Austin Cookie Fest highlights home bakers 

Packed with the aroma of chocolate chip, guava pistachio and cinnamon roll cookies, The Cookie Museum hosted the first-ever Austin Cookie Fest at Space512 on Sunday to support local bakers and entrepreneurs. 

Roughly 400 attendees came to taste cookies made by 10 bakers. Each baker presented their own signature cookie flavor and their take on a chocolate chip cookie. Flavors for the signature cookies spanned banana pudding, pecan pie and black cocoa with cream. Each guest got an opportunity to sample each baker’s signature and chocolate chip cookie, ranking them on a provided paper. Near the end of the event, the festival declared a winner from the tallied votes. A panel of judges also ranked the cookies. 

Claude McIver, the founder and principal curator of The Cookie Museum, seeks to tell stories about culture through cookies. He said their goal is not to make the tastiest cookie, but one that translates experiences into something shareable. McIver decided to start The Austin Cookie Fest this year in order to reach more people and build community. 

“(Austin Cookie Fest is) basically highlighting home bakers, specifically,” McIver said. “All of the bakers are people who use cottage food laws to bake out of their home. They’re entrepreneurs who … don’t have storefronts. They’re not Crumbl … they’re the people who are selling to their neighbors, who are supporting their families, who are building up the community, and so that’s why we wanted to celebrate them.”

Amanda Ransom, founder and owner of Bakeshop ATX, won best chocolate chip cookie, as voted on by both attendees and the panel of judges. Ransom’s cookie featured sourdough discard, which she started using after taking a class on making sourdough bread and figured out how to use the often-wasted portion of sourdough starter for cookies. Ransom said she was super excited about winning best chocolate chip cookie.

“There’s something about food and culture, and I think we’re losing a lot of that … Slop bowls and slop culture, and everything is Sysco … we’re losing touch with local bakers, local creators, local everything,” Ransom said. “It’s nice to have something that’s real and authentic.” 

Jazmine Oates, founder and owner of The Butter Hour, won best signature cookie for her banana pudding cookie, inspired by her grandmother, she called “The Last Spoonful.”

“There’s a lot of butter, hence the name,” Oates said. “They’re taking a moment (to eat the cookie), so (my company) is called The Butter Hour, so you can take that hour to just relax.”

Public relations senior Gaby Smith said her favorite chocolate chip cookies came from The Butter Hour, which featured toffee folded into the dough. 

“I don’t really care for chocolate chip cookies too much, so I think that’s why The Butter Hour was my (favorite), because it had that toffee twist to it,” Smith said.

McIver said he wants to bridge the gap between customers and creators through events like The Austin Cookie Fest.

“People here not only love food, but I think they love to support their neighbors,” McIver said. “That’s one of the reasons that makes it a good city for a cookie fest; people really want to come out and support their neighbors.”

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