Proper packaging puts Christmas cookies in best light as gifts

To paraphrase Will Rogers, I've never met a cookie I didn't like. That is, with the exception of rock-hard, dried-out cookies or gooey globs bearing little semblance to their intended original.

These pitiful cookies are usually a result of poor packaging rather than faulty baking. Practical yet creative wrapping is essential for keeping your homemade cookies at their best, whether they are given to a neighbor on a platter or shipped across the country.

I enjoy making cookies and receiving them. That is why attending or hosting a cookie exchange is such a great way to have a variety on hand after making only one kind. It is so nice to sample great cookie recipes. If you don't have time to organize an exchange, have several friends over and bake a variety of cookies together. This is so much fun and sure to become a holiday tradition.

That lovely assortment doesn't always hold up well when sharing platter space under a sheet of plastic wrap or with someone rummaging through to see if they can find one special cookie to enjoy. Without attention to packaging, soft cookies don't seem to stay that way for long, iced cookies tend to stick together, and some of the flavors mingle in such a way that the beautiful assortment becomes less appealing by the day.

Take time to sort and package similar cookies together so you can arrange and serve them as needed throughout the holidays. I love that big platter of different cookies to choose from, but you can maintain the quality of it by not leaving it on the counter. Do save some for Santa.

It is so nice to have cookies on hand for friends and family who drop by during the holidays. It is great if we have a little goodie bag of cookies to send along with them. Simply wrapped in kitchen wrap or tucked neatly in a sealable bag works great, but it is so much fun to package the cookies inside something imaginative.

One year, I found a dozen or so Santa hats on sale. They were perfect for tucking bags of cookies inside. Or they can hold a mixture of the dry ingredients for a cookie mix, along with the recipe.

Holiday stockings are great ways to enclose cookies. You can fit several stacks of plastic-wrapped cookies into a cute stocking and, like the Santa hat, the packages can be used again and again. Small crunchy cookies such as those little German pfferneuse can be bagged by the handful to give as gifts.

Hobby and craft stores are good places to find traditional tins and containers to fill with goodies. It is important to open tins and check the fit of the lids. Look for tins that are not painted on the inside when packing cookies or other food items. Always wrap the cookies or cookie mix tucked inside. In the same spirit of caution, painted baskets and wooden boxes can also be suspect. Containers specifically designed to hold food are the safest choice and wonderful for reusing.

Pyrex containers with plastic lids, tote-and-carry items, cake stand and cover, baking dishes and glass canisters make wonderful holders for cookies. Or try an Oklahoma Centennial pie plate or casserole dish filled with carefully packaged rows of cookies.

A co-worker might enjoy cookies and cocoa tucked inside an Oklahoma Centennial mug. Or bundle up cocoa mix and bag a short stack of your favorite cookies.

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