Get Well Cookie
Gift Ideas
Your loved one is ill or recovering from a medical procedure. You know they need support, but you’re not quite sure how to give it. Maybe they aren’t accepting visitors, or maybe you live too far away to visit in person.
Health problems can cause people to feel isolated and hopeless. They may feel like life is passing them by while they are laid up in bed. They may have forgotten how it feels to be healthy and lose hope that they’ll ever feel well again.
It’s so important to be there for people in need, and there’s no right way to do it. The most important thing is to do something to help people know that they are loved and remembered.
One easy way to do this is through get well cookies.
Why Cookie Deliveries Make the Perfect Get Well Gift?
What do you send to someone who is convalescing? A clothing item or piece of jewelry seems insensitive when they can barely get out of bed. So does a sports accessory. There’s always the option of a self-care item, but that can verge on too personal, and you may not know what they like or dislike anyway in terms of soaps, sponges, lotions, etc.
A get well cookie gift delivery is often the perfect option. It’s super convenient to order, and it has universal appeal. We don’t all love certain articles of clothing. We don’t all love yet another mug. We don’t all love mint-eucalyptus lotion, but we can pretty much all agree on the love of cookies.
If you’re on the hunt for a gift, here are some “pros” in the cookie column:
Synonymous with Care and Love
Anybody who has ever made cookies knows that it’s not an easy process. There’s the measuring, mixing, shaping, baking, and cooling. Perhaps that’s why cookies are synonymous with TLC. Get well soon cookies bear the markings of high effort, so they pack a much bigger punch than an impersonal gift like a gift certificate.
Customizable
You can send your cookies with a customized card and also customize your assortment of cookies to fit the recipient. Do they absolutely love snickerdoodles? Or chocolate chip cookies? You can send their very favorites to show that you’re tuned into what they love in life.
A Cinch to Send
A caveat here: homemade cookies are not a cinch to send, but there are many cookie companies that bake and deliver. Those ones ARE a cinch to send. Most have online ordering portals, so you can simply submit your order (specifying quantity and flavor), add your payment information, add the recipient’s address, and launch. That’s all you’ll need to do to get fresh-baked cookies on their way to your loved one.
An Indulgence
When you’re sick, you can feel both beaten up and beaten down. You’re far less likely to feel blessed or lucky. Life feels stripped down to its raw frame. No glitz nor glamour here. But cookies—they’re an indulgence. They’re more than just sustenance; they’re a little extra to add some serious “bon appetit” to your day.
This is especially true if you’ve been dining on hard, sinewy Salisbury steak and clumpy, tasteless mashed potatoes presented to you with all of the artistry of a hospital tray. Your loved one deserves a break from reality. Elevate their day with a get well hospital gift of fresh cookies.
Unexpected
When you’re not feeling well, the days can become very long and monotonous, especially if you can’t get up and around. A little spontaneity can be like a light in a dim room. When your loved one gets the unexpected gift of cookies on their doorstep or in their hospital room, the day will undoubtedly start looking a little better.
An Easy Snack
If your loved one is injured or feeling poorly, cooking won’t be easy. Cookies provide welcome sustenance—and simple sustenance, too. They don’t require a plate or silverware, and they can be eaten almost anywhere…even in bed if you’re careful with the crumbs.
They’re Shareable (or Save-able)
When you send cookies to your loved one in the hospital or care home, they can share their cookies with the people around them, including visitors or the care staff. Everybody likes to feel generous, and get well gift packages create a small way to serve those who serve you.
Of course, there’s no obligation to share, and if your loved one is convalescing alone at home, they may not have the opportunity to. But even if they can’t eat all of the cookies on their own, they can pop them in the freezer and save them for later.
Considerations for Sending Get Well Cookies
If you’re sending get well soon cookies, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Diet
Your loved one may be on a special diet as they recover, so make sure you check with them first about dietary restrictions.
Hospital or Rehab Center Deliveries
Most inpatient facilities are accustomed to accepting get well packages and can route them to your loved one’s room. Make sure to include your loved one’s name as well as where they are staying in the facility (department, room number, etc.)
Check with the facility before you send your get well gift delivery to see if they have any restrictions. Some hospitals or rehab centers will decline certain gifts that could cause allergies. This could include flowers or latex balloons. Cookies can usually sail by, but just make sure that they don’t bar anything with potential food allergens (like peanut butter cookies).
