How to Ship Baked Goods
Super easy tips on How to Ship Baked Goods including money-saving postage options, and wrapping to keep your treats fresh and in tact!
It's May, which means that I have been participating in The Leftovers Club for one whole year. 12 months of swapping "leftover" treats (you guys know we never actually have leftovers around here, right?) with friends that I've found from coast to coast. It's really fun and I always look forward to it -- I mean, imagine if your favorite food blogger wrapped up those brownies you were drooling over and mailed them to you?!
Awesome, right? Right.
Here's the thing though. Sometimes awesome brownies do not hold up in the mail.
Actually, LOTS of things don't hold up in the mail. So after one year of hits and misses, stale treats, crumbled cookies, hockey pucks, and other assorted oddities that I know started out as THE MOST amazing foods, I decided to use my experience here (and shipping goodies retail) to break it all down for you (and if you have more tips, please leave them in the comments!).
If you've never done this, I will totally vouch. IT WORKS!! I wrote a whole post on my results using white cake and some insanely delicious green frosting. Pictured here are brownies, from scratch, all baked and cooled and ready to eat right out of that jar.
You will have to adjust your bake time (obviously), and then you will FREEZE whatever you've baked before shipping. I would not recommend this for long distances in the summer, but for 1-day mail in a moderate climate (or another bizarrely frigid winter) this solution is perfect! You can find the whole tutorial on shipping cupcakes on The Cupcake Project HERE.
Plastic wrap is your friend. Tupperware is not.
This is going to sound sort of counter-intuitive, but bear with me and I'll explain.
SAVE YOUR NICE PLASTIC CONTAINERS!!
Here's why: Plastic containers are basically air-tight. Which is perfect in your climate-controlled, humidity-free home. Especially when you open the container everyday to grab a cookie and the moisture has a chance to escape.
But when you put that air-tight container in the mail and it isn't opened for days, that moisture hangs around. If it's too warm outside mold can happen. Once I got a very nice container full of sweet mushy goo that I think started out as bars of some kind. The photos were gorgeous! The recipe looked perfect! What came in the mail was not. Plastic wrap fastened with a pretty sticker is cheaper, cuter, and much more forgiving. PLUS it's smaller to ship.
***Things that DO ship well in air-tight containers are granola and nuts***
Treat bags are soooooo cute. And I feel all professional whenever I deliver cookies or something tucked neatly into these little parchment envelopes. Bonus points for more stickers.
I really dig a good 'ol brown bag. You can stuff it full of so many things! Cookies, brownies, bars, granola, loose nuts -- you can brown bag ANYTHING. If you are shipping things that need to retain moisture, you probably want to wrap in plastic before brown bagging. This is how I deliver lots of things locally. Totally cheap and stylish, I think (but remember I live in jeans and tank tops, so you may not want to take my word on the stylish thing).
Pack Carefully!!!!
Newspapers, plastic bags, construction paper -- you need to FILL your box to capacity so that things don't move around and get smooshed. Once I got some INCREDIBLE macarons in the mail, but they were all chipped and broken. I ate them anyway (oh yes I did) but I felt so sad for the maker because I know she poured some time and heart and soul into them. You can't ever really guarantee that nothing will break, but you can do your best to try!
OH!!
And while we are talking about boxes -- I need to tell you my secret.
You can go to the USPS website and order boxes FOR FREE and have them delivered right to your door. It's basically amazing. I ALWAYS opt for USPS Priority Mail 2-Day delivery. It's a flat rate no matter how many loaves of banana bread you shove in that box. AND you know your goodies won't be traveling for a week.
A little bit of flair (37 pieces, to be exact) goes a long way. I love sparkles, confetti, raffia, paper grass -- it all makes your gift feel like just a little MORE. I mean, if you are mailing muffins you can skip the wrapping paper, right?
Personal labels are happy. If you have'em, use 'em.
When you go to ship, I have one more super easy time-saving tip for you:
If you ship with USPS, you can not only use the flat rate 2-day FREE boxes, but you can also print your labels right from your computer and have the mailman pick the package up right off your porch!
I do like to play around with the mailing options -- some are cheaper than others. For example, a standard medium box to anywhere in the US is $11.30. But I'm in North Carolina and if I am shipping to other states on the east coast, a Regional Rate A box is almost EXACTLY the same size, but ships (any weight!) for around $5.60.
The bottom line here though, is that you can handle all the mailing without leaving home! How easy would this be at Christmas?! Just saying.
I typically schedule pickup the night before, bake either that night or in the morning, let everything cool completely, and have it picked up in the afternoon.
SOOOO easy.
Things That Ship Well...
- cookies
- bars
- brownies
- blondies
- muffins
- quick breads
- bread
- crackers
- cupcakes!! (baked in jars)
- nuts
- granola & granola bars
Things That Don't Hold Up So Well in the Mail...
- popcorn (it softens instead of staying crunchy; there is a reason for all those crazy preservatives in packaged popcorn!)
- frosted or frosting-filled cookies (something with a shortening or peanut butter base MIGHT be okay, but the frosting tends to harden, turning your cookie into a weapon)
- truffles (this can vary. If you have a mostly-cake base it might work. But you want to avoid any climate changes, especially with heat. Be cautious)
- bark or chocolate (think of a chocolate bar that warmed and then cooled -- the color is off and it looks chalky. Sometimes the texture is affected, too)
I love all your cookie tips! I've been mailing cookies for years but never thought of the cute little things you do. This is the first time I'm mailing cookies/something baked in the Summer. It's almost 90 today but I really need to send a thank you. What travels well in the Summer? Do you think a lemon butter loaf or some type of banana bread would be good? Help 🙂
Hey Marla!! I think a lemon butter loaf would work great! Banana bread will depend on the moisture content. Sugar cookies, coffee cakes -- all good things to mail in the summer months. So glad this was helpful for you!
