Shipping Sweets and Traveling Treats

^[1]

The holiday season is such a happy time to bake and share sweets with friends and family. And cake pops are one of my favorite treats to gift. But they are also easy to ship and send to your favorite people. I’m often asked what’s the best way to package them so they make it safely to their destination. So, when the opportunity to work with Scotch® Brand came about, I thought I’d share with you exactly how I’ve shipped them in the past.

But, before we can ship, we need some cake pops to dip. Super cute candy-themed cake pops, that is.

^[2]

Here are my basic instructions for making cake pops ^[3] in case you haven’t given them a go before.

^[4]

Because the cake is mixed with frosting and completely enrobed in candy coating, they will stay fresh and tasty for several days.

^[5]

To make simple round cake pops look like hard candy, just draw swirls and pinwheel designs on the coating using edible-ink writing pens. I filled in the color just a bit so you can see where I’m going, but basically, drawing on the pops helps tremendously with the next step.

^[6]

Use a small brush to paint a thin layer of corn syrup over the drawn shape and then sprinkle colored sanding sugar right on top and it will attach like glue. You can also easily use a toothpick to coerce the sanding sugar in position if it breaks out of the drawn lines. I love the sanding sugar effect because it makes the pops look sparkly and sugary.

^[7]

So cool! You can also apply candy coating using a toothpick over the drawn shape and then add the sanding sugar, but this can add a little extra bulk and I like it when this design looks a bit flatter.

^[8]

When you’re applying the sanding sugar, make sure you do it over a bowl so you can catch and reuse any that doesn’t attach.

^[9]

And voila! The cutest candy cake pops. Oh, wait… not the cutest yet.

^[10]

Instead of using treat bags as they’re intended, fold the bag in half and snip a tiny opening out of the center/side of the bag. Insert the pop, stick first, into the bag and then through the opening. Then use twist ties (cut into 1 1/2-inch sections) to secure the cake pop on each side.

^[11]

Okay, now they’re the cutest. Using sweet little treat bags really seals the deal and makes you think of these cake pops as candy.

^[12]

And this is how I package them. There may be better ways, but this has worked for me every time I’ve mailed them in the past.

Tucked in and ready to go. I use 1 lb. candy boxes (they’re roughly 7” X 3.25″ X 1.75″) and cake pops using 6-inch sticks. Place a small section of tissue paper in the bottom of the box and lay pops (always in treat bags) in alternating directions. Depending on the size, I can get 3-4 in each box. When you close the box, the tissue they’re wrapped in will keep them secure. You just don’t want them moving around in the box.

So now let’s spruce the boxes up a bit so they can brighten someone’s day.

^[13]

This Scotch® Expressions Glitter Tape reminds me of the sanding sugar so I thought it would be fun to carry through the colors when packing them up safe, sound and super cute.

^[14]

To make a sweet garland banner, fold tape over twine and then snip off the ends or cut into pennant shapes.

^[15]

Adorable!

^[16]

The next step is taping them up securely in bubble wrap.

^[17]

Then place them in a larger box filled with more packing material around the bottom, top and sides.

Depending on how much extra room you have… use more bubble wrap, paper packing, peanuts or tissue paper like above.

^[18]

When all taped up and secure, you should not feel or hear the contents inside move around.

Then your sweets are ready to ship out overnight. You can also ship 2-day, but I wouldn’t wait longer than that.

Other small sweets perfect for shipping are: fudge, cereal treats, marshmallows, caramels, sugar cookies and caramel corn. And, if you want to send something by regular mail, then fudge would be perfect.

Wait … Going home for the holidays? Want a tip for traveling with your treats?

^[19]

I’ve had to fly with cake pops several times and this is my go to carrying case. Yep. A cooler. This one is a 9-quart size (roughly 13” X 9” X 9”) and it will hold nine of these candy boxes with a little room left over.  I can get at least 36 cake pops inside. And using tape to decorate the boxes works perfectly because it’s flat and won’t get damaged in transportation. The perks? The sides of the cooler take the brunt of any accidental knocks, it fits nicely under the airline seat in front of me, it has a handle, and people tend to step aside when they see me carrying a small red cooler. Perfect!

Anyway, I hope this helps you a bit if you’re thinking of shipping or carrying your delicious treats this holiday season!

So that’s how I ship, but that’s not all… Scotch® Brand is having a fun contest to see how great you can wrap.

…………………………………………………………………….

Enter the Scotch® Most Gifted Wrapper™ Contest for the opportunity to win $10,000!
Enter at: MostGiftedWrapper.com ^[20] between November 2nd and December 9th.
LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE U.S. and D.C. (excluding AZ, CO, NE, MD, NJ, ND, TN and VT), who are 18 (19 in AL and 21 in MS) and older. Ends 12/9/15. To enter and for Official Rules (including prize descriptions), visit mostgiftedwrapper.com. Void where prohibited.

This post is in partnership with Scotch® Brand.