Small Business Spotlight x Aunt Kelly’s Cookies
When you hear "treat yourself," what comes to mind? For me, if it's not related to treating myself to fashion items, I am most definitely treating myself to food. Now, my weakness is donuts and cookies, so when I had the opportunity to interview Kelly Simmons of Aunt Kelly's cookies, I knew this would be one of my favorite interviews to do.
Kelly's energy is contagious. As soon as I walked into her shop, she greeted me with a warm and happy welcome. I could notice her smiling through her mask, and it was no surprise that everyone who came in that morning received the same love.
About Kelly Simmons:
"It all started in the 1980s when I was a young girl living in Baltimore," shares Kelly Simmons, founder of Aunt Kelly's Cookies. "I was in grade school, and like many of my peers, I would make sure I had change for buying Butter Crunch cookies. As the years passed, I searched for but could never find that same Butter Crunch taste I remembered. That is until I started baking my own cookies in 1999. I had finally discovered the key ingredients that make this memorable cookie. I couldn't wait to share my discovery with my family, and now I want to share that experience with everyone."
Kelly opened Aunt Kelly's Cookies in 2018 and uses the freshest, highest quality ingredients for her cookies. She "mixes every batch with love" using locally sourced ingredients, including Domino Sugar. Cookies are made daily from scratch to ensure they taste as fresh as they look. "We bake our last daily batch two hours before closing," says Simmons. "Because of this, our customers say they taste like their grandmother's kitchen and bring back feelings of nostalgia and happiness." Kelly is quickly establishing herself as a successful black woman-owned business in the Baltimore area and cannot wait to make Aunt Kelly's Cookies a household name. Aunt Kelly's Cookies has already been voted a 5-star bakery in over 100 local reviews. She has expanded upon her famous butter crunch cookies and offers a variety of options, including a "Cookie of the Month." She hopes to share her love of cookies with Baltimore and beyond.
What I found fascinating about Kelly's career was that she was bold and courageous to leave a very successful career in cosmetics and hairstylist for 20+ years to become a full-time entrepreneur. I love the sense of purpose and love she has for baking, and it was no surprise that her students were the ones that told her she needed to start selling them. She recalls that no matter how much she searched, she could not get the same flavor of her grandma's cookies.
"You can't replace the homemade taste," she said, and she wasn't lying. Aunt Kelly's cookies are phenomenal. The taste, the crunch, and the freshness are all you can imagine and more. As she stated, "you're not tasting chemicals; you're tasting cookies."
Where does she hope to be in 5 years? With multiple storefront locations bringing the same great taste and freshness throughout the U.S.
How to order/where to find Aunt Kelly's Cookies:
https://www.auntkellyscookies.com/ & you can also place an order through grubhub to get delivery!
Address:
857 N Howard St,
Baltimore, MD 21201
To end, I asked her what her last words were for anyone reading or seeing this post and her words were,
"You deserve the best in life.”
We all deserve treating ourselves so my hope to you is that at some point in the upcoming weeks, you treat yourself to whatever makes you smile, and if they happen to be cookies - that you stop by and support this amazing small, black-owned business.
