Small Business
Food & Drinks / Chocolates & Sweets
Cookies by Design
Hand-decorated cookie bouquets and gift baskets, baked by local shops and hand delivered or shipped across the contiguous US. Shop bouquets from $55.99 and BouTrays from $85.99.
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Hand-decorated cookie bouquets and gift baskets, baked by local shops and hand delivered or shipped across the contiguous US.
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At a glance
- Cookie Bouquets
- From $55.99 (5 cookies)
- BouTrays
- $85.99-$163.99
- Gourmet Cookies
- $29.99 a dozen
- Delivery Methods
- Local hand delivery, pickup, UPS ground or overnight
- Delivers To
- US only; no AK, HI, APO/FPO or PO boxes
- Delivery Fees
- Shown at checkout, plus a service fee
- Problem Reports
- Within 48 hours, with photos
- Message Cookie
- Free, up to 25 characters
Pros
- The Original Cookie Bouquet: Gwen Willhite created the cookie bouquet in 1983, and every cookie is still mixed, baked and decorated by hand in the local shop that fills the order, with more than 180 BouTray designs to choose from.
- Local Hand Delivery Where Available: In most areas shop staff or a local courier hand delivers the gift with an email confirmation, many designs can arrive the same day in select areas, and UPS overnight covers other ZIP codes.
- Gifts at Several Price Points: A sampler box or a dozen gourmet cookies costs $29.99, a five-cookie bouquet $55.99 and a BouTray from $85.99, and a message cookie of up to 25 characters is included free.
Cons
- Delivery fees and an online service fee are added at checkout rather than published, and gifts go only to US addresses outside Alaska, Hawaii, PO boxes and military mail, so shoppers in Canada, Australia and the UK cannot order and US buyers should check the delivered total before paying.
- Because every order is baked to order, returns are not accepted and any breakage or quality problem must be reported with photos within 48 hours of delivery for a replacement, credit or refund at the company's discretion, so ask the recipient to check the gift soon after it arrives.
The Verdict
What sets Cookies by Design apart is that it invented the cookie bouquet and still bakes and hand decorates each gift in a local shop near the recipient: Gwen Willhite created the cookie bouquet in 1983, arranging hand-decorated sugar and cinnamon brown sugar cookies on sticks as a gift that could stand in for flowers, and the brand has franchised local shops since 1987. The system is now run by Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC of Springfield, New Jersey, which took it over in 2023. Each order goes to the shop serving the recipient's ZIP code, where the dough and icing are mixed, the cookies baked and each one decorated by hand. Designs cover birthdays, babies, get well wishes, sympathy and the holidays, the BouTray range alone lists more than 180 of them, and any bouquet can be made as a BouTray ringed with gourmet cookies. Most bouquets cost $55.99 for five cookies, $69.99 for seven and $109.99 for twelve in the standard container, with the premium container shown in the photos $12 more. BouTrays run from $85.99 to $163.99, a dozen gourmet cookies costs $29.99, nine brownies $36.99, iced cookie cakes $39.99 to $44.99 and sampler boxes $29.99. In most areas the local shop or a courier hand delivers, and many designs can arrive the same day in select areas; other ZIP codes get UPS ground, which aims for the chosen weekday but is not guaranteed, or UPS overnight. Delivery fees and an online service fee appear at checkout rather than on a published table. The reservations are reach, fees and the return rules. Gifts go only to US addresses outside Alaska, Hawaii, PO boxes and military mail, so Canada, Australia and the UK are out. Because everything is baked to order, returns are not accepted; problems must be reported with photos within 48 hours, and the fix is a replacement, credit or refund at the company's discretion. The independent record is thin, with a single Trustpilot review, and products may contain wheat, soy, milk, eggs, tree nuts and peanuts. Choose a Christmas delivery date early, compare the delivered total at checkout and ask the recipient to check the gift on arrival.
Hand-Decorated Cookie Bouquets, Baked and Delivered by Local Shops
Cookies by Design was founded in 1983 by Gwen Willhite, who created the cookie bouquet, and has franchised local shops since 1987. Its franchisor today is Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC, a Delaware company formed in July 2023 at 110 Hillside Avenue, Suite 304, Springfield, New Jersey, the contact address on the About page, although the site's Terms of Service, dated June 2020, still name the earlier Cookies by Design, Inc. of Plano, Texas. The range covers cookie bouquets, BouTrays, gourmet cookies, brownies, cookie cakes, favor trays, photo and logo cookies and no-bake decorating kits for every occasion.
