When I was in college, my mother sometimes would send me cookies. What a great surprise for a college student. I suddenly developed a whole host of friends when they heard that her cookies had arrived.
She had a unique way of packing them - with popped popcorn interspersed throughout the box to keep the cookies from breaking. Double win - cookies and popcorn to eat!
With access to so many great recipe options from our website, it’s only natural that you’d want to share in the joy of baking with friends and family. Whether they live close or far, it’s never been easier to share your creations. Whether it’s a loaf of our nutrient-rich Heritage Whole Wheat Yeast Bread, or a batch of our Heritage Heath Cookies, sending your homemade goodies is a great way to spread love across any distance.
But how do you mail baked goods? We have some tips!
Picking Your Goods
First, you should decide what kind of baked goods you want to send. It’s better to send something more durable, like cookies or bread.
While goods with frosting may be delectable, it’s best to avoid anything that could smear or crumble easily.
Freezing Them
After baking your goods and allowing them to cool, put them into a plastic bag and pop them in the freezer. This helps them retain their shape and prevent crumbling.
Selecting Your Packaging
After taking your baked goods out of the freezer, keep them in the same plastic bag, but add another layer of plastic to ensure they’re wrapped tightly. If your bag/sheet is larger than the size of your baked goods, wrap some string around the exterior so there’s no room for movement.
If you want to be extra safe, you can also vacuum seal your goodies with a small handheld vacuum sealer. Follow the instructions with your sealer.
Then, once everything is well-wrapped or sealed, choose a container that’s not much bigger than your baked goods to hold your goodies inside the shipping box. Place the goods in the center of the box with no more than an inch of space around the treats. If your box is too big, you can simply pack extra space with packing peanuts, some fabric, or paper towels.
Once your baked goods are prepped for packing, find a shipping box that will hold your package tightly. Again, the less extra room, the better. If there ends up being extra space, pad it with packing material… this where the popcorn fit into my mother’s boxes.
Once everything is safely packed, make sure to completely seal your box with packing tape. You can make sure everything is packed perfectly by giving your box a good shake, and if you hear any jostling or moving, open the box and add more padding.
Labeling Your Packing
Once your box is sealed, address the package. Then, make sure to label your box as containing perishable goods. You can do this by writing ‘PERISHABLE’ in sharpie on all sides of the box. This will help handlers know to be careful with your package during transit.
Shipping Your Package
If you want to be on the safe side, you can opt for expedited shipping. This will help maintain freshness and reduce the risk of damage, but it’s also more expensive. If you don’t want to pay the extra fees, then regular shipping will likely be fine.
We hope you and your loved ones enjoy your baked goods! There’s nothing better to foster connection than a good old baked treat.
Happy baking and safe shipping!
