This Seemingly Useless Item Can Save Your Baked Goods

We've all been there before — working for hours to create a delicious baked good item, meticulously following recipes and measurements, shaping, rolling, frosting, and baking. When it's finally finished, we enjoy the fresh cookie, cinnamon roll, or cupcake, maybe pass around a few more to be enjoyed and then store the rest. But there's nothing worse than going to check on your yummy pastry the next day, only to find that humidity has transformed your perfect shortbread into a crumbly mess or that your croissants have lost their crispy outer layer due to moisture in the air. 

Worry not, fellow bakers, for there is a hack that will keep your pastries perfectly crisp and fresh without requiring the help of the perfect "air tight" container. The best part is, it's probably something you have around your house and have been throwing away for years without realizing how useful it actually is.

You know those silica packets that come in bottles of vitamins, in shoe boxes, and in containers with electronics? These seemingly useless "packets reduce the moisture content of the container by about 40%, and some varieties are approved by the FDA for food use" and can keep your cookies fresh for longer, so you won't need to worry about eating them all in the first 24 hours (via Christmas Cookies). 

These packets can also be purchased at several places online, if you don't have any on hand. However, if you found one laying around, they can be restored by "placing them on a baking sheet and baking them in a 170-degree oven for 15 minutes" (via Washington Post). Otherwise, just start collecting them out of containers of vitamins or protein powders for your next batch of baked goods. Remember, the silica packets are not edible or meant for consumption, and you should always use packets that are already used in food products to ensure they're food safe.