How to ship baked goods from a home kitchen

How do you ship baked goods? The short version

Shipping baked goods from a home kitchen takes three decisions, in this order. First, whether your state lets a cottage food business ship at all, and where. Second, whether the item is shelf-stable. Illinois, for example, says: Only food that is not a time/temperature control for safety food may be shipped. Third, how to pack it and which carrier service gets it there before it goes stale.

USPS treats food in the mail as perishable matter, which it defines as anything that can deteriorate in the mail. Mailable perishable matter travels at the mailer‘s own risk: the post office does not promise freshness, so the packing and the transit time are on you.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules vary by state, and cities and counties can add their own rules. Check with your state's cottage food program before you ship anything.

Can you ship cookies and other baked goods under cottage food law?

Yes in many states, but not in all, and often only inside the state. Cottage food laws are state laws, so the answer depends on where you bake. Some states allow mail order and carrier delivery. Some allow mailing only within the state. A few do not allow mailing at all under a cottage permit.

The table shows how a sample of states word it, quoted from each state's own program page or statute. It is a sample, not a full list: read your own state's rules before you take an order.

Shipping across state lines raises a second question. Georgia's Department of Agriculture notes that interstate sales may subject them to oversight by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Federal food facility registration rules say the private residence of an individual is not a facility. That federal rule does not change a state's own limit on out-of-state sales.

If your state does not allow shipping under a cottage permit, ask which license covers mail order. New Jersey's answer: To make food in a commercial kitchen and mail product to the customer, contact your local health department. Ohio's home bakery license, shown in the table, is another kind of license some states offer.

Cheesecake, cream pies and custard: not cottage foods

Cheesecake and cream- or custard-filled items are time/temperature-controlled foods. They need refrigeration to stay safe, so state cottage food rules leave them out, and this page gives no advice on shipping them.

State programs say this directly. Illinois lists pumpkin pies, sweet potato pies, cheesecakes, custard pies, creme pies among foods that are not cottage foods. Indiana classes cheesecake as a TCS Food Product. Michigan's list says no cheesecake; no cakes with glaze or frosting that requires refrigeration (e.g., no cream cheese frosting). California explains that Custard pies contain potentially hazardous foods like milk and eggs.

Frostings and fillings count too: the Michigan rule covers cream cheese frosting and any frosting that needs refrigeration. If a recipe needs the fridge, check your state's list before you sell or ship it.

How to package baked goods for shipping

These steps apply to every shelf-stable item on this page. The product sections below add what changes for each one.

1. Bake close to the ship date

   Bake the day before or the day of shipping and let everything cool completely. Wrapping warm bakes traps steam, which softens crusts and can grow mold in transit.

2. Wrap each item airtight

   UPS advises: Wrap cupcake holders, tins and other containers in plastic to make them airtight, or seal the edges with tape. Plastic wrap, zip bags and heat-sealed bags keep air out and moisture in.

3. Put the wrapped food in a rigid inner container

   A tin, a sturdy bakery box or a plastic tub stops the outer box from crushing the food. Fill gaps inside the container so nothing slides.

4. Use a new outer box with cushioning

   UPS recommends a new, sturdy corrugated box and at least 2 to 3 inches of protection around the food, using bubble wrap or packing peanuts. Shake the closed box: nothing should move.

5. Ship early in the week

   USDA advises sending perishable food at the beginning of the week, and UPS says to Ship early enough in the week so the box does not sit in a depot over a weekend.

Which carrier service to use for baked goods

Shelf-stable baked goods do not need overnight shipping, but every extra day costs freshness. Pick a service by how long the item stays good at room temperature.

For cookies, biscotti and other dry bakes, Ground Advantage is usually fine. For bread, pies and soft cakes, a two- or three-day service keeps them fresher. Flat rate boxes help with dense items such as pound cakes, where weight would push up a zone-based price.

How to ship cookies in the mail and keep them fresh

Cookies are the easiest baked good to ship. Crisp and chewy drop cookies, shortbread, biscotti and bar cookies all travel well. Very thin, lacy or delicate cookies break more easily, and cookies with cream cheese or whipped fillings are outside cottage food rules.

To package cookies for shipping, stack them in pairs or small groups back to back, wrap each stack in plastic, and stand the stacks upright in a tin or box lined with parchment. Pack soft and crisp cookies separately, because soft cookies give off moisture that makes crisp ones go soft. Fill the space at the top with crumpled parchment so the stacks cannot shift.

To ship cookies safely, put the tin in a box with cushioning on every side. Sturdy, dry cookies hold up well, so Ground Advantage or Priority Mail both work.

How to ship bread

Crusty loaves, sandwich bread, quick breads such as banana bread, and sweet rolls without cream fillings can be shipped. Let the loaf cool fully, then wrap it in plastic or seal it in a bag to keep the crumb moist. A crusty loaf loses some crispness in a sealed bag; a short reheat in the oven brings it back, and you can include that note for the buyer.

Quick breads ship well in their own loaf pan or a disposable foil pan, wrapped and boxed. Use a two- or three-day service, since bread goes stale faster than cookies.

How to ship pies

Only shelf-stable pies fit cottage food rules. Michigan allows Pies that are shelf stable, and Illinois says: Only high-acid fruit pies that use the following fruits are allowed, a list that includes apple, blueberry and cherry. Illinois excludes pumpkin pies, sweet potato pies, cheesecakes, custard pies, creme pies, so those are not covered here.

Bake the pie in a disposable foil or sturdy paper pie tin so the buyer does not have to return a dish. Cool it completely, cover the top with a second inverted tin or a pie box, and wrap the whole pie in plastic. Pack it flat with cushioning above and below, mark the box this side up, and use a two- or three-day service.

How to ship cakes: pound cakes, bundt cakes and cupcakes

To mail a cake, choose a dense, unfrosted or simply glazed cake. Pound cakes, bundt cakes and loaf cakes ship best. Tiered cakes, layer cakes with soft fillings and cakes with cream cheese frosting do not travel well, and the cream-based ones are outside cottage food rules.

Cool the cake completely, wrap it tightly in plastic, then wrap it again in foil. Put it in a cake box or rigid container that fits closely, and cushion that inside the shipping box. A bundt cake can travel in the pan it was baked in if the buyer keeps the pan.

Cupcakes are harder. Use a cupcake insert that holds each one in place, choose a frosting your state allows for cottage food, and keep the frosting low. Seal the container airtight, as UPS advises for cupcake holders, and use a two- or three-day service.

How to transport and ship cake pops

Cake pops travel best standing upright. Push each stick into a foam block or a box with pre-cut holes, and wrap each pop in a small cellophane bag tied at the stick. For local delivery by car, a stand like this on a flat surface is enough.

For shipping, lay wrapped pops flat in a box with padding between them, or keep them standing in a foam block that fits the box tightly. A hard candy-melt coating holds up in transit better than soft frosting. Check that your state allows the coating and filling you use. A cake pop made with cream cheese frosting falls under the same refrigeration rule as the cakes above.

Labels and paperwork

Cottage food laws set label rules, and the wording differs by state. Illinois, for example, requires this phrase on the package: This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. Copy your own state program's label rules exactly. Put the label on each wrapped item, not only on the outer box, so the buyer still has it after unpacking.

Write this side up on the outer box for pies and cakes, and use a service with tracking so you and the buyer can see where the box is.

Where Nation fits

Questions about shipping baked goods