We Tested 5 Cookie Storage Methods—Here's What Kept Them Freshest

As a professional recipe tester and developer, I often find my kitchen counter littered with dozens of cookies. This problem becomes especially pronounced in the lead-up to the winter holidays, when I'm testing batch after batch of holiday cookies. Though I feel a strong sense of duty to eat them all, that simply isn't possible—so I shuffle them into containers, hoping they'll stay fresh until I'm ready to eat them. While I usually store cookies in a zip-top bag at room temperature, I wanted to find out whether other methods could keep baked goods fresher for longer.

To find the best way to store cookies, I made several batches using Stella Parks' quick and easy chocolate chip cookie recipe—a delightfully crisp, chewy cookie with three kinds of chocolate—and buttery slice-and-bake French sablé cookies. I tested five different storage methods and, with the help of my trusty panel of three—my husband and his parents—made notes on their flavor and texture over five days. Painful, I know.

The Tests

After baking and cooling the cookies, I stored each type using the following methods:

1. In an airtight container at room temperature
2. In an airtight container at room temperature with a slice of white sandwich bread
3. In an airtight container at room temperature with an apple slice
4. In a zip-top bag at room temperature with air removed
5. Into a zip-top bag in the freezer, thawing at room temperature a few minutes before testing

With the exception of those in the freezer, all the cookies were stored in the same area of the kitchen, out of direct sunlight, at around 68°F (20°C).  I conducted our tasting each day at roughly the same time, so we'd judge each cookie's flavor and texture at consistent 24-hour intervals. 

Method: Airtight Container at Room Temperature

This is likely how many people store their cookies, and I considered this our standard for comparison.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
The cookies retained their chew the day after baking, but the texture was slightly drier than when they were fresh. With each passing day, they became increasingly stale and dry. By days four and five, the cookies had lost most of their pleasant buttery flavor and crumbled in our hands when we broke off pieces.

Sablé Cookies
The day after baking, the sablés were already starting to dry out. They had become a bit crumbly and no longer had their signature snap. By day two, one panelist noted the cookies had "that two-day-old taste." By day five, they were distinctly brittle, bordering on musty, and no longer a pleasant treat.

The Verdict
Storing cookies in an airtight container at room temperature was not ideal. While they were still passable the day after baking, they quickly dried out and tasted stale. This method is best avoided unless you plan to eat your cookies within two days.

Method: Airtight Container at Room Temperature With a Slice of Sandwich Bread

I stored the cookies with half a slice of Pepperidge Farm white bread. According to bakers who swear by the method, the cookies supposedly absorb the bread's moisture as they sit, ensuring they stay nice and tender. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Just one day after baking, the cookies were already noticeably softer than when freshly baked. While the cookies were originally chewy with crisp edges, storing them with bread gave them a texture similar to that of a Lofthouse-style cookie. The bread had turned surprisingly stale—perhaps a sign that the cookies were indeed absorbing moisture. Although the texture was good, by the third day, the cookies also began to take on a faint bready, yeasty flavor—not necessarily something you want in a chocolate chip cookie.

Sablé Cookies
Like the chocolate chip cookies, the sablés were softer on days one and two, with an almost artificial softness. While not unpleasant, the cookies lacked the crisp snap expected of a proper sablé.

The Verdict
By days four and five, both of the cookies were so soft they crumbled apart before we could taste them. It's possible that half a slice of bread provided too much moisture; a small square may have sufficed. Still, I wouldn't recommend this method unless you enjoy cookies with a yeasty bread flavor. 

Method: Airtight Container at Room Temperature With an Apple Slice

I was most curious how this method would fare, knowing that many bakers swear by it, as the moisture from the apple slice supposedly keeps the cookies tender.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
By the day after baking, the cookies had taken on a noticeably apple-like flavor, which only intensified over time. By day two, they were beginning to crumble at the edges. By day five, the cookies were disintegrating in our hands and had developed a musky apple flavor.

Sablé Cookies
The sablé tasted like apple-flavored shortbread. The apple flavor wasn't overpowering, but it was strong enough to overshadow the subtle nuttiness of the almond flour. By day five, they were verging on mushy, with a texture akin to wet sand. 

The Verdict
This method produced cookies that were apple-flavored and far too soft to handle. Worse, by day five the apple slices were visibly moldy. Unless you enjoy soft, fruit-scented, possibly moldy cookies, skip this method.

Method: Zip-Top Bag at Room Temperature With Air Removed

I've stuffed many leftover cookies into a zip-top bag—they're lightweight, easy to transport, and take up less space in the pantry than containers. To make the bags as airtight as possible, I folded them over and pressed out as much air as I could before sealing. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies
The day after baking, the middles of the cookies were slightly chewier, and the edges were slightly crispier than the day before. By day two, they had grown noticeably firmer, and by day five, they were extremely crunchy and stuck to our teeth.

Sablé Cookies
There was little difference in the sablés on the first two days—they were only slightly drier. By day four, they held up better than their counterparts stored in an airtight container at room temperature: less dry, less crumbly.

The Verdict
Overall, I didn't notice much difference between cookies stored this way and those kept in an airtight container. The main advantage was that as the number of cookies decreased, I could press out more air and fold the bag over to reduce air exposure further. While the impact wasn't dramatic, cookies stored this way tasted marginally fresher and were just a bit crisper (in the case of sablés) and chewier (in the case of chocolate chip cookies). This turned out to be one of the more reliable methods for maintaining freshness.

Method: Zip-Top Bag in the Freezer and Thawing to Room Temperature

To freeze the cookies, I stored them flat in a zip-top bag on an empty freezer shelf. I then thawed them at room temperature several minutes before I planned to eat them.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
The day after baking, the chocolate chip cookies tasted nearly identical to freshly baked ones and held onto their chewiness surprisingly well. I expected them to pick up that notorious freezer flavor, especially by days four or five, but they never did. Day two was almost indistinguishable from day one, and the cookies were just as chewy. By day five, the flavor had mellowed slightly, with the chocolate tasting less rich than before.

Sablé Cookies
Like the chocolate chip cookies, the sablés on day one after freezing tasted just as they had fresh. By day five, their texture still had a pleasing shortness—not far off from their original state. The flavor had dulled a bit, tasting slightly less buttery and sweet, but the change was minor.

The Verdict
This was the only method that preserved the freshness of both cookies over the full five days. Both the chocolate chip and sablé cookies retained their flavor and texture impressively well.

The Winning Method

The best way to store cookies is to freeze them, then let them thaw for several minutes before eating. This method preserved the flavor and texture of both the chocolate chip and sablé cookies: The chocolate chip retained its chewiness, and the distinct flavors of all three chocolates remained identifiable. The sablés stayed buttery and slightly nutty, with their signature snap holding strong through the final day of testing.

If you don't have freezer space, consider storing your cookies in an airtight zip-top bag. While not as reliable as freezing, this method still preserved flavor and texture reasonably well—and it's likely sufficient if you plan to eat your cookies within three days of baking.