The Secret To Enjoying Costco's Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies At Peak Freshness

Among its many oversized offerings, Costco fans can't seem to get enough of the Kirkland Signature Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies. We even placed them in our ranking of Costco bakery cookies. The biggest problem, though, is that the little treats come in a pack of 60, and while we can certainly polish off a dozen or so in one sitting, it seems unlikely that all 60 will disappear before that dreaded window of cookie freshness disappears.

According to our taste test, the mini cookies are super soft during the first and second day, which is most likely due to them coming straight out of the Costco ovens, but by day three, we found that the cookies were approaching the dark side of too firm. To combat this, we recommend enjoying what you will during those first few days and then popping the rest in the freezer. As long as those bad boys are transferred into an airtight container, you can store cookies in the freezer for about eight to 12 months, though they'll probably heat up and taste best within the first three to six months.

Sitting on the counter in their flimsy container is the surefire way to send those cookies on a one-way trip to Stale Street, meaning you've only got a short window to enjoy them. Before we get to the point of freezing the cookies, an easy way to extend the life of softness is to transfer them to an airtight container and stick them in the fridge. If the cookies are exposed to too much air, an invisible process of molecular transformation occurs, turning them rock hard in no time, so buy yourself some extra time by swapping containers and keeping them chilled.

There's also the bread trick, which is just about as simple as it sounds. Once you've transferred the cookies into something airtight, throw a slice of white bread on top to keep the cookies soft. The cookies will absorb the moisture from the bread, halting the hardening process and staying soft and chewy even longer. If the bread goes stale, then it's done its job, and you can replace it with a new piece to keep those cookies from going stale. While the bread trick will do the job for Kirkland Signature's Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, it won't work on all kinds, so be sure you don't throw the butt of the loaf in with a pack of crispy cookies.