How To Keep Christmas Cookies Fresh

There is nothing quite like biting into a warm, fresh cookie minutes after it comes out of the oven. When the holidays roll around, it's practically required to crank up the oven and whip up a batch of cookies to give to a loved one (or enjoy by yourself). Unfortunately, this time of year can get hectic fast, between preparing and attending holiday feasts, buying and wrapping presents, and decorating the tree. Our advice? Get a jump on holiday baking by making the cookies ahead of time.

Depending on the recipe and method of storage, Christmas cookies can be made a few weeks to months in advance. Even after storage, proper handling can make a cookie taste as fresh as the day it was baked. Whether you plan to make them yourself or mail order them as gifts, we've rounded up our best advice for storing cookies to ensure maximum freshness by the time they reach your mouth.

The enemy of a fresh cookie is exposure to air. Humid environments can make cookies soggy and stale, while dry environments lead to tough, crumbly cookies with no chewy texture. The best way to avoid these environmental challenges is to keep the cookies in an airtight container. According to Keturah Fleming-Hall, owner and head baker of La Fillette Bakery in Denver, Colorado, "Keeping them tightly wrapped is your best bet." If you happen to have a cookie jar, that could be a good option. Otherwise, a Ziploc bag or plastic (or glass) Tupperware can do the job just as easily. Avoid loosely wrapping with foil or parchment paper — there is too much airflow for the cookies to stay at optimum freshness.

At room temperature, most cookies will stay fresh if tightly sealed for up to five days. If you need to store your baked cookies for a bit longer than that, they should last up to 10 days in the refrigerator. Ideally, each layer of cookies should be stored between layers of parchment or wax paper to avoid sticking together.

The freezer is a great way to preserve foods of all kinds, including Christmas cookies. Frozen, baked cookies can last for months in the freezer if packaged tightly and stored properly. A solid, airtight container is a must, as well as pieces of parchment or wax paper between layers. Make sure to label and date anything you put in the freezer (even if you only plan to store them there for a few days) to avoid confusion down the line. The last thing you want is to unearth a batch of forgotten cookies in May!

Baked cookies can be defrosted at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes. For sugar cookies, you don't necessarily have to wait until they are completely thawed to start decorating. The cookie will continue to defrost while you work, and the icing will set quickly on a cold cookie. If you want a warm cookie from the freezer, just pop them in the oven at 350 F for a few minutes.

One of the best hacks for keeping Christmas cookies fresh may just be storing them with a tortilla. Plain tortillas don't have a strong smell or flavor, and their thin, circular shape fits perfectly in between layers in a cookie tin. Don't have any tortillas? A slice of bread could work well also (it does wonders when trying to keep brown sugar from hardening). The mechanics are the same: The tortilla or slice of bread absorbs moisture so that it doesn't end up turning the cookies or candy stale.

For a gluten-free option, food-safe silica packets are the item used by professional food stylists and commercial bakeries. These packets work in much the same way by absorbing moisture from the air in the container so it doesn't end up soaking into the cookies. They can be a little pricier than tortillas or slices of bread, but they can be reused infinitely and have no flavor or odor whatsoever.

Though it might go against what you might think, baking cookies too long can shorten the shelf life. "When baking most cookies, underbaking them will keep them moist longer and better tasting," says Fleming-Hall. The trick here is finding the sweet spot between "slightly underbaked" and "still raw inside."

Many factors go into how long a cookie needs to bake, from the model of the oven they are being baked in, to the humidity of the environment that day, which is why following the exact recipe time might be a bad idea. Typically, cookies can be assessed visually for doneness. The edges should be firm to a light touch and just starting to brown, while the middle should be soft but not wet or raw-looking. Remember that cookies will continue to bake slightly on the hot sheet tray while they are cooling, so taking them out when they look done will lead to over-baked and possibly burnt cookies.