I just bought the Collector's Edition Better Homes and Gardens 100 Best Cookies Magazine ($5.99) and I love it, love it, love it. I highly recommend this book. Dare I say, I like it better than Martha's. Although, I did like Martha's packaging ideas.

Well, I am writing in reference to the recipes in the BHG mag. In all of the recipes they say "store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days." 3 DAYS!!!???? Shouldn't it be 3 WEEKS. I thought that it just may be a typo, but this was stated in all of recipes in the magazine. I do not understand this. Can someone please tell me what they are talking about?

Seems pretty normal to me? I think 3 days at room temperature is enough for a cookie. That's for the "best taste" period I'm sure they mean.

I find that after 7 days, my shortbread cookies start to smell a bit off. The more butter in a product, the faster this can happen.

At the holidays I typically do HUGE spreads of cookies, mini pastries and candies. Some will keep better than others. Generally pastries (like kolacky, tarts, ladylocks and the like) wont keep more than 3 days, maybe 5 if you are pushing it.

But most cookies, if well sealed, will keep a couple weeks. I have never killed anyone with a cookie lol and always get compliments. My cookie trays I start assembling about 2 weeks before Christmas and most of my varieties make it fine until New Years. Bets are off on anything with jelly tho-it gets runny and soaks into the cookie after about a week or 2.

All depends on the ingredients and that they are well sealed like in Tupperware. Or I do so many cookies at Christmas I buy the disposable sheet cake high rim baking pans with lids just for storage-then tape the lid on with some wide packing tape all around.

Once you put cookies in like a bakery box where they are not sealed, or in a cookie jar that is not airithgt, you would have maybe a few days before most kinds dry out or get funky.

I can live with 3 days... the cookies won't be around our house long enough to worry about it.