It’s been almost 2 weeks since Halloween, do you still have candy? If you have some Butterfingers candy bars laying around I have an awesome cookie recipe for you, Butterfinger Chunkies. These cookies have become one of my families favorite new cookies. It is full of peanut buttery goodness. First you have peanut butter, then some chopped peanuts and the icing on the cake is crushed up bits of Butterfingers. Can you say yum?
As I was making these cookies I was reminded of my husband’s last deployment and all the baked goods that I use to send him. He is the guy to be friends with while deployed. His last deployment I sent him delicious treats such as chocolate chip cookies with oreos in the middle and then there were the slutty brownies. He always had the good homemade stuff. These cookies would be perfect for a care package and that got me thinking about my best tips for shipping cookies. I have been asked more than a handful of times for tips so here are some of my best tips for shipping cookies.
Tips for Shipping Cookies
The best cookies to ship are easy drop cookies like these Butterfingers Chunkies or Chocolate Chip. Bar cookies and brownies ship wonderfully also. This isn’t saying that you cannot ship other cookies such as rolled out sugar cookies, they just need more care such as individually wrapping.
You want to package your cookies in an airtight container to keep them from going stale. If you have a vacuum sealer it is perfect for this but if you don’t, don’t fret. You can do a poor man’s vacuum seal. Simply place cookies in a freezer ziploc bag, seal bag except for a tiny area where you can insert a straw and suck out all the air. Remove straw and seal. I use the freezer bags because they are thicker and more heavy duty.
When packaging your cookies you can add a slice of white bread or a few marshmallows (yes, marshmallows!) to help keep your cookies soft.
Ship cookies in a box not a padded envelope. The post office’s flat rate boxes are perfect. wrap cookies in bubble wrap and fill extra space in box with with popcorn, packing peanuts and/or used shopping bags. Used Target and Walmart bags are perfect for packing material.
Shipping priority mail (2-3 days) is usually good but if you are worried you can do next day. Fresh cookies are better than stale cookies after all. Pay attention to when you are mailing your cookies so they don’t sit in a post office over a weekend. Another thing to remember is when mailing overseas it can take a week or two, sometimes longer.
So there are my tips for sending homemade cookies to your friends and family. Sending homemade goodies is an awesome treat that your friends and family will love receiving especially if you are sending them some Butterfingers Chunkies! I can’t wait to bake some up to add to some holiday care packages.
What are your best tips for shipping homemade treats?
- ½ Cup Margarine (such as Imperial Margarine, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Country Crock)
- ¾ Cup Sugar
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Cup Peanut Butter
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Cup Peanuts, chopped
- 1 Cup Butterfingers, crushed
- *All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend can be substituted for All Purpose Flour with the addition of ½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl cream together margarine and Sugar and Brown Sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and combine well. Next mix in both Peanut butter and Vanilla Extract.
- In another bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add Flour mixture to creamed mixture, mixing well.
- Stir in chopped peanuts and crushed Butterfinger pieces.
- Drop cookie dough by rounded 1 ½-2 Tablespoon scoops onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
- Cool on wire cooling rack
- Enjoy, sharing with friends and family!
recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com