At Muddy's, we bake fresh, from scratch, each day without artificial stabilizers or preservatives, so for the tastiest experience, we recommend enjoying your goodies within a day of purchase. :)
That said, if you find yourself with an abundance of baked goods, this info will help you store them with care.
Common Terms Used Here:
- "airtight" means as sealed as possible; wrapped securely with cling wrap or an airtight container like Tupperware or a Ziploc
- "room temperature" means 65-72 degrees F and out of direct sunlight
Cake/Cupcakes
Most Muddy’s cakes keep best airtight on the counter at room temp for up to 2 days*. Once sliced, you can also gently press a piece of cling wrap to the exposed cake to help retain moisture.
*chocolate & pumpkin cake layers tend to stay moist the longest and are often still delicious & tender at 4 or 5 days!
Do NOT refrigerate your Muddy’s cake/cupcakes, unless otherwise specified.
Why? First, the refrigerator basically sucks moisture out of the cake slowly, making it go stale a lot faster-- much worse even than freezing. Second, most Muddy's cakes/cupcakes are butter cakes (and most of our icings are buttercream!), so when left in the fridge, all that lovely, light creamed butter goes super firm & solid (just like a stick of butter in the fridge). Refrigerated butter cakes often seem dense, dry, and heavy. If you insist on refrigerating your cake, be sure to let it come completely back to room temperature before serving!
Freezing cake/cupcakes
While we don’t especially recommend freezing, many of our customers have done so with positive results. Wrap thoroughly, as airtight as possible. Keep no longer than 3 months. Allow to come completely to room temperature before serving.
Remember, freezing actually changes the molecular structure of your baked goods, so while your cake/cupcakes may still be a yummy treat, do not expect them to have exactly the same taste/texture as fresh. Never re-freeze.
Cookies & Bars
Most cookies & bars keep best at room temperature in an airtight container.
- Chewy/soft cookies: (ie: chocolate chip, molasses gingerbread) Often last about 3 days before they start to dry out or lose flavor. Dried out a bit? Don’t throw them away... crumble them over ice cream!
- Butter cookies: yes, most of our cookies contain butter, but we mean the shortbread-y cookies that are often decorated with icing. These usually last 3-5 days before flavor/texture noticeably diminishes.
- Crisp cookies: (ie: vanilla bean wafers, toffee bark) Often keep up to 2 weeks! Just keep them in a well sealed container.
- Bars: (ie: brownies, hello dollies) If well sealed, these will usually stay delicious up to 5 days at room temp. Note: chocolate peanut butter bars should be kept in the fridge to keep their shape & texture.
What about freezing?
We don’t recommend freezing baked cookies, except for toffee bark, which is awesome frozen!
Pies
When in doubt, store pies in the refrigerator, as airtight as possible to prevent miscellaneous “fridge flavors & fragrances” from soaking into your pie... you don’t want your luscious lemon custard mixing with last night’s pot roast!
- Chess pies: (ie: cocoa crackle, shady wake) Most can stay on the counter, well wrapped, at room temp for up to 4 days. Can freeze (see below).
- Custard pies: (ie: pumpkin) Best refrigerated, but if fridge space is tight, these are usually ok on the counter, well wrapped, for no more than 1 day. Do not freeze.
- Cream pies: (ie: chocolate dream, key lime) Always keep in fridge. Enjoy within 4 days. Do not freeze.
- Fruit pies: (ie: johnny appleseed, blueberry crumble) Keep in fridge, well wrapped, up to 4 days. Can freeze (see below).
Freezing your pie
First, check to see if freezing is okay for your type of pie (above). Remember that freezing anything changes its structure and taste slightly, so while your pie may freeze “well” and still yield a yummy treat, don’t expect it to be exactly the same as fresh.
To freeze, wrap 3-5 times in cling wrap and then once again with tin foil. Don’t freeze longer than 3 months. Bring completely to room temperature before serving. Want to reheat? See below
Reheating your pie (if desired)
- Chess pies: Loosely cover with tin foil and heat at 325 for 15 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Custard pies: Overcooking a custard pie will “split” the filling (a sort of curdled texture), so be careful. Heat at 300 for 10-15 min or until gently warmed throughout. A good alternative is to slice the pie, arrange slices on cookies sheet, and warm briefly.
- Fruit pies: For pies with a top crust, heat at 350 for 10-15 min to warm pie, then raise heat to 400 for about 6-10 min (keep an eye on it!) to crisp the crust. For crumble top pies, heat at 350 for about 15 min, or until warmed through.
- Cream/cold/icebox pies: meant to be served cold- do not heat.
Take & Bake
Unless otherwise noted, our take & bake items should be kept frozen until ready to bake. To prepare, follow the baking instructions. Take & Bake info can be found HERE.
Once baked, keep leftovers as indicated by their type above.