Start Fresh in 2025: Small Changes for Big Cookie Wins

Buh bye 2024, hello 2025.

It’s a new year, and that means a chance to start fresh. Whether that means cleaning out your closet, or going to the gym, or learning a new skill—this is a great time to make even a small change, now that the stress of the holidays is ever-so-slightly in the rearview mirror. Note that I didn’t say “resolution.” How many resolutions are sitting in the trash bin a week later with the New Years party hats and leftover 7-layer dip? Too many, and that’s mostly because people have a tendency to make unrealistic demands of themselves. Instead, it can be easier to decide on a small task and see where that gets you.

How does this relate to cookies? Well, whether cookies are your business or your hobby, you have obviously carved out a portion of your life in dedication to them. So why not take a look at what tiny changes you can make now to make a big impact in how your 2025 cookie life goes?

There’s one thing that many cookiers have in common—we hoard cookie supplies. Well, consider me your Cookie Magic 8 Ball:

• But what if I one day need that one super specific cookie cutter that I’ve used once in the last 10 years? – Very doubtful.
• Aunt Nancy gave me a bunch of fondant molds she picked up at a yard sale, and even though I’ve never used fondant in my life, I might start one day, so really I should hang onto these molds forever, just in case. –My sources say no.
• I bought edible markers five years ago and haven’t touched them more than a handful of times. I’m sure they’re not dried up, right? – Outlook not so good.

Look, far be it for me to tell you to do a cookie supply purge. I live in a glass house filled with cookie cutters on that one. But that being said, it’s a well-known fact that organization (or lack thereof) can affect your mental well-being either positively or negatively. To that end, maybe take an hour to sort through one drawer or storage tote or box of cutters and make some hard decisions. Or who knows?—they could be easy decisions! What are you going to do with a bunch of dried-up markers anyways? Chuck ‘em!

This doesn’t have to be a massive project. Set yourself a goal and do your best to follow through. And look at it this way: if you clear some space that currently belongs to cookie supplies you are unlikely to ever use, you make room for more of the things you do actually use on a regular basis - or the cookie cutters you will inevitably add to the collection in 2025. I know that’s easy to say. Baby steps.

If you are in the business (or even side hustle-ness) of selling cookies, this may be a good time to reassess your pricing. I feel like so many of us start out selling cookies at $25 per dozen, and I can literally only think that it’s because it’s a nice round number. It’s not too scary. But let’s be realistic: the price of ingredients and goods is likely to go up this year. And the year after that. And…well, you get the idea.

If you started selling cookies as a beginner at $25/dozen in 2021 and you haven’t upped your prices since, you are essentially paying your customers to make cookies for them. And isn’t that a kick in the butt. Figure out what it costs you to make your cookies, and charge accordingly. It may seem silly to incorporate the cost of running your oven for an hour or two, but someone has to pay for that, dearie. If it’s not the customer, it’s you. 

The beginning of the year is a good time to set your customers’ expectations. Let them know that due to rising costs, your pricing will be increasing accordingly and lay out what that looks for them. Realistically, you may lose orders. But if you are already losing money on the orders you are currently taking, that might not make a big difference in your bottom line.

 Again, my glass house is full of friends and family discounts, so I get that it’s hard. But I have found over the years that my product speaks for itself, and my repeat customers understand when I have to raise my prices periodically. Even when I have agreed to donate my time and skill making cookies, I occasionally ask the person asking for the donation to purchase the raw ingredients, and I’ll make the cookies—I can’t tell you how many times the person comes back to me a little bit shell-shocked by how much butter and eggs and vanilla add up to. It’s the reality of the world we live in that prices increase over time, so your prices shouldn’t be stagnant. 

Also, when I say “know your worth,” I don’t just mean it dollar-wise. You have amazing skills that can transform a sugar cookie into a tiny piece of art. Let’s turn 2025 into the year of the confident, kickass cookier! 

You’re never too old to learn something new. Whether you are a beginner or have been in the cookie biz for years, there is always a new technique, always a new method to try out. And even if that new technique ultimately doesn’t work out for you, at least you tried it.

If there’s a cool technique you see online, I guarantee there’s a tutorial for it. And if you can’t find one, ask for one. It really can be that simple. Google is free, and you’ve got the world at your fingertips—if you’re willing to tap out your question on your keyboard. Don’t be afraid to try something new. What’s the worst thing that can happen? They’re ugly and you have to eat reject cookies? Sounds like a win-win to me.

As an oldest daughter and semi-reformed people pleaser, the hardest thing I ever have to do is tell someone no. I hate it. But I have found myself crying over cookies in the past, doing orders I fit in last minute just because I felt guilty saying no, even though my mental health was now in the toilet because of it. Remember that your health and well-being are more important than little Jeremy’s Among Us birthday cookies, and if the thought of making 30 bags of icing for a dozen cookies makes your blood pressure spike (or your hands cramp), then protect your sanity by pretending you’re in a DARE program in 1993: JUST SAY NO.

If you are cranking out cookie orders and are loving life, well, I am nothing but happy for you! You go girl! (Or guy!) The most important thing is that you are managing what’s on your plate (or decorating table) and your mental and physical health at the same time. If you are feeling overwhelmed by what you have taken on, maybe now is a good time to look at your calendar and your existing commitments and start saying no when it makes sense. 

I had someone ask me for baby shower cookies for pickup the Saturday after Christmas this year, and I spent a solid 15 minutes trying to think of how I could fit in decorating on Christmas Eve and even Christmas itself before I finally told myself to stop being a dummy and just say no. I didn’t lie to the customer about why and say I was booked already—I just said that I really wanted to spend the holiday relaxing with my family, not making baby shower cookies. And then something crazy happened: the Earth continued to spin. Shocking, I know.

As someone who doesn’t sell cookies for a living, I know that I’m privileged to be able to turn down orders. That being said, if you DO rely on cookie orders to make a living, I know the temptation to keep saying yes is very real. You still need to make sure to take care of yourself, or you’ll find yourself in a position where you simply can’t take orders anymore, and that would be a shame and a waste of all of your amazing talent.

The reason most New Year’s resolutions don’t stick is that people tend to bite off more than they can chew. Telling yourself that you’re going to fully organize and declutter all of your cookie supplies can be a much more overwhelming task than saying “This month, I’m going to clean out and organize this one drawer.” Just as with anything in life, small changes can add up to big changes. Make a big change, multiple small ones, or none at all—at the end of the day (year?), the best thing you can do in 2025 is what is right for you.