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.
Advertisement
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. The individually wrapped cocoa and cookies can be tucked inside a bandana and wrapped inside any pretty mug. Then all you need is a spoon and some hot water. Specialty tea bags or apple cider mix can accompany the cookies in place of the cocoa. There are lovely mugs available with clever holiday motifs, but plain ones in cheerful colors can be enjoyed year-round.
You'll find an array of colorful bandanas at hobby stores for less than a dollar, and they double later as napkins to tie around the plastic-wrapped cookies and drink mix. The bandanas can line dishes or serve as a colorful kerchief on a simple quart-size canning jar. Add a doll-size cowboy hat for fun. Bandanas, napkins and pretty tea towels can secure a lid or wrapping for cookie packages. They are practical as well as colorful.
A cookie jar with wrapped or bagged cookies inside is another container that keeps on giving. Perhaps you can add to a special collection of dishes someone has started. A simple Fire King plate or mug with cookies is sure to delight.
Make the gift tag a cookie recipe card from you. Just punch a tiny hole in a corner with the recipe on one side and put your message on the back. Don't forget to sign and date it. The tag becomes a special memory each time the recipient makes your recipe.
Recipe boxes along with lunch boxes and insulated lunch sacks are great containers for all the ingredients you need to stir up a batch of special cookies. Someone who loves to cook always appreciates a bottle of good vanilla or fresh-shelled Oklahoma pecans.
Most flat-shaped cookies can be wrapped as small stacks or individually. Wrapped in pairs, medium-size cookies will be ready to add a sweet touch of holiday cheer to a lunch box or afternoon snack. Group cookie stacks according to how they will be used.
For a taste of nostalgia, bring out the waxed paper to place between layers of baked goods in a box. Some of us remember the days before plastic wrap and resealable plastic bags. We depended on waxed paper to store our baked goods, wrap sandwiches and keep food fresh. Not as airtight as today's options, waxed paper is a great food-safe box liner or spacer. You can fold it around individual cookies to help keep them from sticking together or getting crushed.
My favorite new wrapping for tiny Christmas cookies is not really new, but it is so simple to make. It is paper wrapped in a cone shape around the tempting treats. If you stop at a specialty candy store in France, often the gumdrops or truffles will be packaged this way. You can do it yourself with wrapping paper. Line it with heavy-duty foil or waxed paper to keep it sturdy. You may want to also use a small plastic bag inside to keep things extra fresh. Cut a square or rectangle of pretty paper and roll around into a cone shape. Place a bit of cellophane tape on the edge to secure the cone. Fill the bag, leaving enough room at the top to gather and tie with raffia or a bow. You can also bring it down like the flap of an envelope and seal it with a holiday sticker or stick-on gift label.
Plastic mixing bowls and lunch boxes can be cookie holders. Cellophane sacks, corsage bags, specialty holiday bags and boxes with viewing windows are ideal for holding pretty cookies. Cover a recycled can that held potato crisps or peanuts with wrapping paper and place a wrapped stack of cookies inside. Wrap a ribbon or bandana around it.
There are many ways to gift wrap cookies, so I hope your home on the range is filled with lots of well-packaged cookies. Happy baking.
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
0
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).