How to store and keep cookies fresh

I'm the person who primarily does most of the baking amongst my friends and family, and I've been noticing that a lot of them ask me for tips on how to store baked goods properly so that they don't get stale quickly. I feel awful when they complain that their lovely batch of cookies is now rock-hard. So I decided that I'd share this info online too.

It all boils down to Cookie Science! :) Or "Isjung's First Law of Cookies". Here's how it goes...

When different types of cookies are stored together in the same container without adequate protective measures, hard cookies will get soft and soft cookies will get hard.

Obviously, we don't want this to happen. Here's how to prevent it:

• First, always wait for the cookies to fully, completely cool down. Best way is to place them on a wire rack. Alternatively, you can also place them on a large plate with a couple of sheets of paper towels on it.
  
• Store each type of cookie in a separate air-tight container and layer them in the container
  
• For hard cookies, put a sheet of paper towel between each layer of cookies
• For soft cookies, put a sheet of wax paper between each layer of cookies
• For either of them, if the cookies are frosted on top, use wax paper to layer
  
• If you're giving a tin of cookies as a gift and absolutely have to combine different types, use large cupcake paper cups to separate different types of cookies and also add a layer of paper towel under the lid. You can also use coloured crepe paper and ribbon to attractively tie up little bundles of cookies. This helps to keep them fresh and also looks lovely in a tin!

Storing in this way will keep your cookies fresh for quite a while and you don't even need to put them in the fridge. Happy eating!