You should also make sure to build in some wiggle room just in case things get delayed in the facility’s mail center. The last thing you want is for your get well soon cookies to be delivered after your loved one has been discharged.
Home Mobility
If your friend is laid up in their bed at home, they may not be able to get to the front door to accept a delivery. If this is the case, it’s worth calling your friend to make sure that they know there’s something special coming to their doorstep. That way, if they have a neighbor or local friend assisting them, they can make sure they bring the package safely inside.
Why Should I Order Get Well Cookies by Mail (vs. Making Them Myself)?
Do you just love to bake? If so, you may be contemplating making your own get well cookies and shipping them to your loved one. Before you make that decision, consider these perks of going through a cookie delivery company.
Made to Stay Fresher Longer
Chances are, the cookies you make at home fly off the pan or out of the cookie jar in no time flat. When you mail cookies in get well gift packages, they need to stay nice and moist during their shipping journey (which could be up to a few days). Commercial cookie companies know how to make this happen. They use the right recipes, baking techniques, and ovens to engineer a cookie that will stay tasting fresh for days. For longer-lasting freshness, professional-grade cookies are often the best solution.
A Variety of Cookie Types
Many cookie delivery companies will offer the option of an assortment of cookies. While a dozen chocolate chip cookies are nice, there’s something exciting about sampling a whole variety of cookie types. But do you really want to bake a whole variety of cookies? Do you have that much time to spend in the kitchen? Professional cookie delivery companies can mix it up in a way that is very hard to replicate at home.
Visual Appeal
If we eat with our eyes, it follows that our cookies will be just a little more enjoyable if they look as good as they taste. It’s tough to get perfectly uniform cookies at home, shaped and baked to a consistent standard.
Good cookie bakeries have mastered the art of beautiful cookies. Their sugar cookies should arrive perfectly decorated (not smashed or smudged), and their chocolate chip cookies should be evenly sized circles baked to coordinating hues of golden brown. They should also be beautifully packaged (usually in airtight sleeves and decorative boxes). A visual feast!
Airtight Packaging
Air + cookies = stale cookies. Seasoned cookie companies know how to package their cookies in airtight bags and boxes so that they maintain maximum freshness. They also usually have a very slick mailing process that limits transit time for get well gift deliveries.
No-fuss Shipping Options
Shipping cookies is, well, a royal pain. First, you have to bake them, cool them, bag them, pack them, and box them. Then, you must tape up said box and ferry them to the post office where you’ll undoubtedly wait in a winding line. And shipping ain’t cheap! Even though it seems like it saves money to send get well soon cookie gifts on your own, it can cost more than you think (in dollars and sanity).
When you work through a cookie delivery company, they take all of that hassle right off your shoulders. You can use your computer or phone to enter your order, payment information, and the desired shipping address. Then, you can forget about the cookies altogether until your friend calls to thank you for sending the perfect get well gift.
Which Cookie Bakery/Cookie Delivery Company Should I Choose?
There are quite a few companies to choose from when it comes to get well cookie pacakges, so here are a few things to ask to help you narrow down your selection.
What ingredients do you use?
Mediocre ingredients will always result in a mediocre cookie. You want a cookie bakery that uses real butter and real sugar (not oil and sugar syrups). You want high-quality chocolate (if you are ordering chocolate chip cookies). If you get the sense that a bakery cuts corners, move on.
What kind of oven do you use?
Ovens are not one-size-fits-all. In fact, did you know that there are ovens that are made just to bake cookies? The result is a gloriously crisp-on-the-outside, chewy-in-the-middle cookie that is really hard to replicate in a regular oven. Ask about a bakery’s oven technology and whether or not they’ve invested in a specialty oven.
How robust is their cookie variety?
Chances are, your loved one has a favorite. Does the bakery you’re considering offer that favorite? Or maybe you’re going to surprise your loved one with an assortment so that they can try a little of everything. Make sure that the cookie company has a broad selection of cookies, including some unique ones that will pique the recipient’s interests and taste buds.
How do they ship their cookies?
Most companies will ship in a box, but you’ll want to find out what that box looks like. Is it professional and polished? And what happens inside the box? Are cookies wrapped for lasting freshness? The gold standard is double air-tight sleeves. Not only do they keep the air out, they keep assorted cookies from tasting like the other cookies in the box. The last thing you want is for your chocolate brownie cookie to be fraternizing with the lemon cookie for a truly funky taste.
And finally, you should find out how quickly your box will arrive. Time is the enemy of freshness so make sure that your cookies will arrive quickly.