1. How are the Cookies packaged?
The cookies are normally packaged in plain white boxes.
I have six different size boxes that will hold between a dozen
and about five dozen cookies.
I've recently added the option of ordering cookie trays. I have
three different size trays that will hold between three dozen
and 10 dozen cookies/buckeyes. Click here Cookie Trays
to find out more.
2. How much notice do you need for an order?
It depends on the size of the order. For most orders, a day's
notice is enough. However, for large orders, or during the
Christmas season, it helps to have several days or more notice.
3. How large of an order can you do?
How large of an order do you have? I've done orders as large as 126 dozen.
Click here 126 Dozen on Trays to see a picture of an order of 18 trays of 7 dozen each.
Given enough notice, I can do just about any size order.
Click here Sports Banquet to see a picture of one of the sports banquets
I've done for Tallmadge High School (approximately 60 dozen cookies).
4. Since you do this out of your house, how clean do you keep your house?
Very! I don't drink or smoke. I don't have any pets. I don't have any kids. I'm pretty
much a neat and clean freak even without the cookie business. And I know I would
be apprehensive about buying any food product from someone I didn't know. So I'm
even more conscientious about keeping my house sanitary with the business.
5. Do you deliver?
In a word - no. There are some rare exceptions, but usually you will need to pick the cookies
up at my house.
6. Where are you located?
My house is in an allotment in Tallmadge called Tallmadge Woods. It's off of South Munroe.
Click here to View Map or here to View House.
7. Do you make anything besides cookies?
Well the Buckeyes technically aren't a cookie, but they're so popular I have to make them.
I now make cinnamon rolls, nut roll and poppyseed roll. So I have branched out a bit.
8. Do you make any specialty cutouts?
Reluctantly. I have done some special orders for various types of cutouts such as moons, stars,
ducks, rabbits, and teddy bears. If I have the cookie cutter for it and it doesn't require much more than
icing them (no fancy decorating), then I can probably handle it. A minimum order may apply.
Click here Cutouts to view a sampling of some of my cutouts.
9. Do you plan on adding anything else in the future?
Well I never really 'plan' to add anything. But I have over the years due to the demand for something
else. In December, 2001, I added the cutouts. In October, 2003, I added the cinnamon rolls.
In April, 2007, I added nut roll and poppyseed roll. I've also added items on a trial basis (and in
some cases, later dropped them). I don't plan on adding anything else, but that doesn't mean
you won't see something new on the menu sometime in the future.
10. What payment methods do you accept?
Cash or check. At this time I'm not set up to accept credit cards.
11. How often do you raise your prices?
Not very often if I can help it. Early on, I rarely raised them. But in more recent years I've been forced
to raise them more frequently as ingredient prices skyrocketed. As ingredient prices stabalize,
hopefully so will my prices. I do everything I can to keep my costs down, and therefore, my prices.
12. What are the most popular cookies?
Chocolate chip, peanut butter blossoms, and snickerdoodles are the most popular year round.
At Christmas, buckeyes are by far and away the most popular.
13. What are your busiest times of the year?
Christmas, Christmas, and Christmas. I usually sell as many cookies in the month of December
as I do the rest of the year combined. Graduation time (May/June) comes in a distant second.
14. Are your cookies available anywhere else?
During the summer months you can find me at some local farmers' markets. These usually run
from mid June until mid/late October, depending on the market. Which markets I'm at may
vary from year to year. I will always have my market schedule posted on this site as soon
as I know it each year.
15. How do you get the cookies to turn out so uniform?
Instead of just dropping the batter on the cookie sheet with
a spoon, I put on a pair of gloves and roll all the batter
into balls. This makes them all turn out pretty much the
same. I also make sure that the batter is mixed thoroughly
throughout every stage of the mixing process.
16. How big is your oven?
For some reason this seems to be the question I get asked
the most. It is just the standard size kitchen oven. However,
as you can tell by the picture, I do have large cookie
sheets that can hold about two and a half dozen cookies.
17. Why the name - John's Cookies?
I thought about a lot of other more creative names. But I realized that most
of the people who would be ordering from me, at least initially, would be
friends and coworkers. I knew that no matter what I called the business,
they would always refer to my cookies as "John's Cookies". So it only made
sense that I use that name.
18. Do you do this full time?
YES! I finally decided to give up my day job and focus on this full time.
August 17th, 2007 was my last day at my regular job. This is now my
only job.
19. What are your hours?
Because I do this out of my house, I don't have any set hours. You can call at any
(reasonable) time, seven days a week. You can also arrange to pick up the cookies
at anytime that is convenient for both of us.
20. Do you eat your own cookies?
Way more than I should! And even more of the batter.
21. How long do you plan on doing this business?
I have too much invested in it to stop anytime soon. I expect to still be doing this for
at least another ten or twenty years.