I use these http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0038N30OY/?tag=cakecentral-20 in my cookie box/jar for my cookies and I could swear it makes them stay fresh tasting and crisp. Does anyone else use them?

I use them to store my gumpaste pieces.

From my understanding Silica Gel will help your cause by eliminating moisture in your cookies package thus assisting in keeping them crispy and fresh. Now there is some Silica Gel that is NOT save to use with food. That is only the Blue Indicating Silica Gel as it contains Cobalt Chloride which is classified as a IARC Group 2B carcinogen.

The industry standard for use in dry food packaging is the Silica Gel packaged in Tyvek. This stuff is WHITE (not blue) and is Cobalt free! This is the same stuff you fund in beef jerky, shoes, etc. I would recommend buying them from some place other then Amazon. Can you really trust these "marketplace sellers" to sell you "good" or "fresh" Silica Gel? When using in food, buy direct from a manufacture. Just google Silica Gel Packets and you will find a number of them, or you can just go to http://www.SilicaGelPackets.com and order whatever size Tyvek packet you need!

Hopefully I was a help, enjoy!

I'm only a hobby baker and, as long as it meets FDA specifications, it is fine for me.

With Amazon marketplace sellers, it's just like buying on ebay. You check feedback ratings.

I'm pretty sure I have seen the packets of it in the container of some types of specialty food products at some point, but I wouldn't want to bet money on this, so I never tried to purchase. Though, I think it might work. However, I know that people use powdered dry milk packed into paper envelopes to keep stored stuffs dry, and that would definitely be a "food safe" dessicant. Perhaps that would work.

Sugar is highly hygroscopic, so as a sugar artist, I use silica gel to store decorative items made from gum paste, fondant, pastillage, marzipan, pulled/blown sugar, or chocolate modeling paste. I pour the silica gel into the bottom of a plastic tote box, then lay parchment paper over it. I place a grid on top of all that, then lay the flowers/figures on top of the grid.

Sugar is highly hygroscopic, so as a sugar artist, I use silica gel to store decorative items made from gumpaste, fondant, pastillage, marzipan, pulled/blown sugar, or chocolate modeling paste. I pour the silica gel into the bottom of a plastic tote box, then lay parchment paper over it. I place a grid on top of all that, then lay the flowers/figures on top of the grid.