I do lots of custom decorated cookie favors and bouquets. I just had a very regular customer place a cookie order. She requested that I use less icing for decoration because some of the mommies didn't want that much sugar on the cookies for their kids. This is my artwork!!! How do I do less icing without comprising the intergrity of my artwork, which the reason people like my cookies so much and pay my price for them? I'm confused! Any advice? I don't want to change my style of decorating.

Charge more for the 'less icing' ones. Seriously though.
I mean there's not that much to tweak on a cookie.
What if someone wants the cookie browned more or something--no--charge more.

And duh on picky people.

Come to think of it, however, I'm sure you know you can loosen your cooie dough and decorate before you bake them too.

"I'm sorry, but it's just not possible for me to do that."

Let the mommies break the cookies in half for their little darlings.

well, you don't say what you are using to decorate your cookies with. If you are using a glaze icing just use a thinner layer, if using fondant just roll it thinner. I don't think that you will compromise your work as long as you cant see through the icing you will still be okay.

I don't compromise. My icing is my icing, my recipes are my recipes, my techniques are my techniques.

I agree, let the 'mommies' give their 'pwecious widdow darwings' a half a cookie.

That said, they can shove the other half somewhere sideways.

I love your comments about having the mommies give them half a cookie - great advice. I use a glaze and then decorate over with RI accents. Most of my designs are not overly iced but I use what's needed to get the design on there nicely. And it's what they all ask for - it's my artwork!

Let the mommies pick off the icing!!
This is a special treat. Even doctors say occasional special treats help the sickest people.
Not having seen any of your work it's hard to tell how you might cut down on the amount but I say: Do what you usually do and forget about her comment.

Hey mom! It's a cookie!! With icing!! Made of sugar!! Ya big dumba$$!

If she wants healthy snacks for her kids, let her make favor bags of broccoli, carrots and spinach. yeah, THAT'LL get her Mom of the Year!

Some people just make my a$$ tired with silly requests like this.

(Yes, you are correct. I *AM* in a bad mood tonight! )

Debi has a spatula in her hand and she aint afraid to use it!!!

You guys are so funny! Thanks for your comments!

I agree, cookies are what they are.

You base coat it and decorate, what can ya' leave out there?
People make a mountain out of a mole hill. Really folks, it's a cookie!

If the icing is see through there would be complaints about that too. Don't compromise your work, she is a repeat customer for a reason.

........Don't compromise your work, she is a repeat customer for a reason.......

Excellent point!!!!

I'm just a hobby-est caker, so I don't have much to say about your customer and how you should handle your business.

However, I've saved this link for sugar-free cut-out cookies and sugar-free royal icing, with the intent of trying it someday. I don't know what either of these recipes is like, but take a look:

http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-make-sugar-free-halloween-cookies

I have got similar order. I just outline and did simple design, and was ashamed to sell it. I told her this is not what I am proud off, she was OK to pay full amount, and still thought that the cookies were cute Once I got request for plain, undecorated cookies (gingerbread). I charged less, but enough to be happy, less work

Well i don't sell my cookies i just give them to friends and family and i don't know what kind of designs you are doing but you can do less icing on a cookie and it still look good. Here is an example of ones i did just to eat at home but with not much sugar cose i have been put on a limited sugar etc diet recently:

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1476163

It's possible but i agree it doesn't have the same wow factor as a fully decorated cookies, but i reckon they can look good if you really had to do some

Goodness, that reminds me of something someone said to me. I donated cupcakes to a 'mom and me' kids group. When I got to the party location (which was in a kids gym kind of place), the lady that worked there told me that she hoped the kids ate all of their "growing food" before they showed up, implying that cupcakes are bad for them. You would have thought I was giving them crack. Unless they are feeding their kids horribly all day every day, a cookie or cupcake on a special occasion is not going to stunt their growth or kill them. LOL! Some people.

If the moms don't want so much sugar tell your customer to buy a veggie tray! Good grief! I would not do it regular customer or not.

Do a modern take, a ginger bread cookie with extra molasses to make them darker and a white icing. Do fun swirlies and fun whimsical designs, or go for traditional gingerbread men

With all my grandkids and all the baking that I do, I know how sugar wires children. BUT....it's not like one "adult supervised" child will eat the entire platter of cookies. The little bit of sugar ingested will burn off in active kids quicker then it takes you to bake & decorate them.

Follow your business ethics. If you took the order with less icing, fulfill it. If you havent accepted the order confirmation, explain why you have a problem with it.

Communication.

Something to me sounds a lil fishy about the customer saying the other parents dont want so much sugar. Who lets other parents tell them what to serve at a party for their child anyway?

pffft...at my house ppl eat what is prepared/provided or leave without. Their choice. If my child wanted cookies at their party, by God they would have them. I dont care what other parents would or would not want their kids to have. My house isn't MacDonalds have it their way. Just saying.

I'm starting to get sick of this obsession with kids food...geez....I grew up just fine when there were soda machines and candy bars sold in school.

There are more fat kids now in these days of "health food" (and video games LOL) than there ever were when I was a kid.

I totally understand feeding kids healthy and like to feed my kids healthy too but it seems a little silly to order novelty cookies and then decide you want them less sweet. Sheesh.

Who wants a less sweet cookie?

These cookies caught my eye in the Fancy Flours catalog -- much less icing, and I think they're still pretty.

http://www.fancyflours.com/artgirl-holiday-cookie-decorating-kit.html

http://www.artgirlcookies.com/

Agreed, 1 cookie is not going to hurt but... If thats what the customer wants don't dismiss it out of hand - if you offer the less sugar option you could be onto something that will get you a lot of orders.

I know I would rather sell 20 cookies with less icing (ie less ingredients and less work) than 10 cookies with instructions to break them in half.

Obviously don't sell something you aren't happy with but don't cut your nose off to spite your face either!

mini cookies!
drop cookies! harder to make money on, but the best no/ less icing outcome.
xx

Use salt in place of all the sugar.

That's just a bad as a customer asking me to make my icing less sweet...It's called icing for a reason.

I have to jump on the minority bandwagon here. When I first read your post, I thought of outlining too. There are some gorgeous examples mentioned above...ArtGirl's cookies may be different from what you're used to, but I don't think anyone could think they're not cute, cute, cute!

The first example that came to my mind, just to get you thinking in a different direction if you're open to it, was a cookie shaped like a cupcake. The paper wrapper part could be outlined and then decorated with vertical lines. The top could be outlined and then decorated with polka dots or even little swirls.