Is there someone in the world that could use a little of your home-crafted sweetness? Texting, late-night phone calls, and face-to-face videos are great, but there is nothing better than getting an unexpected gift from someone you love. Gifts do not have to be expensive or flashy to be heartfelt. Show a special person that you sincerely want to brighten their day by delivering a little sweet love to their doorstep!
Consider a Quickbread
Old-fashioned favorites such as banana bread, streusel cake, or zucchini bread ship very well over long distances. Loaf breads and ring molds are sturdier than muffins and cupcakes. Nix the pre-slicing and topping with frosting or drizzling with glaze, so your shipment arrives in good condition. Pack your loaf of quickbread in an airtight plastic bag, and then nestle in a clean sturdy shipping box. Use clean kraft paper or parchment paper as crumpled packing material around your loaf. Disposable aluminum loaf pans are ideal for baking then shipping your quickbread. Simply bake, cool, wrap, pack, and send!
Choose Your Cookie Wisely
Not all cookies are candidates for shipping. Of course, chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies are reliable choices. But other delicate cookies such as lace cookies, macarons, Mexican wedding cookies, or meltaways may shatter in transport. Bar cookies such as brownies or shortbread are excellent for shipping but avoid gooey-filled desserts such as lemon squares or cheesecake bars.
Candy is Dandy
Make your own peanut brittle, fudge, divinity, turtles, pecan brittle, or toffee. Sweet candy can take a lickin’ when packed in a box and shipped around the world. Avoid melted chocolate or syrupy coatings. Pack in an airtight zip-top bag and then another zip-top bag before you pack into a shipping box. Double bagging will keep out the ants and prevent mishandling mishaps from soaking through your packaging.
Go Nuts
If your loved one is on a health kick or watching their sugar intake, assemble a care package of roasted nuts. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, mixed spiced nuts, or trail mixes are lower sugar, but still sweet choices for shipments that may be on the road awhile. Dried fruits and nuts have a longer shelf life than most cookies or quickbreads so consider the needs of your loved one before sending. Do you want your sweetie to remember you for a few days or a few weeks? Hmmm . . .
Snack Attack
If you do not have time to home bake, then you can shop with love. Assemble a selection of their favorite splurges or shop for something they have not tried yet. Barbecue quinoa chips? Yum! Keto-friendly kimchi pork rinds? Yes, Please! Cranberry electrolytes for the gym water bottle? I will have what they are having! This option allows you to easily tailor the snacks based on your recipients’ dietary preferences.
