Nothing conveys the coziness of the winter holidays quite like a batch of cookies. No matter how old we get or how far-flung we are from our families, cookies always bring us right back to our childhood memories. The smooth saltiness of a peanut butter cookie or the gooey delight of a warm chocolate chip cookie always feels like a warm hug from someone who cares.
While we love cookies straight from the oven, that’s not always possible. Thankfully, we have mail. If you want to give that sugary hug to someone distant, a Christmas care package is a great way to spread holiday cheer to husbands, wives, or college students away from home.
(RomeoandJuliet / pixabay)
What kind of cookies are best to ship?
If you’re baking at home, the best cookies to ship are your favorites. That said, there are some limitations. Due to the time the baked goods will spend in the mail, the best recipes will produce a cookie that isn’t too moist. Delicate baked goods won’t stand up to the constant jostling and movement they’ll encounter during the shipping process, so shipping an entire gingerbread house will likely end in a gingerbread disaster.
Similarly, moist baked goods may not survive the journey due to mold. Mold and bacteria love dark, wet spaces with lots of food. Shipping a cookie that’s on the moist side may result in a box of green fur. You will also need to make sure the cookies have cooled completely before packaging them, as condensation from steam can collect in their package, resulting in damp, potentially moldy cookies for your recipient. You can check out some of our favorite holiday cookies below.
Classic Glazed Sugar Cookie
The classic sugar cookie! These are a perennial holiday favorite with young and old alike. These are the cookies you see on a plate for Santa in every holiday special, and for good reason! A delicious short dough and a generous coat of sugary glaze make them an irresistible treat. Like all of our cookies, they travel well, which means Santa can enjoy them when he’s halfway across the world. The rest of us can enjoy them under a cozy blanket. If you’re baking with the kids, you can get them involved in the decorating. A few bags of colored icing and festive sprinkles can set your cookies apart with that homemade touch.
Double Chocolate Oatmeal
A bowl of piping hot oatmeal is a perfect way to start a cold, wintry morning. Oatmeal cookies, however, are a perfect way to finish a cold wintry night. We like ours with an extra helping of chocolate chips to get the perfect amount of chocolate in each and every bite. The oatmeal base gives an earthy, almost nutty flavor that a regular flour lacks. This cookie might be a perfect combination with oat milk, which more and more people are discovering as a delicious alternative to dairy. Some oatmeal cookie recipes may even be gluten-free, which makes for an easy way to include loved ones with dietary allergies or sensitivities.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chip
The semi-sweet chocolate chip cookie has been an American staple since the 1940s. Originally invented by Ruth Graves Wakefield, the cookie’s popularity took off during World War II. They’ve been a favorite treat in American kitchens since then. In fact, they are the official cookie of the State of Massachusetts, where they were invented. The semi-sweet chocolate has a hint of bitterness that cuts through the sweet dough of the cookie while it provides a smooth, chewy textural contrast to the crumbly cookie.
Snickerdoodle
It’s sugary, it’s cinnamony, what more could anyone want from a comfort cookie? The warmth of the cinnamon evokes the warm spices of gingerbread, eggnog, or a good cup of hot chocolate. The sugary coating is sure to satisfy even the biggest sweet tooth. This cookie is an ideal candidate for shipping, as they tend to run on the drier side. Cinnamon is naturally hydrophobic, which will protect the cookie from absorbing any moisture that might be trapped in the packaging. This hydrophobic property offers a layer of protection against any molds or microbes that might try to make your cookies their home.
Lemon Meltaway
A sweet, lemony cookie covered in a sugary coating. Citrus fruits are a traditional winter gift, though the exact origins of giving citrus fruits in winter are unclear. Some believe the tradition harkens back to St. Nicholas, while others believe the fruits began as a display of wealth in the time before oranges could be found in the local supermarket. Either way, the lemon meltaway offers a sweet, summery flavor that is more than welcome in the middle of winter.
Our Favorite: Oatmeal Raisin Walnut
Dried fruits and nuts have been a traditional winter treat since the Middle Ages. In the time before modern food preservation or global shipping networks, dried or candied fruit was one of the few sweet foods available in wintertime, long after the summer and autumn harvests had ended. As a result, fruit cakes and fruit puddings were made as a sweet winter treat. These cookies preserve that tradition with a combination of earthy oats, sweet raisins, and chopped walnuts. While we prefer raisins and walnuts, you can experiment with other ingredients. Dried fruits like craisins, dates, or candied citrus can be a delectable alternative.
While these are some of our favorite cookies, they aren’t the only Christmas cookies. We offer a wide array of cookie gift packages that make for a perfect box to open on Christmas day. Whether you’re interested in a single cookie or an assortment of our favorite Christmas cookies, our gourmet cookies are a breeze to order online just in time for Christmas.