This Is Really Stupid But I Don't Know The Answer...
Baking By confectionsofahousewife Updated 4 Dec 2009 , 4:41pm by sugalips
OK, I feel really dumb for having to ask this question but, how are you supposed to store sugar cookies before you decorate them and while the icing is drying? Seems to me that you can't stack them or cover them while the icing is still wet (obviously) so what do you do with them? How do they not get stale? Thanks for asking this pressing question! 
i don't know if this is the best answer because i've only just started making sugar cookies, but i stored them in an airtight container until i was ready to ice. I iced them on a huge cookie sheet and just let them sit there until they were dry and returned them to the airtight container. they were soft and delicious when we ate them a few days later.
I leave mine on a cookie sheet and put them back in the cold oven to keep them clean while they are drying and during decorating. I have 4 racks in my oven so I can have quite a few cookies in there at various stages. They wont get stale in the short amount of time it takes you to finish and wrap them.
I leave mine on the baking sheet and then stack them in the (commercial) baking rack. I cover the baking sheet in saran and the edges of the pan are high enough that the saran doesn't touch the cookies.
I have also left them out overnight uncovered.
Cookies don't go stale that fast. They are not as fragile as people think they are.
Thanks for the ideas everyone. I have put them in a giant rubbermaid container separated by wax paper since that is what I have on hand.
On a completely unrelated topic : "Confectionsofahousewife", that's got to be one of the cutest screen names I've seen!
Agreed!! And here I thought all the cool names had been taken! 
On a completely unrelated topic : "Confectionsofahousewife", that's got to be one of the cutest screen names I've seen!
Thanks! It was my one and only witty moment! I'm like Costanza; out on a high note.
Love the pizza box idea and the pizza rack for cookie sheets. Now, if only I had more space...
I decorate my cookies on 16" cardboards on a low turntable. Then, I arrange those little white plastic things that hold up the lids of pizza boxes on the board and stack the next board on top.
I have a huge Rubbermaid cabinet devoted solely to temporary storage of cakes and cookies while I'm working on them. Boy is it hard to keep that thing empty. 
Edited to add: Oh yeah, I let them dry overnight uncovered, but inside the cabinet. As indydebi said, they don't go stale that fast.
That cabinet is a great idea...........although my kids would keep going into it to see what goodies i have
Same here! I'd have to keep a lock on it or something. Not to mention that I have nowhere to put it.
That cabinet is a great idea...........although my kids would keep going into it to see what goodies i have
Same here! I'd have to keep a lock on it or something. Not to mention that I have nowhere to put it.
Neither do I. We used to have a lovely game room with custom designed pool table. You'd be amazed how much cake stuff you can cram under, around and on top of a pool table. Not to mention the shelf units, drawer units and, of course, the giant cabinet around the perimeter of the room. *sigh*
That is awesome, Diane. I wish i had that much room........wow! My ultimate dream is to have a separate locked room in the house to keep all my 'toys' in. A room where i can just stop what i'm doing when it's time to pick up a kid from school or cook dinner, etc and not have to clean and clear everything so no one touches!
That is awesome, Diane. I wish i had that much room........wow! My ultimate dream is to have a separate locked room in the house to keep all my 'toys' in. A room where i can just stop what i'm doing when it's time to pick up a kid from school or cook dinner, etc and not have to clean and clear everything so no one touches!
You and me both.
We order in and eat out so much I don't know why I bother grocery shopping!
My dream is to have a separate cake 'house' built on my property. Somewhere I can work on cakes and have hubby in there to keep me company. So, basically, a kitchen with a couch and a TV.
First, I gotta get me some property. LOL
Neither do I. We used to have a lovely game room with custom designed pool table. You'd be amazed how much cake stuff you can cram under, around and on top of a pool table. Not to mention the shelf units, drawer units and, of course, the giant cabinet around the perimeter of the room. *sigh*
Ha! At least you have that. I have two kitchen cabinets allocated to cake supplies and whatever doesn't fit there gets store in a closet down the hall that is also home to photos, computer paper, kid gear, etc. Although it looks like you do cakes on a larger scale than I do! I'd like to expand (I just do stuff for family and friends right now) but we'd have to move so I can have a second kitchen.
I use pizza boxes. They hold a lot of cookies and you can just stack them. Use wax paper or parchment to line the box so they can be reused.
Me too! Love pizza boxes! For cookies, I set the lids part way open to allow a bit of air to help the icing dry. Also use the boxes to hold/store chocolate transfer pieces, fondant pieces etc. I also use them to carry small brownies, bars, tartlets (mini cupcakes are too tall) when I'm taking them somewhere. Very practical.
I get nice sturdy corrugated pizza boxes - plain white too - in different sizes at an eBay store. http://stores.ebay.com/THE-BOX-STORES-ON-LINE?_rdc=1
My husband built me a cookie drying rack. It holds several large sheets and as IndyDebi attested to, they are fine left out overnight to dry. Before I had my drying rack, I stacked my sheets with a 4 oz. jelly jar in each of the four corners. I went about 6 high as I recall.
You and me both.
We order in and eat out so much I don't know why I bother grocery shopping!
My dream is to have a separate cake 'house' built on my property. Somewhere I can work on cakes and have hubby in there to keep me company. So, basically, a kitchen with a couch and a TV.
First, I gotta get me some property. LOL
Me too! We had to eat out this week because my island was covered in cookies with drying icing and my stovetop was covered with my icing containers and piping bags. We just saw a house for sale that had a guest house on the property. I thought that would be perfect. My baking kitchen could be in the guest house! But they wanted $600,000. Too expensive.
Oh, i can picture that confections! LOL.
That's why it's hard when i have to clean it all up and put stuff away even when i'm not finished, just so i can cook dinner, help with homework, and keep curious hands out of my cookies. After they're asleep, it all comes back out but needs to be cleaned off for breakfast the next day. bummer.
I use pizza boxes. They hold a lot of cookies and you can just stack them. Use wax paper or parchment to line the box so they can be reused.
That's such a good idea, that would work for drying fondant pieces also! I'm gonna get some tommorow!
Thanx~!
With the holiday baking marathon at my house, space is at a premium! The pizza boxes will work great. Thank you for that tidbit. I am fortunate to be able to stack stuff on the freezer and the "man frig" in an enclosed porch. This time of year in the mountains it stays nice and cool without having to be IN the frig. 
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