Most bouquets cost $55.99 for five decorated cookies, $69.99 for seven and $109.99 for twelve in the standard container, with the premium container shown in the photos $12 more, and designs such as Christmas Puppies start at $59.99. BouTrays such as the Merry Christmas BouTray run from $85.99 to $158.99, One Dozen Gourmets cost $29.99, Gourmet Brownies $36.99 for nine, the Happy Holidays Cookie Cake $39.99, the Santa Sweet Treat Sampler Box $29.99 and a 10-cookie decorating kit $33.99. A message cookie of up to 25 characters is free, and the card message holds 100 characters.
Each order is made by the shop serving the recipient's ZIP code, and the site offers the earliest delivery date that shop's cut-off times allow. Hand delivery by shop staff or a local courier is preferred where available, pickup is offered, and other addresses get UPS ground, aimed at the chosen weekday but able to arrive a day early or late, or UPS overnight, which the store says succeeds more than 92% of the time. Delivery reaches most US homes and businesses except Alaska, Hawaii, APO, FPO and PO Box addresses, and there is no delivery outside the US, so shoppers in Canada, Australia and the UK cannot order. Delivery fees and an online service fee appear at checkout, a wrong address costs $22 or more to re-deliver, and products may contain wheat, soy, milk, eggs, tree nuts and peanuts, with no sugar-free or gluten-free options.
The refund policy says all sales are final on custom products, and breakage, wrong items or quality problems must be reported within 48 hours of delivery, with the order number and photos, for a replacement, store credit or refund at the company's discretion; the older Terms promise a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Change of mind, a wrong address and carrier delays are not refunded. The independent record is thin: Trustpilot shows a single one-star review from April 2024 on an unclaimed profile, we found no BBB profile for the company, ComplaintsBoard lists 9 complaints including late and damaged deliveries, and the shop-level feedback the company publishes through Listen360 includes many 10-out-of-10 ratings.
Cookies by Design: what to know before you buy
Cookies by Design sells hand-decorated cookie bouquets, BouTrays and gourmet cookie gifts, baked by the local shop that serves the recipient. Here is what they cost, where they deliver and what happens if a gift arrives damaged.
Shipping, returns & warranty
Every order goes to the Cookies by Design shop that serves the recipient's ZIP code. Where that shop covers the address, its staff or a local courier hand delivers the gift and you get an email confirmation; many designs can also be delivered the same day in select areas. Other addresses get UPS ground, which aims for the weekday you choose but is not guaranteed and can arrive a day early or late, or UPS overnight, which the store says succeeds more than 92% of the time, with late overnight claims made to UPS.
Delivery covers most US homes and businesses except Alaska, Hawaii, APO, FPO and PO Box addresses, and the company does not deliver outside the US. Delivery fees and an online service fee are shown at checkout rather than published, and correcting a wrong address costs $22 or more. Hospitals, colleges and hotels can delay shipped gifts, so call 855-COOKIES for those addresses.
Food cannot be sent back, so there is no warranty and all sales on custom products are final. If a gift arrives broken, wrong or with a quality problem, email [email protected] within 48 hours of delivery with the order number and photos of the product and packaging; the company may offer a replacement, store credit or refund at its discretion. Change of mind, an incorrect address and carrier delays are not refunded.
Cookies by Design product lines
Cookie bouquets are the signature gift: hand-decorated sugar and cinnamon brown sugar cookies on sticks, arranged in a container, in sizes of 5, 7, 9 or 12 cookies. Most cost $55.99 for five, $69.99 for seven and $109.99 for twelve in the standard container, with the premium container shown in the photos $12 more.
A BouTray sets a bouquet on a tray ringed with one or two dozen gourmet cookies, from $85.99 to about $164. Gourmet cookies, in flavors such as chocolate chip, red velvet, oatmeal raisin, white chocolate macadamia and millionaire, cost $29.99 a dozen and $49.99 for two dozen, and Gourmet Brownies cost $36.99 for nine.
Smaller gifts include Sweet Treats sampler boxes at $29.99, iced cookie cakes at $39.99 to $44.99, favor trays and boxed favors, photo cookies, and no-bake decorating kits at $33.99 for 10 cookies or $41.99 for 20. The holiday range includes the Merry Christmas and Beary Ugly Sweaters bouquets and BouTrays, the Santa Sweet Treat Sampler Box and Hanukkah designs.
