Charlotte cookie companies take the cake
In the world of single-serve desserts, cupcakes have held the spotlight for entirely too long. For years I’ve been reading that “mini pies are next”… “frozen yogurt owns the market”… “macaroons are so in right now”… and yet nothing can seem to shake the cupcake from her buttercream throne.
I get it. Cupcakes are good. They’re pretty. They photograph well. They’re straight up delightful, and they’re special in that childhood-birthday-party kind of way. I like cupcakes too, but I’m here to argue that what cupcakes deliver in over-the-top, in-your-face nostalgic appeal, cookies can deliver with an artful, almost utilitarian undersell.
A photo posted by @toughcookieco on Mar 14, 2015 at 3:02pm PDT
Cookies are cool right now, is what I’m saying, and Charlotte is home to some veteran and budding cookie businesses you should definitely get to know…
Tough Cookie Co.
Hot off the cookie sheet, Tough Cookie Co. has gone from hobby to budding business. High school friends Lauren and Ivy turned cookie business partners when they started creating whimsical, edible designs in January of this year.
The duo saw quick but organic growth when their sassy iced statement designs hit Instagram, drawing not only attention and lots of orders too. Right now they operate solely on Instagram, receiving orders via email at toughcookieco@gmail.com but they have big plans.
“We both dream of one day quitting our day jobs, and branching out to make cookies full-time. It would be amazing to one day own a little shop in Charlotte and be able to be creative and bake our days away,” they said.
#toughcookie #sugarcookie #dreamjobmakers #clt #local
A photo posted by @toughcookieco on Jan 25, 2015 at 7:04am PST
All of their cookies are made from scratch and then hand painted by Lauren and Ivy. They say they focus on simple but bold minimalist design. Lauren’s favorite is the “But first, coffee” cookie created for The Daily Press. Ivy is partial to their ice cream cone cookie.
The Cookie Cult
This underground Illuminati-esque brand has turned the humble cookie into something of an icon, bringing with it a legion of devoted followers. Cookie Cult cookies have been available at Not Just Coffee since 2013 but they’re still baked by hand, batch by batch, by founder and creator Jessie Wimmer.
A photo posted by the cookie cult (@thecookiecult) on Feb 27, 2015 at 11:29am PST
Kai’s Kookies
The longest standing of the cookie concepts, Kai’s Kookies is a family-run operation cranking out a variety of traditional, iced and customized cookies until (get this) midnight six days a week at their bakery on South Boulevard.
Photos from Kai’s Kookies
This story was originally published March 25, 2015 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Charlotte cookie companies take the cake."