The first year I was married, my parents flew from Long Island, New York to Minneapolis, Minnesota for Christmas. They came to piles of snow and icy winds. Still, my parents enjoyed their visit, the city, and unusual Minnesota activities like ice fishing.
But they didn’t enjoy my Christmas cookies. I baked a variety of treats in preparation for your visit. After dinner I brought a plate of cookies to the table and my mother ate a couple. “They all taste the same,” she said. “You shouldn’t have stored different cookies in the same container.” You can bet I never made this mistake again.
Since that Christmas many years ago, I have baked thousands of cookies: bars, drop, meringue, molded, stamped, soft, pressed, ice cream and rolled, which are also called cut-outs. My storage methods depend on the type of cookie. I’ve also made no-bake cookies, chow mein noodles and dried fruit coated in melted chocolate, and broken pretzels with dried fruit, also coated in melted chocolate.
When you think about storage, think about the main categories: soft, crisp, and bars. Buy your ingredients and storage containers well in advance. I have used decorated cans, coffee cans, wide mouth Mason jars, plastic containers with screw tops, and plastic containers with snap sides. Wash all containers with hot, soapy water before use.
Soft cookies are fun to make because of their cake-like dough and icing. I have made soft orange mounds with fresh orange juice frosting. If you make a soft cookie like this, store it in a single layer to avoid damaging the frosting. The unglazed variety can be stored in layers in an airtight container, with wax paper between the layers.
Crisp crackers should be stored in a container with a lid or lid that does not fit well, in accordance with Complete Pillsbury Cookbook. A decorative jar can do the trick. I’ve had several of them and the lids didn’t fit right, perfect for the batches I made. A Christmas tin can also work.
Experience has taught me to be very careful with meringue cookies. The goal of storage is to keep moisture away from them. Use the tightest container you can find, such as a plastic box with snap sides or special jars. Glass and plastic jars with snap-on lids are available at discount stores.
Bars are a different story. Minnesotans love to make bars because they are easy, quick, and tasty. Unlike meringues, your storage goal with the bars is to keep them moist. Leave the bars uncut on the baking sheet and cover with foil. Cut just before serving. These treats also freeze well.
Remember the advice from the Pillsbury Cookbook: “Use a separate container for each variety of cookies to avoid mixing flavors.” Happy holidays and happy meals to you and your family!
Copyright 2013 by Harriet Hodgson