Congratulations, we’ve made it to the holidays: a time for loved ones, joy, and baking (and consuming) as many cookies, cakes, and pies as humanly possible between now and the new year.
many people may choose not to travel to see friends and family this year, to avoid the risk of transmission of covid-19. One way to stay together in spirit is to exchange lovingly made candy through the mail, but what’s the best way to do that without ending up with boxes full of crumbs or crushed brownies?
I asked the experts for their best tips and tricks to ensure your baked goods arrive at their destination virtually intact. From the ideal type of gift to packaging, carrier and cost, here’s a complete guide to sending cookies, cakes and more:
the sturdier or denser the baked product, the better
When it comes to crackers, it’s no surprise that hardier varieties travel better. Gingerbread and thicker chocolate chip cookies are two examples of sturdier types, says Alex Rush, co-founder of Jannuzzi Cookies who handles all things packaging and shipping. Additional recommendations include hard cookies, like shortbread and biscotti, and bars, like brownies and blondies, depending on the kitchen.
Other softer cookies may survive the trip, depending on how well packaged, Rush says, but delicate cookies like sugar, pizzelles, or even thin, crunchy chocolate chip cookies are likely to break in the mail, not matter how thorough the packaging. Cookies with soft fillings also don’t travel well, according to Jessica Vitak, who, with her family, bakes an average of 4,000 cookies, about 1,000 of which are mailed, each holiday season. Vitak, an associate professor in the school of information studies at the University of Maryland, says that cookies with elements like candy can be mailed, but they must be packaged carefully to prevent them from sticking together and causing a mess.
As for other baked goods, the denser the better, says Brad Hedeman, product and marketing specialist for Zingerman’s Mail Order, which ships hundreds of thousands of fresh baked goods each holiday season. That includes quick breads like pecan, coffee, and brownie loaves, as well as pastries with crumb toppings instead of delicate lattices, “things that are made to look less than perfect.” also recommends products that can be frozen well. speaking of…
consider freezing before sending
hedeman is a big proponent of freezing, both as a way to protect the baked good by making it harder and more solid, and to help keep it fresh on the go. he recommends wrapping the treat tightly in plastic wrap or a ziploc bag before freezing. For the cookies, he says, you could even wrap them on a plate with plastic wrap and then freeze them in whatever arrangement you’d like them to be presented.
If you’re going the frozen route, you don’t need an insulated shipping container, hedeman says; just keep cookies or baked goods in their plastic containers and let them thaw on the go. There may be some moisture due to thawing, but not so much that the package would leak, which would be against USPS rules. still, just to be safe, hedeman advises against the use of water soluble packaging materials such as biodegradable packaging peanuts.
when packing, keep flavors separate, bags and containers airtight, and everything tight
vitak packages its cookies in separate ziploc bags, often a large one for most cookies, and additional smaller bags for strong-flavored cookies. “The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that when you have multiple flavors in one bag for a few days, those flavors spread throughout the cookies,” she tells me. Thanks to his years of experience, she has learned to always separate cookies flavored with lemon, coffee, ginger, mint and almonds. then squeeze as much air as possible out of the ziploc bags before sealing, place the bagged cookies in a shipping box, and wrap the contents with bubble wrap or styrofoam pellets.
cookie tins (or tupperware) are also an option, but they come with some limiting factors: namely, “you’re much more limited in the number of cookies you can pack (especially if you’re separating strong flavors) and the tin must be full to minimize movement”, per vitak.
jannuzzi’s cookies prefers a similar packaging method: for each standard order, rush packs a kraft bag (usually one with a tin tie, though ziploc varieties are also available) with a dozen cookies, seals the bag, and then He slips it into a bubble wrap bag, which is then wrapped in a layer of tissue paper and tied with baker’s twine. Jannuzzi’s uses corrugated shipping boxes sized exactly to the size of East Coast containers. generic boxes are fine too, says rush; just be sure to stuff the package with materials like tissue paper, kraft paper, inflated air pillows, newspaper, or even old rags and towels.
