Many Wirecutter kitchen-team staffers swear by this trick. They say that packing cookies—whether for shipping or storing—with a few scraps of leftover bread can help maintain their freshness. “The added moisture from the bread creates a humid environment, keeping the cookies from drying out too quickly,” says Wirecutter senior staff writer Michael Sullivan.
Although adding bread effectively maintains moisture levels for soft, supple treats such as sugar cookies and snickerdoodles, Michael doesn’t recommend using this method on “crisp icebox cookies or biscotti, since the added moisture will make them soft,” he explains. He also advises against using flavorful bread varieties, such as banana or rosemary bread, because “the flavor could transfer to your cookies.” Michael says that this method keeps cookies moist for about a week, though he recommends replacing the bread slices after a few days to keep the moisture levels steady.
Wirecutter kitchen-team updates writer Abigail Bailey recommends saving and freezing heels from loaves of white bread before the holidays. Just be sure to defrost the pieces before packaging them with cookies. She says this can be an effective way to cut back on food waste and avoid having to buy extra bread exclusively to stash cookies. Abigail also splits the heels in half, which she says is enough bread to keep soft chocolate chip cookies nice and tender.
But if you’re packing just a small quantity of cookies, one or two, Abigail says to skip the bread method altogether. “It might add too much moisture,” she cautions.
