Have you also just caught the cookie baking fever? Then you should already start thinking about how and where you will store the cookies. Because the right storage of the cookies has a great influence on the taste and the shelf life of the cookies.
Christmas is just around the corner, and that means one thing - Christmas cookies!
Whether you're a fan of the classic vanilla cookies or prefer something more adventurous like cinnamon stars or coconut macaroons, homemade cookies are a festive tradition.
But how can you make sure they stay fresh for as long as possible? What do you have to pay attention to when you want to store cookies?
We'll tell you how long homemade cookies stay fresh and what simple tricks you can use to extend their shelf life.
So if you want your cookies to stay fresh and delicious until Christmas Day, take a few minutes now.
Table of contents
What is the best way to store cookies?
Tin boxes are the best for storing Christmas cookies. They maintain constant humidity in the box, stack well on top of each other and ensure that the cookies do not become soggy. The perfect temperature for storing cookies is between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius.
Therefore, cool rooms such as the entrance hall, bedroom or pantry are particularly suitable for storage.
The tins are available in supermarkets or online in many sizes and shapes. There are beautiful Christmas motifs, but also neutral variants. Small tins are ideal if you want to store cookies and then give them away.
The most important basic rule is:
After the cookies are baked, they must be completely cold before they are stored. It is important that the decorations are allowed to dry so that they do not stick together.
Can you store cookies in tupperware?
Depending on the variety, cookies either quickly become hard or soft. Tupperware does not offer one hundred percent protection from moist ambient air and is therefore not suitable for storing Christmas squares.
Likewise, some may give off their typical plastic taste to the Christmas cookies.
Mmh, delicious: You can find the best low carb cookie recipes here!
What is the shelf life of homemade cookies?
Dry shortbread cookies such as butter cookies, angel's eyes, Spitzbuben or Spritzgebäck, for example, will keep for up to 4 weeks if stored in tins at room temperature - gingerbread and cinnamon stars will keep even much longer - 2 to 3 months are possible here.
Very simple, dry cookies, like these protein cookies, can be stored for as long as eight weeks. Coconut macaroons keep for up to 3 weeks if stored properly, while cream-filled cookies stay fresh for only about 1 week. Here we always assume room temperature.
The cooler they are stored, the longer you can keep cookies. On my shady balcony at the low temperatures in November and December, my cookies also keep until January. Here you just have to make sure they don't get any sun!
If you open the cookie baking season at the beginning of November, then you should first go for dry varieties or gingerbread. Everything to do with cream and jam will have to wait a little longer.
5 tricks to store cookies ideally
To ensure that you have fresh cookies before Advent and after Christmas, you should store them properly. Follow these tricks to extend the shelf life.
- Let cookies rest
- Handle with care
- Prefer tin cans
- Do not mix varieties
- Store cookies in a cool, dry and airtight place
Let cookies rest
After you take your cookies out of the oven, you need to let them cool. This is especially important if you want to cover the cookies with chocolate or icing. If you don't let the chocolate frosting harden, not only do you run the risk of your cookie decorations falling off, but the entire cookie will look unappetizing.
If the cookies do not get a decoration like conventional butter cookies, then you should still let them cool properly. Warm Christmas cookies cause the cookie jar to sweat and mold to form. So it's better to set them aside a little too long before you start storing them.
Therefore, it is important to remember that if you want to store your cookies properly, you must first allow them to cool completely.
Handle with care
If you want your cookies to always look good, you should be especially careful with chocolate-covered cookies. Fingerprints are easily visible on the dark surface, and they can also turn white if stored too long.
I put cookies with coating therefore always briefly on the balcony. Here the chocolate immediately solidifies and the cookies can be stored suitably.
Prefer tin cans
It's best to store cookies in tin cans. They can sometimes take on a plastic-like smell or taste when stored in plastic containers. Tip: In the supermarket, you can often get tin cans with contents (e.g. butter cookies) cheaper than if you buy them empty.
