What kind of cookies ship well

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. It's never been so easy to decorate sugar cookies: simply roll soft-and-chewy sugar cookie dough in crushed peppermint candies for instant holiday vibes.

Crisp, spicy gingerbread rectangles magically transform into sweet letters to Santa with just a little bit of royal icing. These divinely decadent morsels, packed with dried sour cherries, apricots, cranberries, and currants; spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and doused with Cognac will make you forget every fruitcake joke you've heard. Chewy coconut cookies with a swirl of fudgy filling will become an instant holiday classic in your family.

Slice-and-bake butter cookies are flavored with nutmeg, vanilla, and lemon, and rolled in sparkly sanding sugar for the perfect festive finish. Increase the coating mix to 5 tbsp. Do not shake. Too much cinnamon gets on cookies. You might need to refrigerate the dough, although it will be sticky either way. The dough can be quite sticky, so let it chill for 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.

It's worth the wait. You can't go wrong with sending classic oatmeal cookies for as a holiday treat. The cinnamon adds a good kick," lizk says. These cookies live up to their name. Coconut macaroons and Italian pignoli cookies not only mail beautifully, but their texture seems to improve after a few days. These gluten-free cookies are made with almond paste and pine nuts, but a note of caution from reviews: Read the label to make sure the paste you're using is indeed gluten free, and you'll get better results if you use canned paste instead of paste from a tube.

Dense bar cookies and brownies do well, too, as long as they don't have cream cheese or custard layers. Sorry, Nanaimo Bars, lemon bars, and cheesecake bars. You're not going anywhere. You can't go wrong with our Best Brownies. I took the suggestion from other reviewers to melt the peanut butter with the butter for easier mixing.

Dust this cookie dough with powdered sugar instead of flour when you're rolling it out. And line your cookie sheets with parchment paper for a guaranteed non-stick surface. Go on and show off your mad decorating skills , but with these caveats. One: Be sure to chill the dough thoroughly for easier handling. One special ingredient helps deepens the flavor and gives the chocolate chip cookies a chewier texture. Save this chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's that good. Brownies and chocolate chip cookies together as one!

Brookies are the best of both worlds, so you don't have to choose. These are the best peanut butter cookies ever! Use your favorite store-brand peanut butter and a combination of white and brown sugar.

For the best cookie shape, let the dough chill for at least three hours before baking. Chocolate crinkle cookies! Chocolate dough rolled in powdered sugar and baked into a festive black and white cookie. They're the perfect Christmas cookies! These chocolate chunk cookies are made using brown butter and chunks of milk chocolate. Browning the butter is an extra step, but so worth it for these decadent chocolate chunk cookies!

Thumbprint Cookies! These buttery little cookies are filled with jam and rolled with nuts. Make this classic cookie for your next cookie exchange or holiday party. Nostalgia alert!

When was the last time you made these favorite childhood cookies? Don't know? Let's remedy that. Chocolate and peanut butter belong together, and these easy cookies prove it. These brown sugar snickerdoodle cookies are crackled with cinnamon-sugar on the outside and chewy-soft on the inside. This recipe does not use cream of tartar, but adds cornstarch for extra tenderness.

Oatmeal and chocolate chips are great together. Add in some pecans and coconut and we're pretty excited. But it's the brown butter that take these cookies over the top! Holiday Pinwheel Cookies are so fun on a cookie tray! Made by rolling with two colors of dough together. Freeze the log of dough for up to a month for slice-and-bake cookies. Easy slice-and-bake pistachio butter cookies! Keep the dough in the fridge or freezer for a cookies whenever you want them. Food processor dough.

These light and sweet meringue cookies are made with just three ingredients: egg whites, sugar, and pecans. Great for Christmas or for a Passover or Easter treat! Start them the night before and let them cool slowly in the oven until morning. These Cranberry Pistachio Chocolate Biscotti are tailor-made for dunking in coffee or tea. The recipe makes enough to wrap some up for a friend and keep the rest for yourself! Spritz cookies are a classic Christmas cookie!

With roots in Germany and Scandinavia, they're a simple butter cookie pressed into festive shapes and topped with all sorts of garnishes. Rugelach is a classic Jewish pastry that's not at all hard to make at home.

This version is full of chocolate and dried cranberries! Bonus: They freeze well and keep well! Coconut macaroons! These sweet coconut cookies are slightly crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside, with a secret ingredient to make them extra smooth. Crumbly, buttery, and nutty - Mexican Wedding Cookies are irresistible.

Also called Russian Tea Cakes. Make with pecans, walnuts, almonds, or any other nut. Ginger almond biscotti cookie recipe with ginger and toasted almonds, as well as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and all spice. Perfect for dipping in coffee. These Cocoa Coconut Macaroons are like a cross between a classic macaroon and a fudgy brownie. Homemade English toffee! Top this crunchy, caramel toffee with dark chocolate and toasted nuts.

It's so easy to make and keeps for weeks.