We get a lot of mail with baked good related questions--and we'll admit it, sometimes we're stumped! But we always try to do our homework--and so here is a new feature in which we will strive to answer these important questions so that others can benefit from our sweet findings too!

This week, we received a message from a Cakespy reader, wondering if there is such a thing as a cookie-of-the-week club. Though we don't know of any cookie of the week clubs, upon searching we did realize that there is a very active culture of cookie of the month clubs out there--the hardest part may be choosing your favorite. Now, we can't say we endorse any of these companies as we've never joined their clubs, but having looked at quite a few, these were the ones that seemed most appetizing, interesting, and user-friendly to us:

Who: Chip N Dough
What to expect: 12 jumbo cookies a month; on the first month, your recipient will receive a cookie jar which they can replenish each month with the new batch.
The goods: You can either have them choose an assortment or choose your own flavors; the cookies are fairly traditional, including classics like chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal chocolate chip, and a decadent soft chocolate cookie-brownie hybrid which they call the "Brookie".
The investment: There are a variety of plans. Prices range from $67.95 for a prepaid three month plan to $269.95 for the whole year long. Monthly plans are available too, for $24.95 a month.
Shipping: Not included.
Where to find them: chipndough.com.

Who: My Kids' Cookies

What to expect: 12 jumbo cookies each month; customizable packaging options available, and you have freedom to choose the day of the month you'd like to have them shipped to the recipient.

The goods: The monthly selections are set (flavors include classics like Snickerdoodles, Oatmeal Raisin, Milk Chocolate Walnut, and gourmet variations like Oatmeal Cranberry and White Chocolate Macadamia); however, it's possible to specify whether you'd like your selections with or without nuts.

The investment: $315 for the year

Shipping: Included in the cost.

Where to find them: mykidscookies.com.

Who: Solomon's Gourmet Cookies
What to expect: A set selection of gourmet cookies delivered monthly.

The Goods: They have a set selection, with a limited number of substitutions possible:

January - Jelly Cookie
February - Chocolate Mint Brownie
March - Coconut Bar
April - Raspberry Brownie
May - Caramelita
June - Chocolate Chip Brownie
July - Muriel Roth Bar
August - Turtle Bar
September - Chocolate Filler
October - Caramel Brownie
November - Banana Bar
December - No Nut Assortment

The Investment: A varying scale of plans are available in 3, 6, or 12 month intervals. You can choose either a 12, 18 or 30-count monthly shipment for any of these durations, depending on your budget. on the low end, a three-month plan of a 12-count box of cookies is $50.95 for the entire three months; for big spenders, a 30-count assortment sent every month for 12 months would run $448.95.
Shipping: Not included. They estimate that shipping adds $6.50-$8.50 per shipment.

Where to find them: solomonscookies.com.

Who: Allisons Gourmet

What to expect: One dozen of the generously sized "flavor of the month" cookie delivered early each month.

The goods: The flavor selections are set but correspond nicely to the seasons; all ingredients are all-natural and organic. Gotta love that.

January: Oatmeal Raisin
February: Double Chocolate Chunk
March: Butterscotch Pecan
April: Peanut butter chocolate chip
May: Vanilla Almond
June: Coconut key lime
July: Peanut butter
August: Chocolate Hazelnut
September: Oatmeal chocolate chunk
October: Pumpkin spice
November: Cranberry Orange
December: Gingerbread Spice

The investment: Two options are available--prepaid or monthly (with a three month minimum). The cost is $35.36 per month.

Shipping: It looks from the site as if some of the shipping is included in the cost, but it may be subject to increase depending where the cookies are being sent.

Where to find them: allisonsgourmet.com.

Who: Gotta Have Cookies

What to expect: A batch of cookies delivered each month to your recipient; a personalized gift message accompanies the first shipment.

The goods: The selections are set:

January: Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Squares
February: Heart Cut-Out Cookies
March: Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
April: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
May: Chocolate Chip Cookies
June: Macadamia and Milk Chocolate Chunk
July: Snickerdoodles
August: Macadamia and White Chocolate Chip
September: M & M Cookies
October: Monster Cookies ( Peanut butter, M & M’s, chocolate chips and oatmeal)
November: Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip
December: Assorted Christmas Cookies: Spritz, Peanut Butter Blossom and the “baker’s choice”.

The investment: The club is set up in 3-month ($89.75), 6-month ($170.05) or 12-month ($321.20) installments.

Shipping: Not included

Where to find them: gottahavecookies.com.

Who: Monica's Best Gourmet Cookies

What to expect: One dozen fat (in this case, this is a compliment) cookies delivered each month on a a box "elegantly finished with ribbon".

