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This is slightly off topic, but I have heard someone somewhere on here talk about mailing stuff they had baked, possibly for the secret sisters exchange. Is that possible? Can cookies be put in a ziploc or tupperware and mailed, still tasty, to someone? Any advice is helpful!

Ali,

I mailed cookies to my daughters in Florida and Memphis frequently. I put them in a plastic tupperware-like container that I buy at one of the dollar stores. That is so they won't get crushed. I haven't had any problems with mailing cookies. Sometimes if it is really, really hot and the package sets on the porch for a couple of hours after delivery, then candy gets all gooey or the chocolate melts so I don't mail candy in hot weather. Hope this helps.

Deb

I mail cookies ALL over the place every December (people start reminding me in September!). I start with cookies that are "sturdy" - nothing crumbly or moist or delicate. Spritz & rolled-out sugar cookies work well, or any butter-based cookie that bakes up fairly firm & dry. (I would not mail gooey lemon bars!) I steer away from icing other than Royal Icing that dries rock hard. I use a lot of nuts & sugars & sprinkles for decoration, or chocolate bark (for cold weather mailing). Over the years, I've become convinced that most of the trick to mailing cookies successfully is picking the right recipes.

I buy disposable foil cake pans with clear lids to use as containers. I buy both the 13 x 9 and the 8/9" square. Not expensive @ Wal-Mart, and if I see my supermarket has them on sale any time of the year, I stock up. I first line the pans with wax paper folded to fit AND with enough of an overhang to wrap over top of the cookies later. I put a layer of crumpled wax paper in the bottom of the pan next -- just enough for a little padding, not too much. Then stacks of cookies go in next to each other, vertically -- each stack TIGHTLY wrapped in Saran. Size of stack depends on thickness of cookies. You want a stack that won't shift at all & is no higher than the sides of the pan. I tightly fit the stacks in the pans the best I can, and then I wad up wax paper to fill in any blank places. I also put wadded wax paper on top of the cookies. Then I fold the overhang of wax paper across all that & put the plastic lid on the pan, securing it with a big rubber band. The filled pan gets encased in bubble wrap, and into the mailing box it goes, filling in any gaps in the box with newspaper or more bubble wrap.

It may sound complicated, but it's not, and it works beautifully. I do it "production" style before mailing day -- wrap cookie stacks, prepare pans, then fill pans. I tie 3 boxes high in twine & make a handle with the twine. I can take 6 boxes at once into the P.O. that way with only 2 hands. I have a pair of safety scissors in my pocket to snip the twine just before I put the boxes up on the counter for weighing.

In all the years -- maybe 25 now? -- nobody has said that the cookies arrived stale or broken. I've seen pictures from the recipients, so I know they're not just humoring me about crumbs.

I know some people say to use Pringles cans, but we'd never eat that many cans in one year to have the needed number of empties, plus my cookies wouldn't fit neatly inside that size cylinder. Stacks in pans work much better for me.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: StarrySky,

Did you pay for faster mailing? Were they still fresh and delicious? Thank you for the help.

I use priority mailing for mailing to Florida but to Memphis, use UPS. If I mail on Monday, they get there either way on Wednesday, Tuesday, they get there on Thursday, etc. They are still fresh when they get there. I do mail my chocolate chip recipe, which is fairly moist and have had no problem. Also in the winter, I mail fudge and chocolate covered peanutbutter candy with no problem.

Thank you. And did you ship regular mail?

For anyone who remembers...someone has provided me their address (a miracle itself) and asked for cookies from home.

My DD likes sugar cookies, oatmeal, chip plate chip, peanut butter, and chocolate PB swirl cookies. It is 90 out here now.

I do Priority/First Class or whatever they call it now. If I don't use the free flat rate Priority mail boxes from the P.O., I have to specify how I want it sent. Most boxes arrive in 2-3 days. Freshness hasn't been a problem that I've heard of. Again -- choose the recipes wisely.

One other trick I do is keep the baked cookies in the freezer til the day I wrap them in the stacks. Since I bake so much (15 or 16 different batches, starting in October), I freeze in wrapped stacks inside Ziplocs (which get stored in the freezer with cardboard between them to prevent crushing). Sometimes I can take those stacks, let them defrost, and put them in the mailing container as is. Other times, I have to re-wrap stacks, if I don't want to send that many cookies of one particular kind to one person. Example: A recipe I have makes 48. I freeze them in groups of 6. Some people (couples) might get 6 of those, but other people (singles) might get 3. Hence the re-wrapping.