Let Stollen or Lebkuchen stand for a day before putting them away. This gives the spices time to develop their aroma. Then seal them in a metal container.
Do not mix varieties
If you bake a lot of cookie varieties, you know how much space this can take up. Still, you shouldn't mix the varieties if you want to store cookies.
If you want the flavors of your cookies to not blend together, use a different tin for each flavor.
Or if you want to mix varieties, do it only with those that have similar flavors. The dominant pastry (spices, coconut, coffee) will give its flavor to the others - and then everything tastes the same.
Tip: For cookies with jam, chocolate or icing toppings, place a layer of baking paper between the rows of cookies. This will prevent the cookies from sticking to the tin and to each other.
Cool, dry and airtight
Cookies should be stored in a cool, dry environment and are best kept in an airtight container. The refrigerator is too cool for most cookies. The cookies will break apart there and the chocolate will turn gray. A room that is not heated (such as a pantry or, for many people, the bedroom) is better.
Let the cookies stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes before eating, so they can develop their full flavor.
Mega delicious: Vegan oat cookies with cranberry and chocolate!
Can you store cookies in the freezer?
Having trouble eating all those goodies you baked this holiday season? No problem, because most cookies can be frozen and eaten at a later date. If you pay attention to a few little things, you can enjoy them as if they were freshly baked!
- When freezing important: seal the cookies in a air and aroma tight box. Well suited are frost-proof plastic boxes.
- Freeze no Christmas cookies with chocolate on. They even turn gray in the regular fridge, you can imagine how they look after all the sub-zero temperatures in the freezer. If you notice before decorating that you have baked too much, freeze them without chocolate coating - you can still do it after thawing.
- Labeling: If you want to keep track of the labels the boxes with date, quantity and contents.
- Thawing: Take the frozen cookies out of the can and let them thaw for about two hours at room temperature defrost. They are then really delicious and taste like freshly baked. Optimal when a visitor is announced at short notice.
Storing Christmas cookies: absolute no-go's!
There are a few good tips and tricks and a few that do exactly the opposite of what you want to achieve. To make sure you don't make any mistakes, we've collected the biggest no-gos here.
- Put cookies with chocolate in the refrigerator: A no-go for anyone who loves to eat beautiful chocolate cookies! The glaze does not tolerate cold, which is why it gets a grayish tinge. This does not change the taste, but it is unappetizing to the eye.
- High humidity: If you like your cookies crispy - especially butter cookies, you should protect them from humidity. Likewise, too high or too low temperatures make crumbly cookies very soft. The tin protects cookies from moisture.
- Leave around in large quantities: This is more of a no-go for the figure than for the shelf life of the cookies. If you constantly keep an eye on the cookies, you'll eat a lot more of them, which will show on your hips. So it's better to deliberately put a few in a small bowl every day than to put the whole plate on the living room table.
Can cookies go bad?
Yes, homemade cookies can spoil. Especially the butter can become rancid, which you can smell and taste immediately. The rule here is to smell and taste. You notice a bad cookie immediately!
If you've stored the cookies properly, they won't go bad quickly. However, if you find that they have become very crumbly or smell rancid, it is best to discard them.
The same applies to Christmas cookies with fruit filling: If mold has already formed on the jam, this means that bacteria have also taken up residence in the dough. These can cause stomach upsets - so it's better to play it safe and dispose of the cookies.
To keep cookies from molding, make sure they are completely dry and cool before storing them. Mold can quickly form in a sealed cookie jar or storage container if there is residual moisture and the cookies are sweating.
Our conclusion
If you want to store cookies and want them to stay fresh for a long time, you should let them cool down completely before you think about storing them. Then the cookies go into a tin box, where they are stored in a cool and dry place. Optimal are 15 to 18 degrees.
With these tricks, your homemade Christmas cookies will stay fresh and delicious for weeks! Have fun and enjoy!
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