How to Ship Cookies

There’s no better way to share love for your friends and family members than giving them a taste of your favorite food. Even better, you can make it yourself and pour all your feelings towards them into the cooking process. Use your grandma’s favorite recipe, bring up your lovely childhood memories, bake some cookies, and hand them over while still hot.

This would be the perfect scenario. Unfortunately, not everyone you cherish is right across the street. For some, you have to find a different approach. Kids grow up, family members move to different cities, and friends you meet online might live across the globe.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t share the taste you remember from childhood with them. Modern courier services, like Meest, offer domestic and international shipping for all individuals, even for baked goods. And if you are wondering how to ship cookies so they withstand the whole transit, this guide is for you.

Below, we will explore the best types of cookies you can mail to the recipients in a different city or country. Additionally, you will learn how to cool and prep them for international and domestic shipping, how to package them well, and what to expect with different shipping methods. Now, it’s time to choose the right recipe!

Step 1: Choose the Right Cookies for the Journey

Not all cookies are equal in taste, baking techniques, or ingredients. Some might start crumbling easily, while others have gooey filling that can spill out and make a mess. That is why the best way to ship cookies is to consider different variants first. The best travelers are sturdy cookies, such as:

• chocolate drop;
• oatmeal;
• brownies;
• blondies;
• shortbread;
• crinkles.

They are made to last and can withstand some shaking and jostling during carrier delivery. Other types might not. It’s best to avoid fragile baked goods, like pizzelles, tuiles, anything with piped icing and meticulous details, or cookies with gooey centers. You wouldn’t want the recipient to get their box, open it, and find a bunch of crumbs all over the walls or the filling stuck to the top.

Step 2: The Baker's Prep — Cool and Group

Let’s say you decided to bake the cookies yourself instead of buying them. That’s a great idea to show someone just how much you appreciate them. Yet, you can’t rush the process. Ask yourself how to ship homemade cookies properly, and think about the possible steam and condensation if you pack them warm. Let them cool fully before packing on a cooling wire rack: this takes about five hours.

In case you’re aiming for a variety of cookie types, do not pack them all together. Group them by type — soft cookies should go together, while crisp cookies have to be placed in a separate container. Putting them in one can end up softening the crisp ones or breaking the soft ones.

For ultimate freshness during multi-day shipping, you can freeze the cookies. Put them in the freezer for a couple of hours right before packing, and they will stay firm and fresh in transit, arriving more presentable on the recipient’s porch.

Step 3: The Ultimate Packing Method (The Cookie-in-a-Container-in-a-Box Technique)

Whether you are searching “can you ship Crumbl cookies” or “can you mail homemade bar cookies,” the answer will mostly depend on how you pack your baked goods. Based on the general experience and the carriers’ advice, the cookie-in-a-container-in-a-box technique is one of the best ways to package and send them domestically and internationally while avoiding breakage. With this approach, they will also stay fresh for the recipient, even if the delivery takes more than a couple of days.

The main principle of the cookie-in-a-container-in-a-box technique is to double-box the cookies and cushion them enough to restrict any movement in transit. Moreover, there’s no moisture lost during the delivery. On the inside of the packaging, each cookie can be wrapped individually, be it in bubble wrap or food-safe plastic, like a Ziploc bag — best for stronger cookies. This prevents them from rubbing against each other and losing freshness.

Once all cookies are individually wrapped and categorized into soft and hard, place them inside a container. It should be sturdy and airtight, like Tupperware. This way, the cookies won’t break, lose moisture, or suck up weird smells during the delivery. You can try using a metal tin, a plastic container, or a high-quality bakery box.

Avoid leaving any void or blank space in the container. Fill it with crumpled parchment paper, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, or any other cushioning material. The point of this step is to prevent any movement inside the box. If cookies roll around and smash against the walls, even individual packaging won’t save them from breaking.

The outer layer and the final layer are the box. Seal the inner container properly and put it inside the usual cardboard box you’d use for shipping. Make sure it’s also sturdy and can handle the transit. Do not reuse old boxes, as they can cause the fragile baked goods to crumble. There should be enough free space between the container and the box for better padding, such as packing peanuts, newspaper, or bubble wrap. These will absorb any shocks during shipping.

If needed, reinforce the seams with packing tape. Then, seal the box and perform the test: jiggle it around and look for any signs of movement inside. If you can hear the cookies, it’s best to open everything and try again. The cookie-in-a-container-in-a-box technique, or double-boxing, is perfect for international shipping and going through customs, as it allows the baked goods to stay in perfect condition for several weeks.

Step 4: Choosing the Right Shipping Service

When you ship cookies nationwide, the service you choose also plays a huge role in successful delivery. After all, as a sender, you want to preserve the cookies until they arrive at the doorstep so they feel like they’re freshly baked. They have to be soft, delicious, and smell good. A quick courier service, such as Meest, is key for this.

When possible, minimize transit time: choose overnight, expedited, or priority options. If cookies are delicate and perishable, or you are shipping during the summer, 2-day shipping should be the standard. Similarly, opt for air freight if the budget lets you. Ground shipping is cheap, but it significantly increases the risk of baked goods going stale.

Avoid doing this on the weekend or during the holidays, though. As much as it’s nice to receive homemade baking during Christmas, it will take them a week to arrive during domestic delivery, regardless of the shipping service you pick. Parcels with chocolate or iced cookies should go through suitable temperature control: insulation, dry ice, and similar features are available with some carriers.

Note that some services are better than others. While major national carriers have a bigger capability to ship packages, regional carriers and individual courier services offer faster and customized options. Before you ship the cookies, check the ratings online, read feedback, and communicate with the service representatives. They will give actionable, tested advice on how to ship your baked goods best.

Conclusion

Gifting your family members and friends homemade cookies is the best way to show them you truly care. However, it’s not always possible to bake the goods and invite them over for a taste test. Some have moved overseas, while others are on a business trip to a different city for several months. But this doesn’t mean they can’t try the gift.

Fortunately, you can still manage the experience and share your love with others by baking for them — just send the cookies by mail. You might be asking yourself, “What's the best way to ship cookies?” and we are here to guide you. First, you have to choose the right type of cookies to ship. You can’t transport crumbly, fragile baked goods or those accessorized with intricate icing details, as they will just break in transit, no matter how well you pack them.

Instead, focus on goods like brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and shortbread — those are hard enough to stay intact even in international journeys. Second, cool and group your food. Put them on the wire rack for several hours until everything is fully cool, and group them into soft and hard categories (if you are sending several cookie types). Once this is done, you will be able to pack them.

The cookie-in-a-container-in-a-box technique is the best. It involves wrapping cookies individually, putting them in an airtight container, and then placing that into a cardboard box. With enough cushioning, your sweets will definitely survive the transit, even if the box is shaken around.

Lastly, choose a reliable courier service that can deliver the parcel on time. It shouldn’t take longer than several days, although the cookie-in-a-container-in-a-box technique preserves them for many weeks, if needed. By following this advice, you can ensure that your baked goods arrive at the recipient in pristine condition.

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