I could just about go into business, the way cookie making & wrapping & shipping CONSUMES my fall months! Two more people this year angled their way onto my cookie list, too!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: StarrySky,

quote:

Originally posted by Shogun:
My DD likes sugar cookies, oatmeal, chip plate chip, peanut butter, and chocolate PB swirl cookies. It is 90 out here now.

Those sound OK. As I said, I'd stay away from moist things like brownies & lemon bars, anything really crumbly/delicate, or anything with a buttercream type frosting or filling -- especially given that it's summer (I don't even trust jam...). Stack & wrap tightly with Saran!

Shogun, smiling for you. Cookies go through the mail just fine. You can use popped popcorn as filler between the bags of cookies to protect them a bit. No butter or salt on it.LOL We used to do that for my brother who was in the navy..Never complained about them being crushed Pat

I'm a clerk at little post office. Any package weighing over 13 oz is too heavy for first class. Cookies that are packed like the ladies are talking about would be too heavy and would not qualify.

That gives you the options of Priority (2-3 day delivery) or Parcel Post (7-10 day delivery). To make it more confusing, we offer Priority Flat Rate boxes and Priority boxes. You pay the same rate with the flat rate, no matter what the weight, up to 70 lbs. You can also mail priority without the flat rate. You pay by weight and distance. Medium Flat rate boxes cost $11.35 to mail.

Hope I didn't confuse you too much!

I am not going to get my hopes up about this.

quote:

Originally posted by Will Quilt for Chocolate:

That gives you the options of Priority (2-3 day delivery) or Parcel Post (7-10 day delivery).

That's what I use then -- Priority. I don't pay attention -- am usually too pOOped from Christmas preps by the time I get to the P.O. and wait thru that line! And the clerk's often the same one I've been dealing with for EONS, so we talk about everything BUT what I've come to mail! LOL

One year my SSSS sent me some fudge in a tupperware container. Yummy . . . . .

My DS was in Thailand for two years and I sent home made goodies each year for the holidays. I sealed the containers with press and seal and then put the lids on them. He didn't complain about anything. Some people use pringles potato chip containers for the cookies. Just make sure they are small enough to fit in the container. Don't stress over it, all will be good. sandy

Good news, Shogun. Don't stress or worry about perfection; it's the connection that counts. Whatever you send will taste like home.

Please don't mail goodies here unless they need to be cooked again. LOL It was 111 degrees here yesterday and my metal mail box was probably 180 degrees! I got some swap blocks last week with a chocolate bar included. Drippy package! So sad. I put the envelope in my freezer before opening it. I have three in the milit@ry and some of their favorite goodies aren't allowed in some countries.

Thirty years ago I mailed my husband a metal tin of cookies to him at A&M. He was there for law enf0rcement training. A b0mb threat was phoned in and when they asked my dh if he was expecting a box. They evacuated the hotel, the squad took tge box to a field and blew it up! I never mailed him another surprise. He got teased for years about it.

Thank you everyone

Ali, hugs...good things come to those who wait...enjoy this small miracle, and have fun baking...

My sister and I mail homemade goodies to my nephew all the time...choc. chip cookies,peanut butter chocolate chip, cherry choc. chip his favorite, and oatmeal with butterscotch morsels. I make sure they are completely cool, then line a foil pan (i like the round ones) with wax paper...I purchase the Texas muffin cups in bulk and place them inside the pan, then stack 3-4 cookies per cup...once they are all filled, I slip the pan into a food sealer bag and seal...I can usually fit 2 sealed foil pans in a tin...similar to the ones you see at Christmas...sometimes i use plastic containers...I can usually fit 4 dozen or so cookies per container, and then add a few other goodies after wrapping the tin in bubble wrap...sometimes it takes 3-4 weeks for my items to reach him and he is always pleased and says they are always fresh and crunchy...and better than money...I get tickled at the thoughts of them playing cookie poker...lol

Kentucky - haven't quite decided what I will do. On the one hand, this is a positive thing, on the other, not so much.

I look at this as a blessing. If she has requested cookies from home then I say send them ASAP. This could be just the door you've been waiting for to open up for you. Maybe include a short note saying you hope she enjoys them & that they were baked with love for her...not a long note & not a lot of questions for her...just a love note. ~~~baby steps~~~

DH's grandparents used to send us baked goods when they were living. Grandma put everything in one dish. I wouldn't advise mixing them because the flavors kinda blend together. If you do that, I'd ziploc bag each kind of baked item into their own bag to keep the flavors from blending.