Skip to main content

Cookie Packaging Essentials

As much as I love to bake cookies for friends and family, it's also a lot of fun packaging them up to make the treats extra special for gift giving.  I've always felt that homemade cookies one gives out to loved ones can be some of the best gifts ever, because it makes the recipient feel that a lot of effort and good will went into creating them.


Just imagine receiving a cookie or two packaged in a clear cellophane bag that's been tied with a nice ribbon or baker's twine.  Who wouldn't be impressed with that type of gift?  Cellophane bags, ribbons and twine are just some of those 'essentials' that every baker should have at their fingertips, especially if homemade gifts are important to you.  There is no reason to wait for the holidays to be handing out baked cookies.  There are plenty of occasions to do it throughout the year!


Over the years and through my baking thousands upon thousands of cookies, I've learned how to streamline the packaging process.  Everything is gathered on a clean surface, with cookies laid out on one side on big baking trays, and the rest of my essential packaging materials on the other side.  Then, it's all about packaging up cookies assembly line style.  Trust me, it works and it cuts down on time spent doing this.

This is what I do.

Cookie Packaging Essentials
  • Baker's Twine or Butcher's Twine
  • Waxed Linen Thread 
  • Metal Rim Tags
  • Ribbon (a variety of colors)
  • Blank Labels (for handwriting)
  • Personalized Labels (design your own!)
  • Paper Bags (white or natural)
  • Clear Cellophane Bags (a variety of sizes: 4x6", 4x9", 5x11" and 9x13" are my go-to sizes)

I love using old Ball jars for storing these cookie essentials.  On the left I have spools of waxed linen thread in a mint-green color ready to be cut to size.  To the right of that I have a jar filled with precut baker's twine.  Measuring it out ahead of time helps a lot.

For standard-sized cookies (3-4"), I find that baker's twine cut to a length of 14" is perfect for cinching a cellophane bag with a pretty bow.  Simply pull the twine to the desired length and snip as many pieces as you will need.  Drop extras into a Ball jar like I do.  As I said, it helps tremendously to precut these 14" pieces ahead of time.  Whenever I need to quickly tie up some cookies and send them off, I simply reach into the Ball Jar and pull out what I need.  How easy is this?

Metal rimmed tags for writing a message or letting the recipient know what type of cookie is in the bag helps, but so do extra pieces of ribbon.  Don't throw away those birthday or holiday ribbons that people use for your gifts.  Keep them in a Ball jar for future use!

I find these to be my go-to treat bags.  The paper ones on the left are perfect for placing just about any cookie.  If I'm handing them out to people nearby, I simply put the cookies in the bags and seal them with a label, but if I'm mailing the cookies, I slip the sweet edibles into a smaller-sized cellophane bag so that the butter doesn't seep through.  

Cellophane bags are must-haves for all cookie bakers.  Having a variety of sizes will give you the option of choosing one that that is appropriate for the cookie you're gifting.  I find that placing a cookie into a bag with a snug fit to be the best, because this way the cookie doesn't have a lot of room to get tossed around.  The last thing you want is to have the recipient receive bits of cookie in a bag.  Not nice!

Another nice thing to do ahead of time if you're going to be gifting a lot of cookies is labeling bags in bulk.  I like to put my personalized label about 2" from the bottom if the cookie is 3-4" in size.  A larger cookie should have a label that is 3-4" above the bottom of the bag.  

If you look at these bags filled with cookies, all of the labels are affixed approximately halfway up from the bottom.  This looks neat & professional.

Some of my favorite cookies of all time.


I hope this gives you some idea of how to streamline cookie packaging in your home.  Take one suggestion or two and implement them this holiday season or throughout the year when you give out cookies.  As I've said, prepping things ahead of time when you have a moment to spare, will be less stressful for you than leaving everything at the last minute.  If I can do it, you can do it!
Labels:

Comments

  1. KennAugust 30, 2014 at 12:32 PM

    Cellophane bags are a MUST. I think they are harder and harder to find (the TRUE cellophane bags.. not just the thin plastic ones). I like the idea of storing the bakers twine, precut no less, in the ball jar.. Now, I think I'll go organize my cookie wrapping bin!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good Things by DavidAugust 30, 2014 at 2:06 PM

    I agree with you. The nicer bags can still be purchased through online retailers and even through places such as, Paper Source. They do make all the difference.

    Do precut that twine, especially before the holidays! It's going to save you from getting a headache. :)

    Happy Baking, Kenn!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Co.Co.March 13, 2015 at 11:43 PM

    I can still find them made by Wilton in the cake decorating section at my grocers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Co.Co.March 13, 2015 at 11:44 PM

    Btw David. Those little snowmen cookies r adorable. So cute.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good Things by DavidMarch 14, 2015 at 5:55 AM

    I love those snowmen!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousFebruary 6, 2022 at 1:39 PM

    thanks

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank You for Posting!

Popular posts from this blog

Antique Salt Cellars

There was a time when salt cellars played an important role on the dining table for the host or hostess.  As a result of it being such an expensive commodity several hundred years ago, salt was seen as a luxury and it was the well to do that made salt cellars quite fashionable & a status symbol for the home.  A single salt cellar usually sat at the head of the table and was passed around throughout the meal.  The closer one sat to the salt cellar, the more important one was deemed by the head of the household.  Smaller cellars that were more accessible and with an open top became a part of Victorian table settings.  Fast forward to the 20th century when salt was no longer a luxury and when anti caking agents were added to make salt free-flowing, and one begins to see salt cellars fall out of fashion.  Luckily for the collector and for those of us who like to set a table with Good Things , this can prove to be a boon. Salt cellars for the table come in silver, porcelain, cut glass
50 comments
Read more

Collecting Jadeite

With its origins dating back to the 1930s, jadeite glassware began its mass production through the McKee Glass Co. in Pennsylvania. Their introduction of the Skokie green & Jade kitchenware lines ushered in our fascination with this jade color.  Glassmakers catered jadeite to the American public as an inexpensive alternative to earthenware soon after the Depression, both for the home and for its use in restaurants.  The Jeanette Glass Company and Anchor Hocking introduced their own patterns and styles, which for many collectors, produced some of the most sought after pieces.  Companies marketed this beautiful glass under the monikers of jadite , jadeite , jade glass , jad-ite , jade-ite , so however you want to spell it, let it draw you in for a closer look.  If you want a thorough history of the origins of jadeite, collectors’ pricing, patterns & shapes (don’t forget the reproductions in 2000), I highly suggest picking up the book by Joe Keller & David Ross called, Jadei
48 comments
Read more

A Tour of Turkey Hill with Martha Stewart and Friends

Martha Stewart led an intimate tour of her former Westport, Connecticut home and gardens for a few of my friends this past weekend.  From the photographs I've seen of that special day, it was an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime by those who were in attendance.  As much as I regret not going to this momentous occasion, my friends were kind enough to allow me to share their amazing photographs here on the blog. Let's take a tour of Turkey Hill with Martha Stewart and a few of my friends. Without the kindness of Jeffrey Reed, Dennis Landon, Darrin David, Anthony Picozzi and Colin Eastland, this post would not be possible.  It must also be stated that the fundraising event was graciously hosted by the current owners of Turkey Hill, the Bergs. Many thanks to the Berg family for opening up the property. Turkey Hill is the Federal style home that was purchased, renovated and landscaped by Martha Stewart and her then husband, Andy, back in 1970.  It was he
17 comments
Read more