Regardless of whether you want to save cookies for the holidays or for everyday enjoyment, there are a few ways to do so. Generally, cookies stay fresh at room temperature for about three days before drying out. However, if stored properly in the freezer, pastries can last up to six months. To prevent them from going stale and to avoid possible mistakes when storing cookies, you can follow a few simple steps. Here are the most common ways to store baked goods so you can enjoy their crispiness and freshness for a long time.
What dos and don'ts should you keep in mind when storing cookies?
Few joys in life are better thanhomemade Christmas cookiesor delicious baked goods. However, this joy can be shattered if your set becomes soft or even moldy quickly. The good news is that you can always save your pastries for later. Additionally, there are some ways to extend its shelf life. However, to do this, you should follow simple but strict rules and never break them. When storinghomemade baked goodsand fresh cookie dough for later use, the main goal is to keep them fresh. With existing kitchen supplies and a few basic tricks, this can be easily done for future enjoyment.
First, you need to familiarize yourself with the main enemy of a cookie's freshness: air. Long-term storage outdoors causes starchy foods to go stale. Air exposes such products to greater evaporation even if only through a slit in a plastic bag. This can cause the pastry to dry out quickly. Think of a drink that you left out overnight: there will be less liquid in it in the morning, which would happen in a similar way with cookies.
Follow simple rules for storing baked goods
There are a few rules of thumb when it comes to preserving baked pasta. These guidelines will help you keep each piece fresher for longer.
- The first rule is toCool pastry completelybefore attempting to store it. As you cool cookies, they release moisture in the form of steam. So if steaming baked goods are all in a plastic container, your storage space will quickly become dampCondensation in the interiorarises. Excessive moisture can lead to soggy cookies, which in turn quickly become stale.
- The second rule saysstore different types of baked pasta separately. Different cookies require the appropriate environment, and keeping them in the same container will affect the two types. This also prevents a strange mix of flavors or stronger flavors from “spreading” to other cookies.
- Finally, if you would store your cookies in a sealable bag, this is the one you should usedon't leave it lying around. They are simply too vulnerable to air ingress and could be crushed, as well as heating up unnecessarily in the warmth of your kitchen. This can in turn lead to moisture, which can make each piece soggy.
Prevent air entry
You can minimize exposure to air in several ways. This depends on quantity, schedule and preferences. Ironically, you can make mistakes when using a cookie jar to store your cookies. As a pretty Christmas decoration, this one might look adorable on the counter, but despite its name, cookie jars aren't usually completely airtight. Likewise, cake stands and other window displays are not a good place to store your baked goods for more than a few hours. This tends to allow plenty of air to pass through the top, eliminating crunch and textural contrast and making cookies a touch hard.
When to use a fridge or freezer and store cookies?
If you plan to eat cookies or biscuits longer than four days after baking, consider using your freezer for storage. The same goes for cookie dough that you won't bake the same day or the next day. In addition, such baked goods can be stored in the freezer for at least a year. However, if you freeze raw dough, it's best to use it within a few months. Here's how you should freeze your cookies:
- It is best to use sealable plastic containers or bags suitable for the freezer.
- However, do not use cookie tins, such as those for Christmas cookies.
- Transfer the pastries to cans only after removing them from the freezer.
When it comes to storing cookies in the fridge, they can last for two weeks at a low temperature. However, it is better to consume them a little earlier. Again, store baking products in the refrigerator in a fully sealable plastic bag or container to prevent air ingress.
When should you store cookies at room temperature?
As already mentioned, such baked goods remain in optimal condition for consumption for two to three days without refrigeration. If your cookie box is not airtight and you still want to use it to store cookies on the counter, you should place the cookie in a sealable plastic bag before storing it in the container to keep the air out. Sealable plastic containers and bags can keep the pasta in good condition at room temperature. But when should you move newly made cookies from the kitchen shelf to the refrigerator? Such products from highly perishableIngredients like jamsor meringue pastries require cooler conditions within a few hours of baking.
Use tricks and store soft cookies
Again, the key to storing soft baked goods is minimizing airflow so they don't lose moisture. When exposed to air, their molecules begin to crystallize and remove water from the gluten, causing spoilage. Additionally, gingerbread cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and peanut butter cookies should be stored separately from crispy cookies. If they have a strong flavor, they should also be kept away from other types of soft baked goods and stored in an airtight container.
To keep them at their softest, you can use a hack by placing a slice of white bread in the airtight container. Just as this trick helps keep brown sugar soft, it also keeps cookies soft because the moisture in the bread leaches into the cookies. Softer pasta, including brownies and those with frosting or icing, should remain in a single layer in an airtight container. Additionally, the method of using bread instead of cookies absorbs the dry air and prevents them from going stale. Properly prepared, soft baked goods stay fresh for three days in the refrigerator and up to three months in the freezer.
This is how you can store crispy biscuits
The goal for dry baked goods is exactly the opposite: you want to keep moisture out of them. To do this, store crispy cookies separately from soft counterparts, whose moisture can actually make the former soft. This can be done in an airtight container that is not completely sealed. This allows some air to sneak in and protect your pastries from moisture and moisture. If any of these pieces have a strong flavor, divide them by type again. Dry cookies like shortbreadand butter biscuits, as well as non-frozen pasta, can be better stored in several layers.
However, depending on the composition of your pastry, you can store sturdier varieties in a variety of ways. Additionally, long-lasting Christmas cookies can be stacked in layers without anything in between. However, less durable versions require a certain amount of separation. For example, you can use baking paper, plastic wrap, or even tortilla chips as a barrier between layers. You can also store crispier baked goods in a cookie jar. In this case, the small amounts of air that seep in actually help maintain the texture.
How to store and use cookie dough
Homemade cookie dough stays fresh in the refrigerator for two to four days and should also be stored in appropriate containers. However, frozen cookie dough can last up to two months. In addition, there are two ways to freeze such dough: formed into ready-to-bake individual cookies or as a whole undivided set. Here are the simple steps you can follow to do this:
- To store pre-portioned cookies by freezing them, you should spread them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or greased.
- Afterwards, freeze the sheet for an hour to prevent it from sticking.
- Then transfer the raw cookies to an airtight container and place them in the freezer.
- This method works very well for simple baked goods like chocolate chips, more so than for cookies containing jam, fresh citrus juice or zest, and cream cheese.
- It is also possible to freeze whole cookie dough for later shaping. This works great for simpler cookies.
- If you plan to use a cookie cutter, slightly chilled dough can help the baked goods hold their shape later. Just make sure you have enough time to thaw the dough beforehand.
