Hidden Gems: Meet Claire Curtis of Claire’s Cookies

Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire Curtis.

Hi Claire, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! I’m the owner of Claire’s Cookies! My love of baking started when I was a little girl, thanks to my Mom. My Mom was never (and still isn’t!) afraid of a little mess and would always let my younger sister and I help in the kitchen. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of us decorating Christmas cookies which resulted in lots of fun with sprinkles and icing covering every surface! My Mom also made sure there was a yummy dessert to celebrate every occasion, no matter how big or small. I inherited my Mom’s sweet tooth (both a blessing and a curse) and followed her love of baking.

Growing up and still today I enjoy being in the kitchen trying out new recipes and expanding my skills. There is just something about creating something from scratch and enjoying the end result with family and friends.

While I love baking all sorts of sweet treats, decorating cookies has become my passion over the past few years. Creating and decorating cookies has provided a fun, therapeutic, relaxing, and creative outlet for me. I had always dreamed of owning my own baking business in the future, which definitely wasn’t in the plan for anytime soon. Or so I thought! But last holiday season, that changed. My little cookie business accidentally came into existence after lots of encouragement from my husband and sister to put myself out there and jump headfirst into the holiday hot chocolate bomb craze. One thing led to the next and now here I am making cookies for not only family and friends, but new customers and my cherished repeat customers who keep coming back for more.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ll be honest, I had no clue what I was getting into or what I was doing last year when this started since it was literally overnight that Claire’s Cookies was born. I have had to learn on the fly, especially the business side of things. I knew next to nothing about business prior to last year, but have been trying to learn as much as I can in between baking cookies and chasing after two active toddlers.

Another learning curve I have experienced has been learning how to set boundaries and manage my time so that I can get some sleep at night! During the day I stay home with my two little ones and at night I work on cookie orders. I quickly made adjustments and now feel like I am in a much better routine and have found a healthy, sustainable work/life balance. Still today, I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing 100% of the time, but I am constantly learning, practicing, and growing both personally and professionally!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My specialty is custom buttercream cookies. While I have heard from several customers that the cookies themselves are the freshest, softest, and perfectly balanced cookie they have had, I would say my silky-smooth buttercream is what I am most known for. I hear time and time again, that my buttercream is delicious, has the right amount of sweetness, and has a wonderful flavor. Over the years, I strived to find a perfect, not overwhelmingly sweet, buttercream, and I think I found it! I think my versatility in my baking skills sets me apart from others. While I am known for custom cookies, I also offer a wide range of other delicious treats, such as cakes, DIY cookie kits, and hot chocolate bombs. I am most proud of my improvement in my creativeness and cookie decorating skills. I have come a long way since I decorated my first cookie and am excited to see what my future holds as I strive to continue learning and improving.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
This one is hard! If there is anything the last few years have taught me, it’s that we can plan all we want for the future and seemingly overnight those plans can completely change. I truly hope that little businesses like mine can continue to grow and thrive to support little families like mine.

Pricing:

• Custom Cookies-$33/dozen
• Hot Chocolate Bombs-$30/6 pack
• DIY Cookie Kit- $25/dozen
• Cakesicles-$30/dozen

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: clairescookiesks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claires.cookies.ks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claires.cookies.ks