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One of the very first things I learned when I began baking as a teenager was there’s a right and a wrong way to store cookies. The first Christmas I embarked on baking a few different types of cookies to gift to family and friends, I piled them all in the same large storage containers before dividing them up into their festive tins.
What happened was the chewy cookies quickly became stale, the crispy cookies became soft, and the mint from one cookie mixed with the gingerbread from another. I quickly realized I was doing it all wrong. Luckily, my family was too nice to tell me all the cookies basically tasted the same.
Here’s what I wish I had known then. These are the best ways to keep cookies fresh and tasting great, all season long.
How to Store Baked Cookies at Room Temperature
The biggest trouble cookies face during storage, besides becoming stale, is their texture can go in the opposite direction that was intended: soft cookies can become hard, and crispy cookies can become soft.
Another obstacle? Strong flavors from one type of cookie can overwhelm others. That means the best way to store cookies is to keep their original characteristics in mind, with the hope of preserving them.
For long-term storage, your best bet is to freeze cookies. However, if you simply want to keep cookies fresh for about a week, you’re better off keeping them at room temperature. Here’s how they should be stored.
Soft Cookies
Soft cookies such as gingerbread, chocolate chip, and peanut butter cookies should be stored separately from crispy cookies. If they have a strong flavor, they should also be stored away from other types of soft cookies in an airtight container.
In order to keep them their softest, tuck a slice of white sandwich bread inside the airtight container. Just like this trick helps keep brown sugar soft, it will keep your cookies soft since the moisture in the bread will leach out into the cookies.
Crispy Cookies
The goal for crispy cookies is opposite: You want to keep moisture away. To do this, store crispy cookies separate from soft cookies (whose moisture can actually soften crispy cookies), in an airtight container that’s not completely sealed. This will allow some air to sneak in and keep your cookies away from humidity and moisture. Again, if any of these cookies have a strong flavor, divide them by type.
How Long Do Baked Cookies Last?
Baked cookies will stay fresh for three days in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. If you decide to freeze baked cookies, plan to defrost and serve them within three months.
Put them in a plastic bag in the fridge and they should last a few weeks. Or in the freezer they should last months. Out in the air, at room temperature, they don't go stale
stale
Staling, or "going stale", is a chemical and physical process in bread and similar foods that reduces their palatability. Stale bread is dry and hard, making it suitable for different culinary uses than fresh bread. Countermeasures and destaling techniques may reduce staling.
Room temperature: Use airtight containers, cookie jars, or plastic bags to prevent air exposure and moisture loss. Keep cookies in a cool, dry area. Refrigerated: Use airtight containers or sealed plastic bags to store cookies in the fridge. Monitor the moisture level to avoid condensation.
The temperature can be a big factor when storing cookies. Unless otherwise noted, don't store cookies in the refrigerator: The cool air can rob cookies of their moisture and make them taste bland. In general, store cookies at room temperature or freeze them, as specified above.
After baking, allow cookies to cool completely. Place them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet to freeze them, then store them in a freezer-safe zip-top storage bag labeled with the name and date. Squeeze out extra air and place flat in the freezer. To save space, you can flat-stack freezer bags.
Curious how long cookies last at room temperature? Most homemade cookies will maintain their taste and texture for up to 3 days. If you leave them out for too long, the cookies begin to harden or dry out. To prevent cookies from becoming stale, cover them with plastic wrap or keep in an airtight container.
Twice-baked cookies like biscotti and mandelbrot have a longer shelf life than most other homemade cookies. These are the perfect cookies to start your holiday baking with—they won't be stale by the time you finish the rest of your cookies for your cookie trays.
Since moisture helps cookies stay soft and fresh, adding a slice of white bread into the container with cookies can help. The moisture from the bread slice transfers to the cookies, preventing them from getting dry. White bread is best for this hack so that no flavor is added to the cookies.
Cookies become hard when the moisture in them evaporates. This can be caused by leaving them out in the air for too long, baking them for too long, or storing them improperly. The lack of moisture makes the cookies hard and dry, which makes them difficult to enjoy.
Potassium Nitrate, Iso-Ascorbic Acid, Potassium Nitrite, Sodium Ascorbate are names of some common permitted preservatives added in almost all biscuits. Preservatives prevent or inhibit spoilage of food due to fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms.
The USDA website says that generally, cookies can be stored at room temperature for two to three weeks or refrigerated for two months. If you find yourself with more cookies than you can eat in that time frame, consider putting the baked cookies in a sealed container in the freezer.
Your stored cookies will stay freshest in a cool, dry place, such as the back shelf of your pantry. Depending on the variety, they'll last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. You can also freeze cookies for up to six months.
Bakery or homemade cookies can be stored at room temperature two to three weeks or two months in the refrigerator. Cookies retain their quality when stored in the freezer for eight to 12 months. Moist bars, such as cheesecake and lemon bars, can be refrigerated for seven days.
Do not freeze frosted, glazed or drizzled cookies because they can become too moist under the frosting, glaze or drizzle. Thaw the cookies in the plastic food container at room temperature. Remove from container any cookies that should be crisp when thawed.
Your best choices are airtight containers (plastic or glass) because they protect the cookies from breaking. Choose shallow, square or rectangular containers with flat bottoms. (Rounded bottoms cause cookies to bend.) Place waxed paper or parchment paper in between layers.
Bakery or homemade cookies can be stored at room temperature two to three weeks or two months in the refrigerator. Cookies retain their quality when stored in the freezer for eight to 12 months. Moist bars, such as cheesecake and lemon bars, can be refrigerated for seven days.
Wait for the cookies to cool completely, then transfer them to a reusable freezer-safe bag or container lined with wax or parchment paper. I like to place them in a single layer to avoid any cookies breaking. Cookies will keep well for up to 2 months. Once ready to eat, simply thaw out at room temperature and enjoy.
The best method is to store baked cookies in the freezer. Not only will this keep them fresh once defrosted, you can keep them in the freezer well past the five-day mark when the cookies would otherwise be turning hard and stale.
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