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)
Hello!
I love this blog. I am wanting to ship cinnamon rolls from Montana to Los Angeles should I bake them cool and freeze them or can they be shipped unfrozen.
Thank you for your help
Cori
Hi Cori! Thank you! I usually recommend shipping unfrozen, especially in warmer months or to warmer climates. The post office is running slower currently, and shipping with ice packs to keep things frozen can be expensive, so I'd use those factors to determine how you proceed. I think I'd bake and cool, and then wrap and ship with the frosting separate. Hope that helps!
Hi Heather,
I love you blog and thanks for all your tips. I want ship a loaf matcha banana bread to mother in law in Texas From Philadelphia this weekend and wanted to know the best way to wrap it and ship. I was thinking to bake and cool it and then plastic wrap it well and then froze. The next day, packaged it well for overnight shipping. Do you recommend I also add cold packs?
Thanks for your time and response,
Sandy
Hi Sandy! I am only just seeing this! If you DO freeze the bread, definitely use cold packs. Otherwise I'd cool, wrap, and then ship with 1 Day or 2 day shipping. Freezing is really only good if you can KEEP is frozen. Otherwise the UN-freezing happens and can ruin the texture while things are en route. Hope this helps and thanks for reading!
I make cinnamon rolls and am a MilitarySpouse. I have several spouse friends asking me to send them my cinnamon rolls. I’m wondering the best way to do that. Frosting on the side maybe?? Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thank you for the great tips. I am shipping pies to Texas from Virginia. Also side note I add a slice of bread to my cookies plan or frosted and they stay fresh when shipping. You can remove the stale bread and add a new one to keep cookies fresh.
Excellent tip, Aimee!
Want to send pumpkin rolls to Florida from Pennsylvania. What is the best way to package them. Thanks
Hi Mary Ann! That is AMBITIOUS! I think I'd wrap them tightly in plastic wrap to hold their shape. And then I think bubble wrap to protect the roll - the cake is so delicate and I'd be afraid that shipping would squish them. I'd also opt for 1 day shipping and maybe a cold pack in the box because of the filling. Let me know how it goes!
Need help I'm going to start shipping my homemade pumpkin rolls what is the best way to ship and cost effective all around and so that it stays fresh
Hi and thank you. Is there any way I can ship and store filled puff pastries? I'm disable and trying to start a small business. Blessings
I am planning on baking and shipping a variety of scones to a friend in Washington State from West Virginia. So, it'll be a long trip. I do plan to use a faster shipping method. I'm wondering if freezing them as they are made would be helpful in keeping them fresher. Your post is very informative and helpful! ....it definitely makes me want to pretty up that package before I ship it out! I was thinking of wrapping them individually in parchment bags like you suggested before freezing.
Thank you
Hey Jennifer! So glad this was helpful! I don't think I'd freeze the scones; I think the thaw might create additional moisture where you don't want it, especially because it's so hot outside right now! I think I'd bake, wrap individually, and choose a 1-day shipping option if the cost isn't too crazy. I'd also ship earlier in the week AND earlier in the day so you don't have to deal with the weekend and possibly adding extra days. The 2-day shipping option would also be ok!
Heather~
Thank you so much for the input! Great point about the added moisture ...and shipping early in the week and day! I'm so glad I found your site!
Thanks so much, Jennifer! I am so glad I could help!
You can ship any food item by packing it in the right way by using the right material. There is also an option to get some packaging boxes for your food products.
Amazing Post! I really like reading it. Thanks for sharing and keep up the amazing work.
These images look so amazing and thanks for sharing these wonderful ideas with us. I really appreciate your work and good Luck for more amazing work in the future.
All of this information is awesome! I have read all of the comments as well. I need advice about yeast rolls. We are in Virginia, want to ship to Texas to the Army base for my step son. Because they are yeast rolls, I am not sure about the best packaging. The weather is warm in Texas right now, between 60 and 70, and cold in Virginia. Any advice would be appreciated!
Hi Cindi! I'd ship these the way your bread is shipped; wrapped in a plastic bag that's tied, but not airtight. Wrap the bread AFTER it cools completely, and aim for overnight, 2 day shipping at the most!
Hi! Great post! I am trying to mail some macarons to my boyfriend's family for Christmas. I'm planning to mail them a few days before Christmas to ensure that it gets to them in a timely manner, but I still am not sure how I should package them to maintain freshness. I've read posts about wrapping them individually in a plastic bag and then taping it to a piece of cardboard, and then wrapping it with bubble wrap. I've also read things about storing them in an air tight jar and I've seen people put them in a box and also include an ice pack. There are so many different methods, that I'm not really sure what is the right one. I would love to know if you have any strategies on how to pack and prepare for them for shipping, while also maintaining a bit of appeal.
Sending to Kosovo and to Afghanistan, and hoping to send funfetti cookies, favorites. Since they are a cake mix cookie, I normally try to keep them fresh by placing a slice of bread in the plastic bag with them. Good idea? Bad idea? Dumbest thing you ever heard?
That's actually an amazing idea! Let us know how it works for you! If it's a solid tip I'd love to add it to this post!
Hello! I know this is an old post but would love some advice.
My boyfriend has to go back to his home state across the country for a couple months and I wanted to surprise him while he's out there with some brownie cookies (brookies) or stuffed brownies that have oreos or reese's pb cups.
After reading your post and comments I had a question on whether or not you recommend parchment paper bags over plastic wrap. I love the cute detail the parchment bag gives but worry about the lack of moisture retention. Also, if the stuffed component will affect how well it holds up.
Also, thank you for your tips on the free boxes and flat rate shipping. Just ordered my free boxes!
Hi April! For these types of brownies I think you can make the call when you bake, cool, and slice. If they seem really gummy/extra moist as some stuffed or more fudgey brownies can be I'd go with the parchment envelopes. I agree they are more fun! If you are concerned that there might be a chance that things will dry out go with the plastic wrap.
The most important considerations will be the weather where you are / where you are shipping to, and if you are able to get that 2-day priority shipping!
If it's hot/humid where your package is headed, parchment is a safer bet. Cold? Plastic wrap.
I hope this is helpful! - Heather