Pretty Boxes & Packing and Shipping Cookies

Give candy boxes a finishing touch that won't be ripped away when your present is opened. Cover containers with a selection of seasonal gift wrap, art paper, ribbon, and twill tape. For chocolates, wrap the cover only, using craft glue or a glue stick as you go. Tuck excess paper inside, and trim the edge with a ribbon or paper strip.

Packaging and Shipping Cookies

PACKAGING

Instead of consigning your thoughtfully shaped and baked goods to an old shoe box or used coffee can, try one of the following decorative ideas for storing and presenting them.

1. Pudding molds lined with parchment make excellent vessels for soft chocolate truffles.

2. Long, lidded bread pans, swathed in bright taffeta or velvet ribbon, are the perfect container for delicate cookies like biscotti.

3. A paint box, found in art-supply stores, displays a variety of different cookies in mini cupcake liners.

4. Heavy-duty square cake pans with notched corners are perfect for securing crisscrosses of ribbon or rickrack over parchment-paper lids.

5. Even clear plastic airtight containers make pretty packages when dressed up with lengths of ribbon.

SHIPPING TIPS

—Every gift you ship should have two basic lines of defense: It should be well packed in an inner gift box, then well packed in a second, outer gift box.

—Choose a box that is appropriate in size to the cookie tin within. This will help keep the tins from shifting and the cookies from breaking.

—The ideal cushion is 2 to 3 inches of packing material on all sides.

—Reuse or recycle packing material like boxes, Bubble Wrap, and foam peanuts.

PACKING MATERIALS

These packing materials will help ensure that your cookies reach their destination in one piece.

Air Popped Popcorn

This inexpensive and environmentally sound material creates an ideal cushion. Toss a scoop or two of popcorn (air-popped, with no oil) at the bottom of the box. Set the cookie tin on top, and surround it with more popcorn.

Bubble Wrap

Line the inside of your cookie tin with two layers of Bubble Wrap, one underneath the cookies and one on top. Pack the tin in a box neatly lined with lengths of Bubble Wrap, then fold the Bubble Wrap back into the margins between the tin and box to form a double cushion.

Eco Foam

This is the environment-friendly cousin of foam peanuts. It is a biodegradable cornstarch product that provides excellent cushioning for fragile cookies. Its only drawback is that it melts when wet, so don’t use it to pack any containers that may leak.

First Published: December/January 1994/1995