How to Mail Holiday Cookies and Milk

With the holiday season fast approaching, you may be thinking of ways to give family and friends in another city a little something sweet. And nothing is better during the holiday season than homemade cookies, and of course milk! Let's look at tips and tricks to pack cookies for shipping that also includes Organic Valley single-serve milks.

I’ve been shipping cookies in the mail for more than 10 years at my bake shop, so I know a thing or two about how to successfully pack cookies for shipping. And I will tell you that shipping cookies is an amazing homemade gift that is so thoughtful during the holiday season, and also incredibly easy! Plus, with Organic Valley’s shelf-stable milk, you can truly give someone the ultimate milk and cookies gift!

Best Cookies to Ship

First, make sure you are baking cookies that will be safe to ship. When shipping cookies stay away from very fragile cookies, as they will break, as well as cookies with frosting on top, as they will stick together. There are three types of cookies that are best to mail. The first cookie I’d recommend is a shortbread cookie; their sturdy nature and longer shelf life makes them ideal for shipping. Shortbread cookies are a perfect option, or even Maple Shortbread Sandwich Cookies. Or if you want something more festive, try Chocolate-dipped Peppermint Shortbread Cookies.

The second best is biscotti; and biscotti is a cookie that can sometimes get overlooked during the holidays so it would make a wonderful gift as not everyone will be baking this, and your recipients will get something truly different and special. My Chocolate Chip Biscotti would make an excellent choice! And last I recommend soft and chewy cookies, like Ginger Molasses Cookies. An assortment of all three types would make a truly special present this holiday season. If you are planning on shipping cookies to multiple people, you can easily make a few kinds of cookies and divvy them up between boxes.

So let’s get into how to pack cookies for shipping! You should always bake the cookies on a Sunday, so they can ship out first thing Monday morning so they don’t sit over a weekend. This also gives you Sunday, which is a weekend day, to bake, wrap, and pack up your box.

Always spend the little extra to ship cookies with a carrier that can provide a guaranteed delivery date, such as UPS or FedEx. Using the post office or ground services is not recommended with shipping cookies as those are not guaranteed services.

Mail With Confidence

After your cookies are baked and cooled, it’s time to safely pack the cookies for shipping. My top choice for shipping cookies is a tin! Tins are very friendly to mail as they help keep cookies from getting crushed. Plus, you can find adorable holiday tins this time of year, and they are reusable which makes them recyclable too! Parchment paper is essential to have inside the tin for shipping cookies, this holds cookies in place and keeps them from moving around. Make sure to stuff it into all the empty spaces and corners so cookies are secure.

There’s one additional step if you’re shipping cookies that are soft and chewy. Because these cookies are so soft, the air can dry them out quickly. So, to prevent that from happening make sure to zip-close bag them before putting inside the tin. This step isn’t necessary for shortbreads or biscotti.

Shipping Methods for Your Holiday Treats

The last step is packing up your box to ship. Make sure to use a shipping box that is just larger than your tin, so it doesn’t move around too much. I love to pack the box with crinkle paper as it is environmentally friendly, and it also keeps things in place while in transit. Place a generous amount of crinkle paper into the bottom of the box, then your tin, and Organic Valley single-serve milks, and then more crinkle paper on top and all around the sides.

The gift should be secure, so it doesn’t move around (try shaking the box to make sure you don’t feel anything moving). It makes the shipping box like a present in and of itself too! Don’t forget your holiday card, right on top! Time to drop off your box with UPS or FedEx for fast and reliable shipping. And you’ve done it! Milk and cookies are off to your friends and family for an amazing homemade and truly sweet gift this holiday season.

Now, I think you deserve hot chocolate (find the recipe here).

Mimi Council is an author of the books Cookies for Everyone and The Mountain Baker, and is a freelance recipe developer and writer.