Kooky Cookies moves from Farragut to Kingston Pike, offering gourmet stuffed cookies
Here they grow again. Kooky Cookies moved from its 500-square-foot kitchen in Farragut to a 1,800-square-foot storefront at 10710 Kingston Pike.
The unusual gourmet cookies drew hundreds to a grand opening on Friday, June 3.
Kooky Cookies was started in April 2020 during the pandemic lockdown by Margarita McClure and her four children.
“I just thought it was a fun project for us to do. The kids were home so we learned how to start a business, build a website, and practical applications of math.
“I have a daughter that loves to bake so we used her talents and came up with several cookie recipes to offer over the internet. It took off right away.
“I used to be a weight loss coach, but I gave that up. I made more in four weeks of baking cookies than I did three months of coaching … and I had more fun,” said McClure.
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By December of 2020, McClure was swamped with orders. She turned to her best friend and running mate Priscilla Deets. Deets was stuck in an unfulfilling job so she jumped at the chance to be part of the growing cooking business. But she wanted to be more than an employee. She invested in the business, becoming a true partner, and soon the crew was baking cookies in an industrial kitchen.
The pair began selling at farmers markets and tripled their sales.
The gourmet cookies are one-of-a-kind, filling-stuffed and weighing nearly a quarter-pound a piece. Not all 12 flavors are stuffed, but all 12 flavors do come in an allergy-friendly variety, whether it be gluten-free or vegan.
“Very few bakeries offer more than one or two allergy-friendly treats. People’s mouths would drop open during the farmers markets when I had 12 allergy-friendly choices for them,” said McClure. “We have a dedicated kitchen for allergy-friendly baking to prevent cross-contamination.”
The unusual recipes are the brainchild of McClure, who holds a degree in hotel management and attended the California Culinary Academy from 1997 to 1999.
The stuffed banana pudding cookie is among the customer favorites, as is the salted caramel, which is similar to a chocolate chip cookie with a big salted caramel baked inside. There’s carrot cake stuffed with cheesecake filling, along with a number of flavors that are not stuffed. There’s a cookie flavor for every palate.
McClure said she takes suggestions from friends and family to keep the variety coming. She’ll work with the recipe until it’s just right.
“I love making cookies and inventing new ones. I’ve been cookie obsessed for as long as I can remember.”
Kooky Cookies is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Info: Order online at https://kookycookie.com
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Kooky Cookies gourmet stuffed cookies opens Kingston Pike store
