Recently, my local small-town bakery has closed and people are now asking me to sell decorated cookies. I operate out of a commercial kitchen but I don't have a store-front so it's not like people can just come in and pick what they want. I've done a few orders for cookies but I've found that they're way more tedious to decorate than cupcakes and I have to charge less because people are accustomed to the old bakery's prices. I also require a two dozen minimum. Just for reference, I charge $24/dozen for cupcakes with fondant toppers so what should I be charging for decorated cookies with fondant and/or royal icing? Better yet, how do I politely say no to cookies? I don't want to hurt my business since I'm just starting out so maybe I should just bite the bullet and do them anyway.

I should add that I specialize in custom cakes and cupcakes.

I agree! I do cakes, cupcakes and cake pops. NO cookies. I have immense respect for those who do cookies well, and there are some of the best here. I have no problem telling people that I don't do cookies - - ever. Am I shooting myself in the foot? Probably. But if I wouldn't make cookies with my daughters when they were little, I'm not going to put out that kind of effort for strangers.

Oh, dear....... you are going to be in a world of hurt if you can't simply say " I'm sorry, but since I devote so much time to my cakes, I just don't have the time or energy to start in a new direction. I won't be adding cookies to my product line for quite some time..."

I'm learning that I can't please everyone so I probably shouldn't even try. I've been burned by potential clients before so it's getting easier to say "no". Researching for hours, sketching cakes, ordering supplies only to have them never contact me again after finding out the price, or just wanting cookies or "one dozen cupcakes - half chocolate, half vanilla", ugh! That's a pretty good way to say it, though. Thanks!

Right now we are willing to do fairly basic decorated cookies, but once we open our shop, I am thinking they are just going to be too labor intensive and time consuming. I feel the same way you do about them! I am truly in awe of those who do them well, but I am not even sure I care to do them at all!

You mentioned that the bakery that did them closed, but are there any other bakeries nearby that do them that you could refer? That way you could say that you don't do them, but give them the contact info of someone who does.

Either way, don't do them if you don't want to! It's your business, you get to choose what you want to offer.

As far as charging for them if you do, I wouldn't charge less than $3-$4 per cookie, and that's for basic decoration. Anything more detailed can go for $6 per cookie and up. That's the going rate in my area anyway. If people in your area aren't willing to pay you enough to make it worth your while, then it's not worth it!

A list of things I hate, in no particular order:

cupcakes
cookies
cake pops (then again, I hate anything that requires me to stand there and roll little balls)

Just. Say. No. LOL

I didn't mind it when I was younger, but now that I have all kinds of back problems it kills me to do that. But I love seeing all the cool things people come up with for the cookies and cake pops. I secretly stalk Sugarbelle's and Cookie Crazie's blogs haha!

Definitely just be up front and let them know what you DO do. I don't do cookies, I also don't do sheet cakes. (just my personal preference)... so when I get a request I just let them know I don't offer that, but I can do this.
Other decorators ask me all the time.. ['How do you get away with not doing sheet cakes, it's all people ask me for?' Well, I just say no. LOL There's no point in saying yes to business you don't want. The more cookies you do, the more they will be requested... so if it's not where your heart is best not to start the precedence and to wait for the orders that you want to create. (which I know it's hard to turn away business, but it's best to put out there what you want for your business then to be in a rut making things you will become resentful of. That way your business will grow, maybe more slowly, but into what you envisioned.)
May be worth a look in your area who does do cookies and see if you can start a referral back and forth, if there is anyone.

I agree with LoveMeSomeCake on seeing if there is another nearby bakery that could take on the cookie orders. It may be an opportunity to call them up and create a relationship with another local business. The theory being that you can send them cookies and if they have customers coming in for custom cakes and cupcakes that they can't fulfill then perhaps they'll send them your way. I would personally contact the bakery first to build that report though, that is if that's even an option.

As everyone else said, just say no, it's hard and sucks but you can't do everything and why waste time on something you don't enjoy.