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What could be more delicious than homemade cookies? Whether as a gift for holidays or a simple gesture of affection – cookies are great for showing that you care. It just gets a little bit complicated to share them if your loved ones live abroad.
Luckily, nowadays any distance can be overcome with international package shipping! All you need is to arm yourself with the best tips and tricks on how to send homemade cookies overseas and it’ll be a piece of cake to surprise your beloved ones with a handmade gift.
Are you ready to learn? Let’s get started.
Bake cookies that are suitable for sending overseas
Imagine the distance your cookies will have to cover if you’re shipping to Ukraine, Lithuania, or any country on the other side of the ocean. It’s a long road that comes with certain risks. To reduce them, it’s essential to select the type of cookies that has the biggest chance of surviving transportation.
You can’t go wrong with picking hard and crunchy cookies. They’re sure to endure international package delivery. Dense and chewy types are also fit for mailing. Add bar cookies to the pool and you’ll have more than plenty to choose from. In short, anything from shortbreads, chocolate chip to brownies is a suitable option.
Don’t forget to consider the shape as well. Irregularly-shaped cookies will complicate the packing and shipping process and might not be worth it.
Avoid shipping types of cookies that aren’t fit for mailing
Sadly, not all types of cookies are a good fit for sending overseas. Refrain from mailing them to save yourself the trouble and to protect the receiver from disappointment. Spoiled food or a bunch of crumbles is not the best way to make someone’s day, right?
Cookies that require special conditions to stay fresh certainly won’t survive shipping to Poland, Italy, or even within the USA. So it’s best to forget cheesecake bars and the like. They need refrigeration and it’s difficult to ensure cool temperature during transit.
Fragile cookies aren’t recommended, too. They’re very likely to crumble when shipped internationally, even if you pack them with care. If you still wish to send them, proceed with extra caution.
Carefully make your shipping plans
Choosing the right type of cookies is a big step toward successful delivery. Another important step is to plan when to bake and ship them. Planning can help to reduce the stress that comes with international shipping. And to avoid a disaster when homebaked goods are involved.
Keep in mind that shipping overseas usually takes about a week or even longer, depending on your destination. So plan accordingly if you wish your gift to arrive on time for the holidays. If you feel unsure about the delivery time, you can always check it together with the shipping price in a shipping rates calculator.
You’ll also want your cookies to stay as fresh as possible. For this, it’s best to bake them on the same day or a day prior to shipping. Don’t forget that the cookies need to cool down completely before you pack them. Thus, be sure to include time for that in your plans as well.
Wrap your cookies securely
Once the cookies are baked and cooled down, you can start packing them for shipping. It might be the hardest part as a safe package delivery greatly depends on it. Don’t cut any corners if you wish your cookies to arrive unharmed.
Find a tin or a similar container and cover the bottom with bubble wrap. Use aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or plastic bags to wrap up to 4-6 cookies of the same kind together. Putting cookies of different kinds will result in flavors mixing, so it’s better to avoid that.
Place the cookies in the tin. See that the heaviest ones are at the bottom and the lighter ones are at the top. Try not to pack cookies too tightly or too loose to prevent them from breaking. Finally, cover everything with bubble wrap and close the tin.
Load prepared cookies into the shipping box
You might be tempted to put your cookie tin in a padded envelope and hand it to the carrier. But that’s not enough protection for shipping internationally. A cardboard box is much more reliable in this case.
Find a box that fits your items and leaves enough space for cushioning materials. Cover the bottom with padding, load your cookie tin and fill in the remaining space with cushioning. Bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and the like are all great options. The key is that your cookies would be safe and comfy inside the shipping box.
Seal the lid tightly, stick all the required labels with correct information and you’ll be ready to send your cookies overseas.
Shipping cookies internationally can be problematic. But as long as you put in the effort and follow the tips and tricks laid out above, everything will go smoothly.