How to Increase Shelf Life of Cookies
Introduction:
The shelf life is the length of time that a cookie can be stored after being baked. The length of time a cookie can be stored before it goes bad varies based on various factors, such as whether or not the chocolate chips are perishable, if the dough has eggs in it, or if there are any dairy products in the recipe. In this article, I will discuss how to increase the shelf life of cookies. So let us get started.
What Is The Average Shelf Life of Cookies?
Cookies are unlike most baked goods, as they don’t have any dairy products, eggs, or other perishable ingredients. Because of this, it’s common for people to assume that their shelf life is short. However, cookies have a much longer shelf life than you might think – up to six months if stored properly!
A Detailed stepwsie Guide on How to Increase Shelf Life of Cookies:
Step 1: Find a Suitable Location for Storage.
Fortunately, cookies are not picky eaters and will do fine in any dry, dark, and calm place free of moisture and oxygen (known as the “DOR”). However, if you want to store your cookies for an extended period, choosing an area with low humidity, such as a basement or refrigerator, would be wise. If neither is available, try finding another enclosed space where temperature and humidity are controlled.
Remember that cookies have very little fat, making them susceptible to becoming stale quickly if exposed to high temperatures. If this becomes an issue, find another location within your home where it is more moderate to serve as an alternative.
Step 2: Storing Individual Cookies Is Ideal
If you are only looking to store these treats for a week or two, this may not be necessary, but if you have any plans on keeping them for longer than this, it would be wise to store each one in its own bag/container/etc. This will help to prevent the transfer of odors which can alter their taste and freshness.
For example, placing a slice of apple inside the container with your chocolate chip cookies might cause them to taste like apples! If that doesn’t bother you, then keep them together by all means.
Step 3: Be Sure Food Is Sealed Adequately if Refrigerated
If you plan to store the cookies in your refrigerator, then be sure that they are nicely packed. Cookies have a very high surface area, making them particularly susceptible to moisture. However, if this is not prevented, it can create an unpleasant environment for mold to grow and alter their taste even further.
Step 4: Be Aware of the Humidity Level in Your Home
Hanging out in a moist, humid environment can lead to excess water being absorbed into cookies or simply having an adverse reaction to the ingredients used to bake them. To avoid this, try choosing a location where humidity levels are relatively low if you plan on storing cookies for longer than two weeks.
Some recommended areas include inside a cupboard, inside an oven or microwave (if there is one), within airtight containers, and inside sealed bags.
If you notice that your cookies have become soggy, it is most likely due to them being exposed to too much moisture either from the air or from another location. While some might enjoy this texture, it is safe to say that most people do not. Water can be reintroduced into baked goods by placing them in an oven at 250 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.
However, I recommend other methods before turning to this option, as it may further distort their taste. If you happen to have any fruit available, then placing it near baked goods has been known to help remove excess water as well!
Step 5: Check on Stored Cookies Periodically.
Unless you plan to leave stored cookies unattended for an extended period, I recommend checking on them occasionally. This will allow you to rotate any older cookies with newer batches and prevent a staleness that can lead to a complete loss of flavor over a long period!
On the flip side, this may also help prevent your significant other from eating them all before you have had a chance to try any!
Step 6: Enjoy Your Treats as Desired!
As you have probably noticed, there is no shortage of options when it comes to storage. With so many different ways available, it should be easy to find something suitable within your home or wherever else you choose to store these types of goodies.
You can also check out to Make Cookie Dough Less Sticky
Precautions While Increasing The Shelf Life of Cookies:
- As discussed in the previous tip, use clean utensils.
- You can add some acid ingredients like lemon or fruit juice a few minutes before baking them to make cookies soft and increase their shelf life.
- Always store your cookies in an airtight container after cooling down completely. It will help keep the moisture away from the cookies, increasing their shelf life for a more extended period. You can also freeze your baked cookies for a couple of months if you want them to last long.
- Avoid storing cookies with apple slices. It will increase humidity in the container and may cause faster spoilage if not stored properly.
- As a general rule of thumb, keep your baked cookies for a month or two at most. After that, if they are susceptible to moisture, store them in the refrigerator.
Stepwsie Guide on How to Increase The Shelf Life of Breads:
- Firstly, you must ensure that the bread is not exposed to moisture and humidity inside the refrigerator.
- Put your bread in a dry and open space inside the refrigerator instead of storing it inside a sealed plastic bag to attract more moisture from the surrounding environment.
- Bread with high oil content, such as pizza, cakes, and cookies, should be stored on lower shelves where condensations do not collect or build up near those baked goods.
- Place cereal bars on the topmost shelves so they can remain crunchy and fresh without absorbing other smells from foods with strong odors, such as fish, onions, etcetera.
- Make sure that you free your refrigerator of expired foods as soon as possible. Food items inside the fridge should not be allowed to sit there for too long without being consumed, and this would only attract more mold and bacteria on hot days, which can affect bread quality in just a matter of hours.
- Suppose your bread is already exposed to moisture or other foreign particles. In that case, you should throw it away instead of consuming it because its microorganisms cannot be killed even if you bake it again so that it will remain harmful for human consumption.
- Bread with high oil content, such as pizza, cakes, and cookies, is likely to become hard once it has cooled down, thus allowing it to last longer than usual when put inside an airtight container.
Conclusion:
I hope this article has offered you all the necessary information on increasing the shelf life of cookies. It would help if you followed the steps properly before commencing the work and followed the precautions as directed. Thank you for your time, and have a nice day.
Read More: How to Make Cookies on the Stove