How to choose a bouquet, BouTray or basket
Pick a bouquet when the gift should look like flowers: the decorated cookies stand up in a container and carry a free message cookie of up to 25 characters. Five cookies suit one person or a desk, while 9 or 12 make a centerpiece.
Pick a BouTray when the gift needs to feed a group, since the gourmet cookies around the bouquet add 12 or 24 cookies to share. A cookie basket is the middle ground: one or two dozen gourmet cookies topped with one or two themed decorated cookies.
Check the delivery method before you choose a date. Hand delivery from a local shop is the most dependable for a fixed day, while UPS ground can land a day early or late; for a birthday or a holiday party, order with a day to spare or call the local shop through 855-COOKIES. Anyone with a nut, wheat, milk, egg or soy allergy should get a different gift, because there are no allergen-free options.
Deals & pricing
Prices are set per design and size, with no crossed-out 'was' prices on the store, and delivery plus a service fee are added at checkout. The store runs dated promotions on its homepage and through its CookiEmail list, but its FAQ says promotions may not apply to visits that arrive from affiliate sites, so do not count on a code after clicking through from a review site. It does not sell gift cards and has no military or senior discount.
The best value is usually the size you actually need: a five-cookie bouquet in the standard container at $55.99 costs $12 less than the premium container in the photos. To catch a price change on a gift you are watching, set a price alert on the In-Right Watchlist at /watchlist/.
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Cookies by Design: questions people ask
Straight answers about Cookies by Design, then how this review was written and stays independent.
About Cookies by Design
Is Cookies by Design legit?
Yes. Cookies by Design has made cookie bouquets since 1983 and franchised local shops since 1987, publishes its delivery rules, refund policy, phone line (1-855-266-5437) and email, and is run today by Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC of Springfield, New Jersey. Its independent record is thin: Trustpilot shows one review, and we found no BBB profile for the company.
Does Cookies by Design deliver nationwide?
Across most of the US. A local shop hand delivers where it can, and other ZIP codes get UPS ground or overnight shipping. Delivery is not available to Alaska, Hawaii, APO, FPO or PO Box addresses. The site offers the earliest delivery date the shop's cut-off times allow, and for a timed delivery you call 855-COOKIES and the local shop arranges it.
Does Cookies by Design ship to Canada, Australia or the UK?
No. The company says it does not deliver outside the US, so addresses in Canada, Australia and the UK cannot be served, and the store's delivery rules also exclude Alaska, Hawaii, APO, FPO and PO Box addresses.
What is Cookies by Design's return policy?
Returns are not accepted because orders are baked to order, and all sales on custom products are final. If a gift arrives broken, wrong or with a quality problem, email [email protected] within 48 hours of delivery with the order number and photos; the company may offer a replacement, store credit or refund at its discretion. Change of mind, a wrong address and carrier delays are not refunded.
Does Cookies by Design have gluten-free or nut-free cookies?
No. The FAQ says it does not offer sugar-free or gluten-free products, and its cookies may contain wheat, soy, milk, eggs, tree nuts and peanuts, with everything made on equipment that processes tree nuts and peanuts. Choose another gift for anyone with a serious food allergy.
Can I personalize a Cookies by Design bouquet?
Partly online, fully by phone. Online you can change the message cookie, up to 25 characters, and add a card message of up to 100 characters. For other colors, themes or mixed designs, call 855-COOKIES, press 1 and enter the recipient's ZIP code to reach the local shop, whose decorators can customize the order.
About this review
Is this Cookies by Design review sponsored?
No. Cookies by Design did not pay for this write-up, see it before publication, or have any say in the verdict. If we earn anything it is a commission after you buy, and it comes out of the merchant’s margin rather than your price.
How was the Cookies by Design assessed?
By using it and by checking the claims made about it against what it actually does. Where our time with something has been limited, the review says so rather than implying more testing than happened.
What else have you reviewed in Food & Drinks?
Everything in Food & Drinks sits in the review library, where you can filter by budget and sort by rating, price or how recently it landed.
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Yes — when a product changes, when a price moves for good, or when we get something wrong. Corrections are made on the piece itself with a note saying what changed.
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