These cookies stay fresh for months! Over the years of making cookies, I have always gone cookie crazy during the fall! My favorite time of the year! It is literally the start of cookie season in most Cookiers' books. My friends, family, and Co-workers are usually still enjoying the Halloween cookies during Christmas! Christmas cookies are still being enjoyed in February! Once opened they hold their soft bite for about 2 weeks but begin to stale if left out or package is left open. As the cookie loses its moisture it begins to harden, but is still safe to eat.
You can extend the fresh life of your cookies by freezing them! I said FREEZING!! DO NOT REFRIDGERATE!!! Theres a science to it that I don't have enough space to explain. Refridgeration is the ruiner of cookie design! Although it will still be safe to eat, the condensation will cause icings to bleed into each other and make a pretty cookie look shameful! Don't put your cookies through that embarrassment!
Freezing is the best option- simply put your wrapped cookies in a freezer protected ziplock bag and wrap GENTLY in aluminum foil. Do not cram into a freezer or stack anything on top. They must lay flat and undisturbed in the freezer. They can stay in there for up to 4 months!. The next BIG thing to remember when thawing out is to remove the foil from the ziplock bag and lay the ziplock on a counter at room temperature undisturbed while they thaw. Do not touch them while condensation is still present. This is very important! The safest way to do this is to take them out the day before you need them and don't touch the bag until the next day. Freezing will generally preserve the cookie art very well with the exception of cookies that have airbrushing. AGAIN- CONDENSATION IS NOT YOUR COOKIE'S BEST FRIEND!
