Sending Cookies? Guide on How to Choose the Best Cookie Delivery Company
- Your old college roommate is having a 50th birthday bash. You can’t attend, but you want to send something special to show your love.
- You don’t know what to get your parents for Christmas. After all, they’re the people who have everything.
- Your company is looking for a way to thank loyal clients.
A strong solution for all of the above? Cookies.
The humble cookie elevates every celebration and holiday, be it a platter of wedding cookies or a Valentine’s cookie box. Cookies don’t take up space on a shelf like other gifts that turn into clutter. They’re unique and unexpected. And when you order them through a cookie delivery service, they’re an incredibly convenient way to send love and well-wishes.
A few decades ago, if you wanted to send freshly baked cookies, you had to make them yourself, package them up, and stand in line at the post office. Then came the proliferation of cookie delivery companies, allowing you to send “tastes-like-home” cookies straight to your loved one’s doorstep via an online order form.
Thanks to these cookies-by-mail services, all you have to do is choose your cookies online, enter your payment and shipping information, and wait to hear the rave reviews from the cookie recipients.
Easy, right? Except for the decision-making part. On top of choosing the variety of cookies you want, you now have to decide between quite a few gourmet cookie delivery companies. It’s enough to give you analysis paralysis, but that’s where we come in. In this article, we’ll provide some key questions to help you narrow down the options, so you can get to the best part: dessert!
Vetting the Contenders
What Varieties Do They Offer?
Chocolate chip is a crowd favorite, but sometimes you want a little variety. Maybe you want a dose of oatmeal in your cookie to make it more hardy. Perhaps you want some light, summery options like a delicate lemon cookie or a snickerdoodle like Mom used to make. Maybe you want the winning combination of a chocolate and peanut butter cookie or a deep, dark, indulgent double chocolate treat. Or maybe you want holiday cookie gifts decorated for Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, etc.
Look for a company that offers the varieties you love, and check out their options for customizing your selection. If you want one of each, can you order an assortment?
What Ingredients Do They Use?
Every bakery worries about its bottom line, and some choose to protect it by skimping on ingredients. Instead of real sugars, they use syrups. Instead of real butter, they use oil. Instead of milk chocolate chips, they use waxy “chocolate morsels” or “baking chips.”
Those cookies may be acceptable, but they’re not amazing. And you want amazing. Before you order, ask about ingredient lists. (Many bakeries post them online.) If you see cost-cutting ingredient shortcuts, move on. If the bakery doesn’t put good stuff in, they’re not going to get good stuff out.
How Do They Bake Their Cookies?
Ingredients and recipes make a big difference in how good a cookie tastes, how satisfying its texture is, and how long it stays fresh. But the baking conditions also have a major influence on the final product.
What’s the bakery’s oven like? Some ovens are designed for cookies only and can help bakers achieve that winning combination of “crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle.” It’s a good idea to ask about a bakery’s oven and baking process (temperature/time) and how these factors ensure that cookies arrive at their destination tasting like they’re straight from the oven.
How Do They Package Their Cookies?
This matters because you want your cookies to pack a visual punch. What’s their box like? Is it chic and professional looking? How about inside the box? Do they bag cookies neatly for a clean, streamlined look?
The bagging matters for freshness, too. If the cookies are traveling by mail, they should have as little contact with air as possible. Look for airtight packaging for cookies, such as heat-sealed cellophane bags.
And make sure that if you order a variety of cookies, those cookies are individually bagged to combat flavor contamination. The last thing anyone wants is a chocolate mint cookie steeped in the essence of lemon cookie. That’s a recipe for taste bud confusion.
How Quickly Will They Deliver Cookies?
When you want cookies (or you want other people to have cookies), you don’t have days to waste. Look for companies that will ship cookies the same day, offer expedited shipping as a standard, and pair that with rush shipping options for when you really want cookies to arrive in a hurry.
Can They Customize Their Cookies?
The beauty of cookies is that they suggest a touch of home. Their taste can transport the eater back to Grandma’s kitchen with one bite. Compare this to a pen set or gift certificate—no contest. Cookies say I appreciate you in a sweetly familiar way.
But you can ramp that up with customization options. Does the bakery of your choice allow you to send a personalized message? Can you send themed cookies for holidays and special occasions? (Think baby shower cookies or 4th of July cookies.)
If you are sending cookies from your company to valued clients, partners, employees, etc., can you imprint the cookies or packaging with your logo? Little personalized touches like these take cookies from a good gift to a truly great one.
The Tasty Takeaway
Cookies are novel, so your gift will stand out. They’re portable—scoop them up and take them on the go. They’re shareable; if your recipient is feeling generous, they can pass them around to family members, co-workers, or friends, driving up the giver’s popularity quotient. (Cookie sharers are heroes!) Cookies are a sentimental favorite and a universal hit. We know of almost no one who would turn down a gourmet cookie.
You can’t go wrong with cookie gifts, and when you choose the best service to send those gifts, you’re delivering a strong message of care in every last bite.
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About Author
Hi, I’m Jose Santos, your food enthusiast. I’m here to help you discover restaurant menus and prices. Let’s explore the world of delicious dining together! I make sure to thoroughly research every blog i write, so you get the updated information.