Make sure cookies cool completely before storing. Store them at room temperature in an air-tight container, like Tupperware. Store different flavors separately. Over time, strongly flavored cookies like molasses or mint will seep into other cookies, so if possible store each flavor in its own container.
Contents
Keep Them Sealed
The key to keeping cookies fresh and soft is to seal them in an airtight container, like a resealable freezer bag. And here’s a nifty little trick: add a piece of bread to the bag. You might think that the bread trick works because the cookies absorb moisture from the bread.
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.
Keep those cookies crisp by storing them in an airtight container. Some people toss a piece of bread in with the cookies to help absorb any excess moisture. You could also re-crisp them by baking on a wire rack in a 300 degree F oven for a few minutes.
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.
The easiest way to keep them fresh without adding in a type of preservative, is to scoop cookie dough and freeze them for at least 24 hours before baking. This adds moisture to the dough in the form of ice crystals.
When you pack up those cookies in a container or storage bag, toss in half a slice of any kind of bread before you seal them up. Basically, the cookies will absorb moisture from the bread, which keeps them nice and soft. Just make sure you don’t go overboard—too much bread will actually turn your baked goods to mush.
As we mentioned, most cookie recipes last up to 3 months in freezer bags or containers when you store cookies unfrosted.
Do you have leftover cookies?Lay the cookies out in a single layer, not touching, and cover it with plastic wrap. Then freeze the baking sheet for at least 4 hours (overnight if you can). Once the cookies are frozen, you can stack them in a gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bag.
4-5 days
Regular homemade cookies will last for 4-5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature and up to 9 months if stored in the freezer. However, this is a generalization, and different kind of cookies have different answers, so read on for more information on how long cookies last.
However, it’s the yolks that make cookies chewy, while the whites lead to crunchier cookies. For our purposes, that means that agar-agar or aquafaba, which act as egg white replacements, can lead to crispy cookies. These Fugetaboutit Cookies use aquafaba and cream of tartar for delicious, crunchy cookies.
10 Rules for Baking the Perfect Cookies
- Gather All Your Ingredients.
- Use Fresh Ingredients.
- Let the Butter Soften on Its Own.
- Deal with the Eggs.
- Oven Temperature.
- Use Measuring Cups and Spoons.
- Avoid Substituting Ingredients.
- Keep the Size of the Cookies Uniform.
As in bread, starch from the flour in biscuits begins to crystalize after a few days, theoretically making biscuits more brittle. But in many biscuits, the high sugar content masks this process by absorbing water from the atmosphere, ultimately resulting in a soft biscuit.
Tightly sealed metal tins or canisters, held at room temperature, are the most versatile storage vessels, appropriate for many traditional Christmas cookies, including sugar cookies, spritz, bar cookies, chocolate chip cookies and nut balls.
Dry cookies, like shortbread cookies, gingersnaps, and Danish butter cookies, will stay fresher for longer because they have very little moisture. Dry cookies become stale when they suck up moisture from the air – causing them to become soft and lose their snap.
How to Make Soft Cookies
- Use brown sugar instead of white sugar.
- Use cake flour.
- Don’t overbake them.
- Eat them the day they’re baked.
- Store them in an airtight container.
- Store them with a piece of white bread.
- Wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave.
Microwaving them. If you cover your cookies with a wet paper towel and nuke them for a few seconds, they should soften up enough to eat. The problem is they will get really hot and melty. By the time they cool down to a temperature you can handle, they will be harder and drier than they were to begin with.
Underbaked cookies are the secret to softness. Using cornstarch in the dough is another secret to softness, as well as the secret to thickness. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. Adding an extra egg yolk increases chewiness.
Why are my cookies tough? The most common reason that cookies are tough is that the cookie dough was mixed too much. When flour is mixed into the dough, gluten begins to form. Gluten helps hold baked goods together, but too much gluten can lead to tough cookies.
Most of the time, cookies need to cool for around five to ten minutes before they can be moved and consumed.
Cookie Cooling Location is Important
- Rack – The rack is the most notorious place to stick a cookie to cool down.
- Baking pan – Do you leave your cookies on the baking pan to cool?
Baked cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 3 or 4 weeks. 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.