Hi there!
First of all, this post is so incredibly helpful. Baked goods are part of a package I did for my kickstarter, so I will use this immediately.
Could I ask where you got your stickers from?
Natalie
Hi Natalie!! The stickers in this post came from minted.com but there are lots of places you can order them a little cheaper. I'd check amazon 1st! Also places like vistaprint etc.
Hey Heather, I live in California and I'm planning on shipping brownies, granola bars, apple pie-in-a-jars, and some chocolate chip cookies to 4 good friends of mine down in Alabama. I'm planning to bake, wrap, and mail everything in 1 day for no time waste. They're all roommates and one is planning to move out in two weeks. Do you have any tips on helping me make these goodies survive through the mail? Thanks!
Hey Justice! The tips for brownies are in the post -- I'd wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Same with granola bars! You can also do wax paper around the granola bars before wrapping in plastic -- if they are soft that will help them keep their shape. Apple Pie in Jars -- YUM! Cool before sealing the jars 🙂 And chocolate chip cookies you can just put them in paper bags. Ship anything with chips that can melt asap! It's still pretty cool here down south 🙂
Merci beaucoup ! Depuis le temps que je cherchais un article comme le vôtre ! Merci encore pour le partage !
Bonne continuation !
Et Bravo pour votre blog !
My best friend lives in England and I live in Connecticut. She's going through a rough time right now and when she was around, I used to bake her chocolate chip cookies or blueberry muffins at times like this. I was wondering what you think would hold up best with the weeklong shipping time though. Thanks!
Hey Kris! I also have a friend in England! Cookies and muffins should both ship well - especially this time of year.
How bout donuts with glaze? Do they ship well?
Hey Kyle! It would depend on how you are shipping them! Are you making them yourself?
Wondering the same thing about donuts! I'm wanting to send a military friend his favorite donuts (glazed krispy crème donuts). I'm wondering if just doing the same plastic wrap and brown bag it would work?
Hi Hannah! That is so nice of you! Are they going overseas or will they still be in the US?
how bout pancakes? do they ship well too?
I have never shipped pancakes lol
Hi, i just wanna ask if the FRIED OREOS would still be fresh if i wrapped them in PLASTIC plus put them in the TUPPERWARE? i really need the answer because we have a project in our school
P.s: i'm not gonna fry them, just gonna bake it. i just used the name because it has the same recipe but not the procedure 🙂 thank you!
Hi Ivan!! I would not recommend tupperware! If you read through a few of these tips -- especially for things that you want to maintain some crunch, SEALING them completely in an airtight container is not your best bet. If you are doing a baked fried Oreo, I am assuming the outside should still have some crunch? I'd go with a parchment sleeve or a paper bakery bag 🙂
Good luck! And Happy Projecting!
Thank you very much! 🙂 maybe i'll go with the plastic wrap with the paper bag 🙂
anyway, i'll recommend your site to my friends or relatives if they're planning for some pastries or baking stuffs 🙂
I know this is an old post, but still helpful. I just have to say I used to ship cookies to my husband from Canada to the US before we were married. And I just packed them in a tupperware container and mailed that. Didn't need the box at all, I don't know if we had free boxes though.
My family lives far from me...and I am always looking for ideas and suggestions regarding sending baked goods. Thank you for all your suggestions...and commonsense! You have made this Christmas season much easier!
Hi,
Great post. I am trying to send some baked goods to my friend who is in South Korea and it will take 6-10 days I think to get there. I was wondering if you thought bars would travel better than cookies, and would you put them in a plastic bag? I was thinking about freezing them, and basically letting them defrost on their trip. Any thoughts as to if this is a good or bad idea?
Hi Robyn!! My experience with international shipping has only ever been to England, so with someplace like Soth Korea make sure you account for both the time and the climate difference. I think cookies or bars would both do well. A plastic bag is probably a good idea as long as there isn't TOO much moisture. I'd say most traditional brown sugar bases, oatmeal cookies, chocolate chip, blondies -- all should be fine. But something ultra soft like a cake mix cookie or Lofthouse style sugar cookies, or even cookies/bars baked with fresh fruit (instead of dried) -- I'd be worried about how they hold up.
Freezing works, but it's better for overnight I think (just based on my experience). I'd just cool to room temperature, wrap, and ship! Hope that helps!
I'm getting into sending baked goods to friends and relatives who live far away. Thanks for all the wonderful advice! I couldn't have hoped for a more comprehensive resource!!
I'm so glad this was helpful for you, Andrea! Happy baking!
Great guide! Glad my technique works for you!
Love it, Stef! Thank you!
Hi, thanks for sharing the tips about shipping. But I have a question. I also live in NC and lije to know how did you ship medium size box for $5.60? What was uour trick?? Love to know that.
Hi Ana! There are 2 options with USPS, but you have to look for them. When you go online to usps.com to print your shipping labels, switch from flat rate shipping to enter a package weight (I just guesstimate the weight). You're looking for Regional Box A or Regional Box B. One of my local post offices carries the Regional A boxes in the store, but the other does not, so I just order the boxes from the website and keep them here. They are free!!
I have a question. My son is stationed in Colorado, and I live in St Louis, MO. My mother and I both have mailed him homemade cookies and he said when he gets them they are white'ish (lighter in color) and not very good. He thinks it has something to do with the altitude. Do you know anything about that?
Hi Rhonda! I don't really know about how altitude would affect them but I would almost bet it has more to do with a fluctuation in temperature. What kind of cookies are you shipping? I've had great luck sending all kinds of goodies all over the country -- if you can give me specifics I'm happy to help! 🙂