookies and not sure what to do next. Do you place them in an air-tight container? Or skip that and just place them in a box for pickup? To help you out, I have all my tips and tricks on how I personally store and pack my cookies for orders. Let's take a look into it, shall we?

It is important to gather enough and the correct supplies for packing up your cookies. Without the proper supplies, you may risk letting your cookies go stale or worse, broken...and no one wants either!

Here are the supplies I use for both Storing and Packing:

• Cellophane self-sealing bags

• Bubble wrap bags

• Shipping Mailer Boxes (here are the ones without windows that I use)

• Window View Cookie Boxes (I use these for pickup orders)

• Heat Sealer

• Crinkle paper filler

• Bubble Wrap

• Ribbon

• Labels

It may seem like a lot, but for me, I would rather be safe than sorry! Especially if you are shipping cookies. Of course, always putting a disclaimer letting the customer know that broken cookies are of mishandling of the carrier is important.

How to Seal Cookies

If you are not decorating right away, and or your customer delayed pick up, placing your cookies in the freezer is a great way to keep them as fresh as they are right out of the oven. I will place my un-decorated cookies stacked, wrapped in plastic wrap, then placed in an airtight container until I am ready to use them. Some even go the extra mile by wrapping the container in more plastic wrap. Up to personal preference of course.

If you need to store decorated cookies, it is almost the same steps! Here you will want to place the cookies in the bags you want to ship or hand them over in, aka cellophane bags, and then heat seal them. Make sure your cookies are completely dry before packaging! If you have used any edible marker or painted coloring/pigment on them, once dry, dust those parts with cornstarch before bagging. Once bagged, I like to lean them against each other on their side in an airtight container, then placed in the freezer.

Once you need the cookies, take them out and let them come to room temperature. However, do NOT open the container. Doing so will let moisture get inside and can ruin your cookies and the designs. I like to take mine out of the freezer the night prior of.

Packing an Order

Depending on if you are shipping or preparing the cookies for pickup, packing up your cookies for both security and the visual eye is important. For pickup, placing your heat-sealed cookies leaned against each other in your preferred box, or laying down if you don't have very many (just don't stack them!) on some paper filler or tissue paper will help keep them stable, but also give a nice look to them for your customer.

Shipping cookies on the other hand takes a few extra steps...like I said earlier, I would rather go the extra mile to be safe.

Here are the steps I take when shipping cookies:

1. Place a thin bubble wrap sheet on the bottom of your cookie box

2. Place your heat-sealed cookies leaning against each other on their sides. (I like to put mine close together to keep them from shifting)

3. Fill any gaps with paper filler both on the sides, between cookies, and on top

4. Place any cards, coupons, etc on top

5. Close and secure the box with tape or a sticker

6. Place the cookie box in your desired shipping box (I use Priority Mail Large boxes that are just an inch bigger than my cookie boxes)

7. Fill any gaps with desired packing material

8. Tape up box

If you would like a video or photo tutorial, please leave a comment to let me know!

Between containers, supplies, boxes, and packing material, it can be costly. Always look for deals on websites such as Amazon or your local shipping office! USPS sells free supplies with just the cost of shipping.

Tips

• Make sure to purchase good quality/rated material (cheap will not last)

• Get creative with the box or packing material colors

• Use a business online to make custom boxes and supplies with your logo for marketing

• It never hurts to add more packing material than you think (more, the better!)

• Try to hand my cookies off to my USPS office right before they collect packages. In doing so, makes sure the cookies aren't getting bounced around for the entire day before departing

Have any questions I may have not answered? Just let me know! I tend to like packing up cookies, especially getting creative with them for my customers. Giving that extra color or effort really makes a difference, more than you think! It will be the first thing your customer notices before the cookies, so just makes sure you take your time and have fun with it.