The goods: The selections by month are set:

January - Peanut Butter
February - Mocha Chocolate Chip
March - The Trio
April - Iced Lemon
May - Iced Almond
June - Assorted
July - Iced Orange
August - Oatmeal Raisin
September - Chocolate Chip
October - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip
November - Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
December - Iced Peppermint

The investment: The club is set up in 3-month ($72), 6-month ($145), 9-month ($214) and 12-month ($279) increments.

Shipping: Shipping is included in all aforementioned fees.

Where to find them: monicasbest.com.

Who: Carolina Cookie

What to expect: Depending on your investment, either one or two dozen dense cookies per month which are strangely, almost shaped like southern biscuits.

The goods: The selections by month are set:

January: Chunky Chocolate
February: Triple Chocolate Pecan
March: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut
April: Sugar
May: Butter Pecan
June: Oatmeal Raisin
July: Chunky Reeses Peanut Butter
August: Oatmeal Cranberry Nut
September: Chunky Chocolate Pecan
October: Chunky Milk Chocolate
November: Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut
December: Gingerbread

The investment: The club is set up in 3-month ($53.95 /dz; $75.30/ 2 dz.), 6-month ($106 / dz; $153.70 / 2 dz); 12-month ($201.93 / dz; $293.64 / 2 dz) increments.

Shipping: Price includes standard shipping.

Where to find them: carolinacookie.com.

Who: Platine Cookies

What to expect: 18 original artisan recipe cookies (and bars) the first week of every month.

The goods: The monthly selections are set:

January Platine Signature Cookie
February Our Best Brownies
March Chocolate Chunk
April Snickerdoodles
May Chocolate Galore
June Milk Chocolate Nut
July Oatmeal Raisin
August Blondies
September Traditional Rugelach
October Halloween Candy Craze
November Chocolate Gingersnaps
December Cranberry Chocolate Chunk

The investment: The club is set up in 3-month ($85), 6-month ($150) and 9-month ($220) increments.

Shipping: Shipping is not included.

Where to find them: platinecookies.com.

Who: Tribeca Treats

What to expect: 1-2 dozen cookies per month (depending on the month's selection).

The goods: The monthly selections are set:

January: Stick to your resolutions (at least until February!) with our fat-free and gluten-free "Spa Cookies". The recipe comes from the famed Golden Door Spa in Southern California.
February: Treat yourself or your valentine to heart-shaped raspberry linzer cookies
March: Traditional New York black & white cookies, only bite-sized
April: Our ever-popular caramel sandwich cookies, in both chocolate and vanilla versions
May: For Mother's Day, our fudgy brownies (even better than mom used to make!)
June: Peanut butter thumbprint cookies filled with milk chocolate ganache
July: Refreshing lime shortbread cookies, with a lime glaze
August: Cinnamon buttermilk cookies (if French Toast were a cookie, this is what it would taste like!)
September: Rekindle your summer campfire memories with our S'mores cookies
October: BOO! our Halloween sugar cookies are a hit with kids and adults
November: Chocolate hazelnut cookies are a perfect treat by a toasty fire
December: Adorable gingerbread men, just in time for Holiday season

The investment: The club is set up in 6-month ($210) or 12-month ($360) increments.
Shipping: Shipping is included in the cost.
Where to find them: tribecatreats.com.

Who: Carol's Cookies

What to expect: A monthly shipment of 1 dozen enormous cookies with a gift message.

The goods: The monthly selections are set:

January: The No-nutter...a dozen of all of our handmade cookies without the nuts
February: Sweets for my Sweet - a dozen of Cinnamon Swirl and Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies
March: Awww, Nuts! - a dozen of our assorted cookies with nuts
April: Specialty Chocolate Month - a dozen of our cookies with rich dark, milk and white chocolate
May: The Kitchen Sink - whatever we have in stock is what you get
June: Cookie Jar with half of a dozen of our gourmet assortment
July: Best Sellers - whatever our best sellers are, you'll be getting our top three
August: Fruit of the Month - a dozen of our Oatmeal Raisin and Oatmeal Chocolate Cherry Cookies
September: Minis - a Small Gift Tin packed full with Carol's Minis
October: Choco-holics - anything and everything chocolate this month!
November: Tandem Coffee Cups - two of our Carol's Coffee Cups so you have something to dip your cookies into
December: Gourmet Assortment - our standard measure for perfection, a dozen of our handmade, assorted cookies

The investment: The club is set up in 6-month ($205) or 12-month ($400) increments.

Where to find them: carolscookies.com.

Do you have an opinion on the best cookie of the month club? Leave a comment or send us an email!