Snail Mail Overseas
February 10, 2013 § 6 Comments
I finally got the address for my BF in Afghanistan, and it seemed like I had been waiting forever! I was so excited and rushed out to get things to mail him. It was about two weeks ago so it was perfect timing for Valentine’s Day things! This Valentine’s Day will be not only our three year anniversary but also the third time we aren’t spending Valentine’s Day/our anniversary together! First year, basic training was overlapping with the celebration, year two Valentine’s Day fell on a week-day, and this year he’s in Afghanistan! That first time we actually get to see each other on Valentine’s Day will be so special! Until then..I will make awesome packages and get smiles through the mail!
I took a chance on baking cookies. After researching how to send cookies abroad, how long will it take to get there, will they get moldy?!, has anyone else tried this?! it seemed like the overall consensus was to not send cookies. But, I decided to anyway. Most people had had bad experiences and were generally negative about it! I read a post from a mom posting for her daughter asking about tips or people who had previously sent cookies so that her daughter could send to her BF, and people were giving snarky remarks saying “sweet but so not worth it.” Let us try! For this case, it is the thought that counts and if the cookies end up mangled, moldy, and disastrous, at least I tried!
The cookies were amazing and I was so excited to get them in the mail. Here’s the process of how I prepped and packaged them for safe shipping (results were POSITIVE!):
1. Bake the cookies the night before you are sending them.
2. Let the cookies cool down. Then place them in baggies together or individually.
3. Then try to remove the air from the bag. Some people actually have a vacuum sealer but I just tried sucking the air out with my mouth which worked pretty well.
4. Freeze the cookies overnight.
5. Place foil in a tupperware container and wrap the frozen, vacuum-sealed, bagged cookies in the foil in the tupperware.
6. Seal the tupperware containers tightly and mail them as soon as possible!
My BF said he received the package yesterday which would have been 9 days after I sent the package. Not bad at all. He said, too, that the cookies were awesome and perfectly packaged. (Win!). I read about it taking up to four weeks for some people. The thing with sending to a military base is that all packages get collected in NJ first (I think) and then they get sent over together, so if you’re sending from West Coast, make sure you think about the time that it takes to ship from West Coast to East Coast as well.
Here’s the recipe that I used to make these cookies. I love love love using a chocolate chip recipe with pudding mix in it; the cookies are soo moist and amazing. Better than any other chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve tried!
Photo courtesy of Two Peas and their Pod
ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3.4 oz. package vanilla instant pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.
2. Using a mixer, beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add in pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slight golden and set. Remove cookies from oven and let cool on baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
I’ve heard that some people put bread in with the cookies to keep them from molding. I’ve never tried it, but it’s worth a shot!
Thanks!
So glad your cookies arrived safely! What a lovely gift, I’m sure they were very appreciated
Honestly I love almost nothing so much as a care pack of baked goods from my loved ones!
Yay me too!! Thanks
Can’t wait to make dinner plans!
Inspired by your success with the cookies and will use Judy’s recipe and your way of packaging.
Great! I know Dan will love them! Hope to see you soon