![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/extra-special-delivery.jpg\" "\\"extra-special-delivery\\"")
<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cCan\u201d Your Treats<\/strong> If you\u2019re sending cupcakes or muffins, bake them directly in jam-sized canning jars! Make sure to leave enough headspace for frosting and the dough\u2019s rising. Then cool, frost, top with a wax-paper square, and cap. Take the cute factor to the max by applying custom labels, wrapping squares of pretty cloth over the lid, tying ribbon around the rims, and attaching a little spoon. They won\u2019t be able to resist eating one right out of the box.<\/p>\n Only Take It Halfway<\/strong> Then fill a quart-size food storage bag with your icing, double bag it, and bind the frosting and cake together with rubber bands and some wide ribbon. Pad the package with paper or air-popped corn to protect the frosting bag from injury. By keeping your cakes and quick breads separate from their icing, you\u2019ll save yourself some work and worry. Not to mention, Grammy can now set out a pumpkin loaf that looks as good as it tastes.<\/p>\n Timing Is Everything<\/strong> If you can swing it, don\u2019t wait to send your treats until right before Christmas, when post offices everywhere are overwhelmed. Cookies that are sent a few weeks before the holiday get there faster and are often appreciated more than those that show up in the middle of The Rush.<\/p>\n Get Your Cake Tipsy<\/strong> But if you\u2019re mailing the cake instead of driving or flying with it, keep in mind that it\u2019s illegal for most ordinary folks to ship alcohol. To be legit, you\u2019ll have to leave the rum soak out of the cake and add in a rum extract before baking.\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s big. It\u2019s unstoppable. It\u2019s sparkly. Are you ready? For the rest of the holiday season, that is. Feasts to prepare, halls to deck, family to see, and\u2014oh, yes\u2014gifts to give. Often, that includes whipping up our \u201cfamous\u201d cookies, candies, … Continue reading
\nTry stacking cookies or homemade candies in cans. If you\u2019re packing soft, chewy cookies, include an apple slice wrapped in cheesecloth to keep everything moist. Cover with wax paper and cushion with biodegradable packing materials or air-popped popcorn. Do something out-of-the-ordinary like topping each can with a handmade tree ornament. This method keeps your goodies airtight, neatly packed and un-smushed.<\/p>\n
\nI know\u2014Grammy\u2019s pumpkin loaf just isn\u2019t the same without that delightful deluge of cinnamon-spiced icing. But if you\u2019ve ever tried to wrap a frosted cake and cushion it for shipping \u2026 it\u2019s not pretty. So don\u2019t frost it\u2014don\u2019t even take it out of the pan. Bake it in a brand new pan and wrap the whole shebang in multiple layers of wax paper, then plastic wrap, then foil. Grammy gets a goody, a new baking toy\u2014and as far as shipping protection goes, you can\u2019t do much better than a metal shield!<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019re probably used to being able to make your cakes, cookies, and candies the night before you need them. Not so with shipped food. Remember, any baked goods you send will be sitting ducks for a few days before anyone even takes a bite. Get up early the day of shipping to bake and cool your treats. Then pack and run to the post office early enough for priority packages to go out in the first shipment.<\/p>\n
\nSo fruitcake doesn\u2019t have the best reputation these days, and that\u2019s a darn shame. When it\u2019s made properly\u2014with real fruits, plenty of rum, and oodles of real butter, it\u2019s a mouthful of Christmas that you\u2019ll still have dreams about it in July. It also keeps exceedingly well due to the alcohol, and even gets better with days, or weeks, of aging.<\/p>\n