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Cookie Storage

What’s the best way to store chewy cookies so they don’t dry out?

What’s the best way to store chewy cookies so they don’t dry out?

Even though it sounds weird, many people swear by storing cookies with a slice of apple or bread to keep them chewy. Are these old wives’ tales or useful kitchen tips? To find out, we made three batches of chewy chocolate chip cookies and stored each in a cookie jar at room temperature, one with a slice of bread, one with a slice of apple, and the third holding nothing but the cookies. The cookies stored alone kept well for about a day but after that gradually toughened and dried out. The cookies packed with a slice of bread stayed chewy for three days, and although tasters could distinguish them from fresh cookies in a side-by-side tasting, they were perfectly acceptable. But the cookies stored with a slice of apple were definitely not. The apple gave off so much moisture that the cookies were soggy after barely a day. On day two, tasters noticed a distinctive apple flavor—an odd addition, to say the least, to a chocolate chip cookie.

THE BOTTOM LINE  To keep your chewy cookies chewy longer, store them in an airtight container along with a slice of bread.

 

STORING WITH APPLES

STORING WITH APPLES:

Apples gave off too much moisture and apple flavor. 

STORING WITH BREAD

STORING WITH BREAD:

Stored with a slice of bread, cookies stayed chewy for up to three days. 

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