Fresh cookies, if eaten occasionally, are a great way to add nutrients to your body, get your emotions up, and give yourself a treat. But all these benefits hinge on a single word: fresh. Thus, understanding the various ways of keeping cookies from becoming stale is vital in your experience with the sweet snack.
As it turns out, different types of cookies require distinct storage methods. It would be a mistake to store crispy and soft cookies in the same ways. However, it helps to know the basics before peeking under the hood for tips on keeping cookies fresh.
It starts with the cooking
When baking a cookie, the prospect of a sweet bite may make you hurry the process. Be sure to patiently wait for a duration ranging from ten to thirty minutes as the cookies cook in the oven at about 175 degrees Celsius. Once they are ready, allow the cookies to cool on a rack. Hot cookies become humid when they cool, and the moisture ruins their texture.
Tips when storing cookies at room temperature
Room temperature gives you about three days to enjoy your cookies before they go bad. To keep them fresh for that long, it would help if you follow four simple cookie storage rules:
Do not store different cookies together
Soft cookies demand that you preserve the moisture content throughout the storage period. Thus, keeping them in an airtight container would help serve the purpose. If there is extra space, place a slice of white bread inside the container before sealing. The bread provides the humidity required to keep a cookie soft.
Crispy cookies also involve an airtight container. However, they require you to ensure they do not come into contact with moisture during storage. Therefore, a slice of bread would not be welcome here.
Use waxed paper if layering
During storage, avoid having the cookies lay on top of each other. The last thing you want is the mint flavor in one cookie leaching into a gingersnap one. Further, failing to separate various layers of cookies means that you will find them stuck to each other when you finally want to eat them. Luckily, a waxed paper can solve numerous stints. Be sure to lay it over all layers of cookies in the same container.
Keep off frosting
Adding some tasty frost is all well and good if you intend to eat your cookie fresh out of the oven. However, it may not be best if you frost to eat later. At room temperature, frosting may accelerate the rate at which cookies become stale. Additionally, frosted cookies demand extra space in your storage container. It is, thus, wiser to avoid frosting before storage as the mild temperature may also ruin the finish of the icing layer.
Avoid storing in a ceramic cookie jar
Keeping your cookies in an airtight container is paramount. Ceramic cookie jars usually allow air in and create a perfect environment for cookies to become stale. Advisedly, storing cookies in Tupperware is ideal. The airtight vessels are also excellent for storing cookies in layers, hence saving space.
Tips for storing cookies in a freezer
If you are all for eating cookies for about three to six months after a single bake, the freezer will provide you with a superb solution. Place cookies in a freezer bag and then an airtight Tupperware container that will go in the freezer. However, even with frozen cookies, it is better to avoid frosting unless you are serving.
Thawing your frozen cookie
You will need to thaw your frozen cookies before serving. If you have an hour or two, the ideal thawing method is letting the cookies rest on your kitchen counter. However, it is no crime to use an oven to thaw. The process takes about ten minutes and leaves your cookies tasting as delicious as freshly baked. However, you may avoid thawing by the microwave as it may potentially destroy a cookie’s texture.