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Anyone sell Christmas cookie platters? I know it's early...

post #1 of 52
9/30/09 at 9:22am
Thread Starter 
i know it's not even close to Christmas yet, but i was thinking about making up some flyers for some Christmas cookie platters and was wondering what types of cookies you all do for yours or what kinds of cookies you'd like to see on a tray (if you were buying them).....I'd like to do something where all the orders have to be prepaid and must be due by Dec. 1st or something so that I have time to bake them all, and also..how much do you normally charge.....or how do you charge rather?
I've seen sites where they charge by weight (ie; 5 lb. cookie platter), and others that charge per dozen of flavor cookies and some just charge a certain price for the tray. I'm not sure how to price.

I have some ideas for some recipes for cookies and also some little desserts, but just wondered what everyone else does
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post #2 of 52
9/30/09 at 12:13pm
icon_smile.gif You and I both are thinking the same thing today! I am thinking Thanksgiving and Christmas already....I was thinking of small platters, maybe 1-2# and a large one of 5#.

I also was thinking of doing 'candy' platters....still out on that one.

As for types, I need to look back and see what did well for me last year...maybe even add some new ones....once I get to do some 'taste testing' with my panel.....rofl.....family and friends. icon_lol.gif
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post #3 of 52
9/30/09 at 12:29pm
I've been promo'ing Christmas parties, corporate employee dinners, Christmas cookies and holiday caterings for the last 6 weeks or so. It's NOT too early!
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post #4 of 52
9/30/09 at 12:49pm
Thread Starter 
thanks indy............if you're doing it then I know I'm not crazy!! lol I was thinking of doing some peanut butter cookies w/ kisses (people around here would die of shock if they weren't on the platter), some raspberry almond thumbprints, some lemon cookies, some decorated sugar cookies, and maybe some mini pumpkin tarts? I dunno, or maybe mini carrot cake bites (like a mini muffin with a dollop of crm cheese icing).......but then I think, oh ......what about brownie bites, fudge, choc. dipped pretzels.
So that got me thinking, maybe I should do a "cookie platter" and a "mini desserts platter" and maybe have a "deluxe platter" that has both of them on it?? I've never done this before and don't want to get in over my head (which i usually do anyhow)........and I definitely want to charge enough to make it worth my while. I also want to have the money in hand before I start baking so I know my efforts aren't all for nothing.


Now onto packaging........how do you all package them? Is it tacky to just do the platters with the clear snap on lid? maybe with a bow? Or should they get shrink wrapped like a gift basket?

Any help would be very appreciated!

I see by the response that countrycakes must sell by the pound. Is that how it's normally done? I would think it would be easier to tell people

this platter contains: 6 peanut butter kiss cookies
6 carrot cake bites
12 chocolate chunk cookies
and so on..........

What do you charge for them also? I realize that our areas and all that make a difference.........but I'm just curious how you charge as compared to maybe a decorated sugar cookie. i realize the ingredients alone for some of these more "gourmet" cookies is way more than the time involved in making them!
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post #5 of 52
9/30/09 at 12:56pm
I have done it both ways...however, I need to redo some of my prices...because all the ingredients that I use have gone UP in price as well! Egads!

I can say that more people ordered by the 'pieces' as in 6 pb, etc. than by the pound. icon_smile.gif

A lot of people who ordered from me did not go for the 'gourmet' cookies....they just wanted good old fashioned cookies!
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post #6 of 52
9/30/09 at 12:58pm
I would definitely decide up front what's in them. Otherwise, you're making god knows how many different batches of cookie dough for 4 cookies here and 6 cookies there.

Another version of the peanutbutter/kiss cookie is to put a mini Reese cup in the cookie. The restaurant next door has a client that orders 40-50 lunches at a shot on Saturdays, and they ALWAYS want these cookies. I keep reminding the restaurant that I make dang good choc chip and snickerdoodles, but he says, "Nope! This guy wants just your peanut butters!"

The packaging is totally up to you. If I were doing anything with height (cupcakes, for example), I'd use the snap on lids. Flat cookies only, I'd saran wrap them. Bows, baskets, etc., is up to you on how far up you want to kick it.
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post #7 of 52
9/30/09 at 1:01pm
I forgot to add that I used the industrial sized plastic wrap from Sam's....made up some pretty holiday bows...and did them that way. I also made small sized 'carrot cake truffle' baskets last year for my dh's Gma's caregiver for her family...each basket contained 12 golf ball sized carrot cake truffles with cream cheese filling and dipped in white choc coating...placed in basket with food grade liner of tissue paper and wrapped in clear plastic wrap with a festive bow.
Took me about 2 hours to do 10 of them...I charged $20 each....she paid me $250 total! She was thrilled. icon_smile.gif

PS; I was too...got a $50 tip! icon_biggrin.gif
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post #8 of 52
9/30/09 at 1:03pm
Last year I sold a couple of Cake Ball/Cookie/Tart platters for $25 each. I used the small plastic trays with the snap-op clear lids. I had not planned to sell them, but my hairdresser needed something for a party and I had extras at home (I had taken a platter to the salon and they loved them!) I'm thinking of trying to "market" them this year and see what happens. The cake balls worked out well as well as Pecan Tarts. Good luck with it!
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Lam 3:22, 23 (KJV) It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.
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post #9 of 52
9/30/09 at 1:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by countrycakes

I can say that more people ordered by the 'pieces' as in 6 pb, etc. than by the pound. icon_smile.gif


Good point. Because if sell by the pound, I guarentee that you'll spend half of your time answering the question, "Well how many cookies are in 3 lbs?"
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post #10 of 52
9/30/09 at 1:06pm
Oh i'm so glad you brought this topic up...i was thinking about it today too.lol icon_biggrin.gif Last year i had several requests for trays of baked goods but i just wasn't prepared and thus didn't do them.
I was thinking 'bout my decorated sugar cookies too. Last year i was on the brink of making up a handout with different designs but was just not sure how i would pkg them so that they looked professional yet cost effective.

