Some of the best tips for sending desserts by mail are to package the dessert well, pick foods that are unlikely to crumble, and not send foods capable of melting in hot months. All items should be packaged well before being sent by mail, but desserts must be given special attention or they end up a mess. In addition, picking desserts that are not too delicate can mean the difference between a dozen cookies and a pile of soft crumbs. Lastly, many dessert and candy companies refuse to send certain items on hot days because they are too likely to melt before reaching the customer. Sending desserts by mail has many complications, some of which have not or cannot be resolved.
The most important part of sending desserts by mail is packing material. Sending six miniature cakes firmly attached to cardboard and boxed in something decorative will likely not work. The decorative box must be placed in another box and then padded so that the inner box cannot move around. Plastic bags, newspapers, and other soft, recyclable materials are often used as padding if bubble wrap or packing peanuts are not available. If the shipper does not feel comfortable giving the box a rough shake or dropping it, it probably will not survive shipping because it will be jostled, dropped, and more on its journey.
Sending desserts by mail requires carefully picking which desserts to send. Not all cookies, cakes, and candies can hold up when shipped across cities or even countries. Baking experts generally advise against sending soft food goods, like soft peanut butter cookies or standard birthday cakes. A hard cookie is more likely to keep its form and arrive in one piece. Candies and miniature cakes are also more likely to keep their form when small and very slightly melted onto a piece of cardboard.
Sometimes a dessert cannot be sent by mail. Ice cream, chocolate, and other delicate desserts are usually not sent by mail during hot months because of the strong likelihood of the package being a mess when it reaches the customer. If a dessert can melt, it should be sent in winter and fall months with an appropriate amount of ice packs just in case. An exception to this rule is if a business can have a courier deliver the desserts directly to the costumer within hours of it being removed from a refrigerator or freezer. Ice packs may still be necessary when sending desserts by courier.
