I am making cookies under the Maryland Cottage Law. I cannot use any icing on the cookies. I am not a great decorator right now anyway. Can you have a successful business without decorating? I am making classic homemade recipes from days past. They are so good though not decorated.
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Famous Amos and Mrs. Fields began as single proprietors without decorated cookies on their menus, and look at how far they came!
But I'm curious as to why your state's cottage laws don't allow iced cookies?
Famous Amos and Mrs. Fields began as single proprietors without decorated cookies on their menus, and look at how far they came!
But I'm curious as to why your state's cottage laws don't allow iced cookies?
Ditto on the above question? If you use pasteurized whites or meringue powder, the risk of salmonella is virtually eliminated, and royal icing-decorated cookies are not perishable. Typically, most states only disallow "potentially hazardous foods", and anything with a high sugar content (or high acid content) and low water content is usually considered "non-potentially hazardous", especially if it's not perishable. Royal icing-decorated cookies would seem to fit in this camp. Buttercream, maybe not.
But every state is different - just didn't know any to be so extreme as to rule out decorated cookies.
But, to answer your question, I'd say "go for it." It could be especially cool to build a cookie business around heirloom recipes and locally sourced ingredients, as these are all the rage these days.
Thank you. I called a few state offices today. I got some clarification. I can you icing that has a shelf life. I will glaze the Lemon cookies with a lemon glaze. I will use colored sugar on the sugar cookies. My skills aren't there yet for decorating but my kids love it with just sugar on top. I will see how it goes and let everyone know. I really love the idea of marketing "Heirloom" cookies, I just don't see those recipes around much anymore.
Thank you. I called a few state offices today. I got some clarification. I can you icing that has a shelf life. I will glaze the Lemon cookies with a lemon glaze. I will use colored sugar on the sugar cookies. My skills aren't there yet for decorating but my kids love it with just sugar on top. I will see how it goes and let everyone know. I really love the idea of marketing "Heirloom" cookies, I just don't see those recipes around much anymore.
I did a little nosing around in the Maryland cottage food laws last night too, because i was so struck by their apparent restrictiveness. 
From what I could gather on various sites, they're really only concerned about perishable icings that need refrigeration at farmers' markets and such. So that's good news!
Anyway, I look forward to hearing how your business unfolds. Do keep us posted!