The key is to use these materials to surround your valuable cargo and “fill the void” of the shipping container. Baked goods also don’t need to be perfectly evenly spaced in the center of the box, says Hedeman; you can also push them into the corner of the box and then fill the gap until everything is snug.
kim frum, usps senior public relations representative, suggests placing a card with delivery and return addresses inside the package, in case the shipping label gets damaged or falls off along the way. Next, both rush and hedeman recommend doing a quick shake test to make sure nothing moves inside the box. if anything moves, open the box again and put more padding in there.
and finally, it doesn’t hurt to label the box “perishable”. this is not so much for the good of the carrier, but for the recipient; That way, they’ll know to open the package right away instead of letting it languish under a Christmas tree, Hedeman says.
I ship well in advance
There are three main carriers: USPS, UPS, and FedEx.
usps tends to be the cheapest. Priority Mail, which uses Vitak, has flat-rate pricing available ($15 to ship a medium-size box), includes tracking, and estimates a delivery time of 1-3 business days. Priority Mail Express, another USPS-recommended option for timely service, is even faster overnight to two-day, but flat-rate prices start at $26. Envelopes and boxes for both options can be ordered online or picked up at a post office for free, and you can schedule free package pickups from home by printing your own shipping labels.
ups and fedex can be more expensive, but hedeman recommends either option “for your peace of mind”. in their experience, they have a better track record at avoiding delays. ups, which uses jannuzzi cookies, has a flat rate of $13 to ship a medium box within 1-5 days using ground and $23.50 for the 3-day pick, but rush found that deliveries tend to be faster, so what the land is usually enough. fedex flat rate options for medium boxes range from $12 to $15 for three business day delivery, depending on distance. Both fedex and ups offer home package pickup options, but it may cost extra, depending on your location and the service.
For these three services, you should use their pricing calculators to compare flat rates to the cost of shipping your specific packages. destination, weight, and box dimensions all factor into cost (pro tip: use a flatter box, if possible).
This year, it’s especially important to plan your shipping time well in advance. due to the pandemic and huge shipping volumes, there may be delays, although frum maintains that the postal service “has the ability to flex its national processing and delivery network to deal with sudden increases in mail and parcel volume, including the expected additional volume of Christmas packages.” that may result as a response to the covid-19 pandemic.”
still, hedeman urges home bakers to ship their treats early and not pin all their hopes on packages arriving just in time for christmas. Why not send a care package before or after Thanksgiving (which could also “give the recipient time to bring you something from their gift list”) or in the new year? it is better to skip the rush and arbitrary deadlines. “It’s enough for you to pour yourself into these baked goods to share with your friends and family,” says Hedeman. “That’s what matters, not the day.”
And while you’re at it, consider showing some love for your neighborhood package carriers. “They have so much to do and so little time to do it,” says Hedeman. rush makes extra batches of cookies for her classmates because she knows they will treat her packages well and because it’s a nice thing to do.
prepare to spend a dime
There’s no sugarcoating it: Sending cookies in the mail isn’t a cheap hobby. “If people are going to mail a home baked good as a gift, they do it because they love doing it and they know the person will appreciate it; They don’t do it to save money,” says Hedeman. .
He recommends budgeting $10-$20 per pack; Vitak estimates packages from him cost between $8 and $15 each with USPS. Packaging material costs can also add up, but it’s often cheaper to buy in bulk. split the materials and costs with a friend, or save the remaining materials to use again next year.
…but still worth it
It’s been a tough year. the next few years will probably continue to be difficult. For people like Vitak, who is immunosuppressed, sending cookies in the mail is a way to send “a big hug” to friends you haven’t seen in a while.
“In the end, I don’t care about the cost of shipping the cookies because I know how much my friends appreciate receiving them,” she says. “I am so happy to hear that my friends and their families enjoy these cookies and that they look forward to December thanks to my family’s cookies.” this holiday tradition has been in his family for almost 50 years. now, more than ever, he intends to keep it alive.
photo credits: pumpkin bread, dig images/getty; mailbox, misunseo/shutterstock