By Abbey Crank
For the Opelika Observer
Kristi Maggard was your typical stay-at-home mom. Instead of continuing her work as a bank manager, she dedicated her time to the one boy that mattered most, her son, Brooks.
After a while, she realized she needed a hobby.
“I just needed something to do and I said, ‘I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to make cookies for Brooks’ first birthday, and it’s going to be wonderful,’” Maggard said. “It was not wonderful. I thought I was never meant to be a cookier.”
Not long after, she started seeing Halloween-themed cookie decorations on social media. She decided to give it another go and has not stopped since.
Cookies by Kristi is an at-home cookie store run by Maggard herself. The Auburn business has been in operation since December of 2018, and she sees no sign of it stopping anytime soon.
While she did not find her cookie-filled joy until later in life, Maggard realized she has always had an inspiration, her memaw.
“My memaw had all of these recipes,” Maggard said. “She was a big baker, and her specialty was a coconut cake and apple dumplings.”
To this day, the cookier has her grandmother’s laminated recipes on her kitchen wall.
These recipes are much bigger than the average serving; Maggard explained that her memaw’s recipes yields six to seven dozens of cookies.
“My memaw did not bake for a few people,” she said. “She would always take them to her church and have something to give.”
Just like most bakers, Maggard’s baking rituals take place at night; Sometimes, she will bake until 4 a.m.
“I actually have something to do where I feel like a grown up and not just a mom,” she said. “When night time hits, it’s time to start rolling the dough.”
Maggard explains she has no cookie limit when it comes to orders. From three cookies to three dozen cookies, she welcomes them with open arms.
One of her favorite parts of custom orders is building a relationship with repeat customers.
“I did a 21st birthday order, and now I’m about to do the same girl’s bridal shower order. I just think about the future, and it’s like, oh my gosh! I could do her wedding, and I could do her baby shower,” Maggard said.
Maggard loves that her cookies will put a smile on any face. She also explained that seeing her work brightening her customers’ day makes everything worthwhile.
The Auburn cookier also has a strong social media presence. On Instagram, @cookiesbykristi has over 10 thousand followers. There, you can watch Maggard decorate cookies as well as pictures of the final product. She also has a Facebook page.
For personal orders, Maggard said the best places to contact her are by email (cookiesbykristi@yahoo.com) or Facebook message. For more information, check out her website www.cookiesbykristi.square.site.