Well, it all started when....

The #1 question I get asked is "How in the world did you get started in the cookie baking business?"  

First, a little background on me. I spent pretty much my entire adult life in the military, 23 years to be exact, until I retired in 2015. In that 23 years, I spent precisely 2.3 minutes in the kitchen baking. I have done my fair share of cooking over the years, but baking?!?! Nope!

Fast forward to December 2017. While on vacation in Hawaii, it was the day before we were scheduled to fly back to Minnesota. My wife and mother were doing a little shopping and they wandered into a local shop that specializes in shortbread cookies. Meanwhile, I was across the street watching football and enjoying a burger and a beer at a local establishment. Out of nowhere I received a text "we are across the street in a cookie store, they have free samples and they are amazing!" that was all I needed to hear. Check please! So across the street I go to give my "expert" opinion on these cookies. Oh yes, they were absolutely amazing and it was at that moment I fell in love with shortbread cookies.

While still in the store, and of course still sampling, I came to the realization that I really do not want to pay shipping/handling to have these cookies shipped from Hawaii to Minnesota. It was at this moment that I decided that I was just going to bake my own cookies. After informing my wife of my plans to make my own cookies, she had a look on her face that said "but you don't know how to spell mixer, much less know how to use one". Well she was half right, I had zero baking (and mixer) experience! So out came my phone and a quick search for shortbread cookie recipes and I had a shortbread cookie recipe in just over a minute. 

While my initial intention was not to start a shortbread cookie business, the idea became pretty clear after just a few short months. After sharing my new found passion for baking shortbread cookies with family, friends, and coworkers, I started to get requests to purchase my cookies for various upcoming events. After a little research, and thanks to the MN Cottage Food Law, my cookie baking business was born in April 2018 and the rest they say is history!