I would think on a cookie platter, any type of 'bars' would be great, tarts, spritz type cookies, decorated cookies for added color, cake balls, even dipped marshmallows made to look like a snowmans hat are cute.. etc...things that are pretty and easy to pick up.

I can't wait to hear everyone's responses.Before we know it christmas will be here so it's never to early to prepare.
I also wondered about when to have orders in by, and what the latest p/u would be. I don't want to be sitting at home waiting for customers to p/u cookies on christmas eve. thumbs_up.gif
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post #11 of 52
9/30/09 at 1:15pm
Thread Starter 
Oh indy..........you mention baskets and a light went off in my head (DH and I tried our hand at a gift basket business before a few yrs. back and we have a TON of gorgeous rectangular baskets that I think we paid around 2.00 each for and bought hundreds............I'm certain I've got at least 50 of them and a couple that are even smaller in size).......they would be perfect!!!!!!!

Oh and I'm totally running with the whole peanut butter cup in the cookie......are you saying it's baked inside of the cookie or is it just stuck on top like the kiss cookies? I was thinking baked inside and that sounds just wonderful!

I was thinking on charging around $1.00/cookie........for choc. chip/ decorated/ all of them as a base price and then add in what I spend on packagin (probably 5.00 or so for a bow and plastic and the basket).......so for a basket with 20 cookies all wrapped up for $25.00?? That seems high compared to what you guys were charging, and I know I charge way less for cake than you guys.

Indy I know you charge 3.00/serv. for cake right? And I charge 2.25 and everyone else around me charges 1.25 lol suckers! Maybe 20 cookies will look more substantial on a platter or in a basket?
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post #12 of 52
9/30/09 at 1:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetcravings

Oh i'm so glad you brought this topic up...i was thinking about it today too.lol icon_biggrin.gif Last year i had several requests for trays of baked goods but i just wasn't prepared and thus didn't do them.
I was thinking 'bout my decorated sugar cookies too. Last year i was on the brink of making up a handout with different designs but was just not sure how i would pkg them so that they looked professional yet cost effective.

I would think on a cookie platter, any type of 'bars' would be great, tarts, spritz type cookies, decorated cookies for added color, cake balls, even dipped marshmallows made to look like a snowmans hat are cute.. etc...things that are pretty and easy to pick up.

I can't wait to hear everyone's responses.Before we know it christmas will be here so it's never to early to prepare.
I also wondered about when to have orders in by, and what the latest p/u would be. I don't want to be sitting at home waiting for customers to p/u cookies on christmas eve. thumbs_up.gif



I'm thinking of making up a flier and maybe making a bit of the cookies now and take photos of each cookie individually and put that on the back of the flier so they can see all the individual types of cookies and then list the platters and what each would contain with the prices

I'm thinking I'm gonna make Dec.1st the cut off for all orders, giving myself a couple weeks to bake all the cookies (I'm choosing recipes that freeze well too)...and then make Dec. 20 or 22 or something as the cut off date for p/u's or deliveries. I figure most people have had their office parties by then and even if they save the cookies til Christmas they'll be delicious! I'm going to plan to have them assembled and ready for pick up by the 20th (hopefully)
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post #13 of 52
9/30/09 at 1:30pm
I love this idea and have done it for family for years. And thinking about it 20 cookies on a plate look alot nicer than 20 cookies in a basket. However, is it possible to fit a higher amount of cookies in your baskets? I would definitely have a last day of pick up, and I can tell you that corporate parties start from the 1st of December to the weekend before xmas, so I hope that helps with your timeline.
Good luck!!!
Shannie
P.S. You are not too early at all, I already have my xmas shopping done for my family =)
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post #14 of 52
9/30/09 at 1:32pm
For our family-close and extended (both DH's and mine), and close friends, we make each household a basket ~ "The Twelve Treats of Christmas". We make about 25 baskets.

We buy baskets at Dollar Tree for, you guessed it, $1 a piece and their shrink wrap bags at $1 each. They come with a bow, too. Some years I don't use their bow and use ribbon or raffia, whatever, to match my card theme.

We make a list of 12 treats which is a good variety of cookies, bars, candies, breads, etc. I handmake a gift tag that includes the contents of the basket. EVERYTHING is individually wrapped (a pain, but much appreciated by the families and makes it look nicer) and a make a hand beaded ornament for each basket, too.

On assembly day, line up baskets, put tissue paper/confetti in each, fill with individually wrapped assorted goodies, shrink wrap, attach bow with gift tag and ornament, and viola, finally doneicon_smile.gif

They're going to be soooo disappointed they aren't getting them this year! We put the money into our Free Cakes for Kids Chapter, so I'm just giving everyone a tin of 2 or 3 different types of cookies.

Oh, my hubby's favorite that has been in the basket EVERY year is Choco-Orange Diamonds. It's an orange flavored shortbread with chocolate and nuts cut into diamonds. Everything else changes from year to year, and we do through in some "easys" like chocolate covered peanuts, candy molds from candy melts, chocolate covered holiday shape pretzels, candied nuts, etc.

Hope that helps someone! Everyone always says I should sell them, but I'm in TXicon_sad.gif
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post #15 of 52
9/30/09 at 1:57pm
Thread Starter 
I love the idea of the goodies with an ornament for family, so sweet and such a great idea. Those are the kinds of gifts I LOVE to receive! The ones where you know someone spent time thinking about you while making it!
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