The Very Best Cookie Recipes for Shipping

There's no better way to send some love than with a package of homemade cookies. Follow our tips and tricks for making sure those cookies are just as tempting and tasty when they get to their destination as they were on the day you baked them.

When it comes to mailing, not all cookies are created equal. Cookies with uniform shapes and sizes are the best for packing—avoid those with odd angles and irregular shapes. (Sorry, reindeer sugar cookies! Your antlers just aren't going to survive the journey.) Circles, like the Vanilla-Bean Sugar Cookies shown here, as well as squares, triangles, bars; anything that can be stacked and packed snugly together is a good choice.

Next, think about the texture of the cookies you want to gift, and eliminate from your list anything that is especially crumbly, delicate, or sticky. The best kinds of cookies for mailing are those that are firm and crunchy—like shortbread, biscotti, and gingerbread—and those that are somewhat soft and chewy, like snickerdoodles, molasses cookies, brownies, and other bar cookies.

After your cookies are all baked and decorated, be sure to give them time to cool completely and check that the icing (if any) has dried. Fresh-from-the-oven cookies might be a real treat in the moment, but they will fuse into one gooey, crumbly mass if you pack them up while they're still warm.

The best cookie shipping vessel is an airtight food storage container or tin. Fit the cookies into the container snugly, with as little space in between them as possible. If the cookies are at all soft, put a sheet of parchment paper between each layer so they don't stick together. If you're mailing more than one kind of cookie, pack any crunchy cookies separately from the soft ones so they all maintain the right texture.

Finally, pack your container of cookies into a larger box with padding on all sides (crumpled paper, foam peanuts, or air-popped popcorn) to give your treats a smooth ride all the way to your lucky friends and family.