Ask The Chef

If you have seen our 12 Days of Christmas Cookie Jars series, you may be wondering how to keep those cookies on your counter fresh. Here are some guidelines for using a cookie jar.

Lemon Batik Star Cookies. Photo: Lance Mellenbruch.

Question:

How do I safely store cookies in a cookie jar, especially if it doesn’t have a good seal? And how long will they stay fresh?

Answer: 

If we have anything to do with it, cookie jars will stage a bit of a comeback this year! After all, a great way to make your guests (and your family) feel right at home is to set out a display of cookies that says, “Help yourself.”

Modern cookie jars, while not always as kitschy and over the top fun as some of the older models, are more likely to have an inner seal. If you have one of those, just insert your cooled cookies and make sure the seal is tightly closed.

If, however, you are using an older model cookie jar, the answer is quite simple. Just put the cookies in a zip-style plastic bag, seal it up, and put the bag in the jar. Whenever you reach in for a cookie, it’s an easy step to open the bag and close it back up to keep those cookies fresh. What’s more, the plastic bag can be scrunched (within reason) to fit into almost any size cookie jar opening.

Unbelievable Peanut Butter Cookies. Photo: Lance Mellenbruch.

When you are thinking about the type of cookies to put into a cookie jar, think about drop cookies, sugar cookies, and shortbreads. Avoid icings, although Royal icing will hold up fine. Many sandwich cookies will work if you think the cookies will be eaten within a few days, but avoid cream fillings or anything that would normally need to be refrigerated. In general, many Christmas cookies can last a couple of weeks without a loss of freshness as long as they are kept in a tightly sealed container.

For ideas, check out our 12 Days of Christmas Cookie Jar Series. You’ll find a variety of great cookies that will all last through the holidays—at least from a freshness standpoint. We make no promises when it comes to how fast your family may eat them up!

For more of our Ask the Chef series, just click and enjoy.