How To Send the Best Cookie Gifts Ever

I don't know about you, but I love baking and I enjoy adding cookies to my holiday gifts. Sometimes I find it challenging to make sure my cookie gifts are not only yummy, but also arrive intact and on time! Address these three challenges and you're sure to send the best cookie gifts ever. Here's how:

1. Choose the Best Recipes

Everyone has their family favorites (mine are Swiss Biberlis and ginger snaps), but in general the best cookies for shipping are firm or chewy cookies. You want a cookie that isn't as likely to break or crumble, and one that will stay fresh longer. Snickerdoodles, biscotti, brownies and bar cookies also ship really well.

I used to send decorated sugar cookies, but they are more fragile and trickier to ship. And cookies and treats that require refrigeration can spoil during shipping, so I always save these to share in person.

Another thing to consider is whether your recipient has any dietary restrictions. There are lots of good gluten free and paleo recipes and your gift will be that much more meaningful when it's something that fits with their lifestyle!

2. Carefully Wrap and Package

Once you have your scrumptious treats, you want to wrap them so they're pretty (and so they stay fresh), then package them for shipping so they arrive without breaking. There are so many ways to wrap cookies: individually in parchment embellished with washi tape, slipped into cello or glassine bags, layered in boxes or tins. Sugarbelle's blog provides some gorgeous inspiration for cookie packaging.

When shipping a variety of cookies, remember to separate the crunchy from the chewy, the spicy from the fruity, so they will arrive with the intended flavors and textures! Cello bags with tags and colorful ribbon are a simple way to package sturdy cookies for shipping while keeping flavors separate.

Once your cookies are wrapped, use bubble wrap or tissue paper to cushion them in your shipping box. Add enough packing material so the cookies don't slide around in the box at all. Martha Stewart offers more packaging examples and tips for shipping. Sugarbelle's also has a post about shipping cookies (and you'll definitely want to read this one if you're shipping decorated or fragile cookies).

3. Ship Early

I'm still working on holiday packages to ship to friends and family (hey, don't judge!). Time gets away from me this time of year (you too?), so to me this is the MOST challenging of the Best Cookie Gifts challenges.

The USPS website is your friend when planning cookie gift shipments. Their Holiday Planner says we have until December 20 to ship by First-Class or Priority mail and still have delivery in the U.S. by December 24, so I'm not technically behind in my shipments. However, if I wanted to ship to my in-laws in Switzerland, I should ship by tomorrow with Priority Mail. International and military shipping times vary based on destination, so refer to the site for up-to-date information.

Make sure to check the USPS website whenever you're scheduling your cookie shipments to know not only when to ship but how long the cookies will take to arrive. This will help you choose the type of cookie for your gift so it can be the very best ever!

Do you mail cookies for your holiday gifts? What tips and tricks do you use to make sure they arrive as yummy and pretty as you made them? Anything I've missed? Please share in the comments!