Frequently Asked Questions
A: Filling out the order request form does NOT book your order. Once details are discussed and agreed upon, an invoice will be sent from fountaincitysweets.com to the email you provided. You will then follow the included link to complete payment. Cookies must be paid in full to book your order. I will hold the request for 48 hours from the time I send the invoice. After that time, if payment is not received, I will open that date to the next request. CHECK INVOICE FOR FULL PICK UP ADDRESS.
A: Each order of handcrafted cookies is uniquely made with the recipient in mind. Ensuring each order is truly custom requires time, planning, and hard earned skills of the craft.
Here’s a peek at what goes into each and every order:
Client Consultation: This includes discussing the client’s special occasion, specific vision and aesthetic, and details specific to the cookie recipient. This can be a brief or lengthy exchange of collaborating ideas.
Cookie design: Next is the design process which can easily take 2+ hours. I create a color scheme, gather inspiration, sketch your designs, create templates for hand-cut designs or custom print cutters, choose fonts, and ensure all the designs are cohesive.
Mixing up the materials: All orders are made from scratch with quality ingredients to create delicious cookies. The baking process includes mixing, rolling, cutting out dough, and baking the cookies. The icing process alone can easily take a couple hours to complete depending on the amount of and saturation of colors and the number of consistences required to get the desired design effects.
Decorating: This part of custom cookies can easily take 5-10 hours depending on the level of design. This is where the magic happens. I value this part of the process and take extra time to create clean detail and line work, from start to finish.
Drying and packaging: Finally, the cookies must dry a minimum of 8 hours depending on the air humidity before they can be packaged. I dust cookies with corn starch to help prevent any possible sticking before heat sealing each individual cookie in food grade cellophane bags to ensure freshness. I then cushion each cookie in a bed of crinkle paper inside a bakery box, topped with business cards and stickers. Each of these steps requires time and costly materials to ensure your cookies can be transported safely.
A: I only take orders up to 3 months in advance. (For example, ordering for March will open December 1st) Custom cookies take planning and time to make. Please place order requests at least 14 days prior to the pick up date. Cookies orders placed within 10 days of the event will be subject to a 25% fee, if I’m available to take the order.
A: Unfortunately, no. Some orders are more intricate than others and I cannot guarantee the time needed for complex orders if I do not know the theme in advance. Cookie orders must also be paid in full to book. Without a good idea of theme, I cannot provide an accurate quote. Once an order is placed, if you need to make changes to your order details, please notify me as soon as possible. An increase in quantity or complexity is dependent on my availability. I require final theme decisions no less than 15 days prior to pick up date. This allows me time to plan, design, and order specific cookie cutters and/or supplies needed for the order. Significant changes to order details may incur additional fees and must be paid 15 days prior to pick up date.
A: At this time, I do not. However, if you have a nut allergy, I encourage you to talk to me about this. The almond extract I use has a manufacture label stating it is “nut allergen free.” Cookies are processed in a home kitchen that may contain allergens including, but not limited to wheat, dairy, eggs, and nuts.
A: Payment is due at the time of invoicing. Cookies must be paid in full to book your order. I will hold the request for 48 hours from the time I send the invoice. After that time, if payment is not received, I will open that date to the next request. Once an order is placed, if you need to make changes to your order details, please notify me as soon as possible. Significant changes to order details may incur additional fees and must be paid 15 days prior to pick up date.
A: Cookies can stay fresh at room temperature in their heat sealed cellophane bags up a week. Cookies may be frozen for up to 3 months or in a deep freeze up to 6 months. It is recommended to keep them in their packaging and in the bakery box or another container to preserve freshness. Allow the cookies to thaw completely before opening to prevent them from drying out or icing to bleed. If cookies have been unpackaged and are left over from an event, you can still freeze them. Place in an airtight container with parchment between layers. Store up to 3 months and allow to thaw completely before opening the container.
A: I will provide a full refund if order is cancelled 1 month or more in advance. If cancelled 2 weeks before the scheduled pick up date, I will offer a 75% refund. (25% cancellation fee) If cancelled less than 2 weeks before the pick up date, I will offer no refund. No refund once cookies have been provided to the customer. A full refund will be provided if the order is cancelled due to extenuating circumstances.
A: There are some limitations to what I can do when it comes to designs. If you request something I do not feel I have the ability to accomplish well, we can discuss alternative design options. I do not do character cookies or certain logos (ie universities or professional sports teams) at this time, however, I will do a nod to those themes. Please contact me and we can discuss in further detail.
A: I create my designs based on elements requested by the customer, event invitations and mood boards, as well as from nature, home décor, and my environment. My cookies are designed uniquely for my customers. While I may draw inspiration from other cookies, I will never replicate another artist’s designs.
Fountain City Sweets makes every effort to accommodate customer requests, but because our products are made to order and require several days to complete, we cannot guarantee any order change or cancellation requests. Please contact Fountain City Sweets immediately if you need to change or cancel an order, and we will try to accommodate you. Due to the nature of our products however, please be aware that our default policy is that all sales are final.
