Kristi Maggard, owner of Cookies by Kristi, held a Valentine cookie class on February 1 at Resting Pulse Brewery.
Maggard’s class was sold out with 31 people attending. Maggard described the class as a fun social event for friends and couples alike.
Upon entering the class, attendees were given a placemat and were provided with six cookies, icing and a scribe, which is a tool to help move the icing around the cookie. In addition, all those taking the class were given Maggard's cookie and icing recipes.
Maggard wanted to provide this class for beginners and those who wanted to try their hand at decorating cookies with royal icing.
“Everything that I’ve learned I am happy to pass along in my class,” Maggard said.
Maggard picked a couple of designs for the class to try out on the cookies. From there, she taught everyone how to cut and hold the tipless bags as well as the step-by-step process she uses when decorating.
The two-and-a-half-hour class included a waiting period for the icing to dry before adding more detail. During this time, attendees were able to purchase food and drinks at Resting Pulse Brewery.
Maggard's baking story started when her husband accepted a job as a professor in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University, a leap that gave her the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom.
Maggard was inspired by the videos she had seen online of people decorating cookies and tried to do them herself for her son’s first birthday.
“They were awful,” Maggard said. “After four days the icing wasn’t even dry, and I said I would never do it again.”
However, two months later after her failed attempt, Maggard saw all of the Halloween cookie cutters in stores and thought she would give it just one more try. Thankfully, her second attempt was better.
In Alabama, the Cottage Food Law permits individuals to sell food from their homes following certain restrictions. In October of 2018, Maggard completed her certification to safely run Cookies by Kristi from her home.
Once Maggard completed her certification, Cookies by Kristi took off through word of mouth and referrals. Without a storefront or employees, Maggard can only complete a maximum of six orders a week. She uses the time when her son is at school or asleep to bake.
Teaching a class was something Maggard always wanted to do and was a part of her business plan in 2020 until COVID hit and the idea was put on the backburner.
When the pandemic hit, Maggard had low expectations for the success of her business. However, she was able to think of a solution to continue selling her cookies without breaking social distancing guidelines.
“I thought my business would do really badly because nobody was going to celebrate anything,” Maggard said. “So, I came out with a do-it-yourself kit where I baked nine cookies, provided four icing bags and some sprinkles, and then people could decorate them at home.”
Her cookie kits are still popular to this day.
Maggard hopes to continue teaching cookie classes in the future. She wants to help those just starting out, like she was a couple of years back, and make the process more enjoyable for them.
“I feel like community over competition,” Maggard said. “If you want to learn how to decorate cookies in Auburn, I’m not the only ‘cookie-er’, there's a lot of people that want to do it and want to learn the art of that.”
There are a number of ways to reach out and place and order for cookies, including her Instagram, Facebook, or website.
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Jayne Duignan, senior in journalism and psychology, is a culture writer at The Auburn Plainsman.
