Cookies and Christmas go together like peanut butter and jelly. But if you don't have time to bake, where in Springfield, Mo., can you buy them?
From sugar to chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin to fancy macarons, we can’t get enough of holiday cookies. During the pandemic, cookie demand increased 25 percent, proving these handheld morsels are pure comfort food — a tasty hug for your mouth.
There are several local places where you can snag a scrumptious confection. Whether you want a tray for holiday celebrations, or just a single one to satisfy your sweet tooth, here are 5 spots to indulge in cookies, including keto and gluten-free options.
Even Santa would approve.
Little Cookie Co.
Olivia Ryan opened Little Cookie Co., a one-woman operation, in late 2020.
Mostly self-taught, she crafts adorable holiday cookies and sells kits with baked cookies and icing for people to decorate.
“I love the idea of being able to help families and friends come together to do community without a bunch of the work,” Ryan said. “Let’s face it, cleaning up is one of the worst parts of baking.”
Cookie kits include six cookies for $15 or one dozen for $25. They come with a step-by-step video if you want a quick tutorial.
Ryan also offers classes ($25) and private decorating parties for $250 for up to 10 decorators. For the party, she’ll come to your location and bring all the cookie supplies needed to host a holiday decorating event.
Something that makes her stand out is her precious North Pole package for busy parents participating in Elf on the Shelf.
“The North Pole package is made to help out the already heavy burdened parent with their visitor and all his shenanigans,” she said.
It comes with one elf (3-piece set) that can be personalized with the child’s name or “I’m Back,” three Christmas theme cookies that look like a sheet of paper and an edible marker for your elf to leave special messages to your child. It also includes an elf-size cookie tray for the elf to pose with in anticipation of a DIY cookie night, and a 5-inch cookie pizza in a fun box to inspire a pizza and movie night.
Order ASAP, as she fills up and sells out quickly.
Find them: Little Cookie Co. Facebook page
Call: (417) 834-7875
Julie’s Chewies Gourmet Cookies
Julie’s Chewies has been in business since 1988, and the cookies live up to its name — soft, chewy goodness (they also sell a variety of bars).
Chocolate chip or Snickerdoodle lovers, this is your sweet spot.
The bakery was originally founded by Julie Higgins and has had several owners over the years, most recently Larry and Rebecca Eddings. The Eddings run it with their children and son-in-law, who is the cookie baker.
Their daughter’s wedding was catered by Julie’s Chewies some time ago, and this family had a special place in their heart for the bakery. When they found out the owners were selling it last year, they decided to buy it and turn it into a family endeavor.
“We were just interested in keeping local business alive,” said their son Richard, who works at the bakery. “My parents were in a transition in their lives. I was in a transition period. I was able to find Julie Higgins, she is a sweetheart … she helped us perfect the recipes from 1988. We tweaked things back to the original vision.”
They have holiday-themed treats with red and green sugar on top, but what really stands out are the chewy chocolate chip cookies (there are multiple options from traditional to white chocolate and ones with nuts), their Snickerdoodles, and cinnamon swirl.
Richard describes the cinnamon swirl as a cinnamon roll in a cookie without the icing.
“My other favorite is pecan chocolate chip with pecans and chocolate chips. The secret to that cookie is the pecans. We get our pecans from a pecan farm on the other side of Joplin, in Miami, Oklahoma. They sell them in the raw and use them in our cookies,” he said.
Find them: 1325 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield or on Julies Chewies Facebook page
Call: (417) 887-2777
Delicieux Bakery
Love sweets but on a diet? Delicieux Bakery has you covered. They make keto creations along with a line of regular desserts, pastries and Romanian fare.
Juliana Onisoru runs the business with her husband Gabriel — both from Romania. It was their longtime dream to open a bakery. She learned to cook and bake at a young age, and he used to cook on a cruise ship. Their dream came true about 5 years ago when they opened the bakery.
They offer Romanian dishes and traditional sweets, such as tiramisu, but when Juliana realized there was a big market for keto desserts, she started making them and gained a following. Many of her keto creations are made with almond flour and sweetened with monk fruit.
Some traditional cookie options include peach cookies filled with strawberry jam, pecan, and butter with chocolate drizzle.
Onisoru offers a variety of cookie trays and can make Keto cookie trays, but needs one-week advance notice for most large orders. She is incredibly busy this time of year. Juliana posts her keto creations on Facebook each week.
Find it: 3757 N. State Highway H, Springfield or Delicieux Bakery's Facebook page
Call: (417) 351-5678
Liz Cookie Co.
Liz Chun used to work for her parents at their hotel in Branson. When the pandemic hit and everyone had downtime, she decided she needed a hobby.
“I started watching videos on Instagram and thought, ‘I can do that,’” Chun said.
Chun was not a baker. In fact, she’d never made a sugar cookie in her life. But she watched people make sugar cookies and tried her hand at it. She lucked out on the recipe, as the first one she tried received rave reviews and it’s still the one she uses.
It was the icing that took time. But in Christmas 2020, Chun wanted to gift cookies to friends, so she started making them and posting them on social media.
“My friends were like, ‘Wow, you need to sell these,’” Chun said.
At first, she resisted but then took orders from people she knew. February 2021, she set up a business page and launched Liz Cookie Co. That July, she became a vendor at Farmers Market of the Ozarks, and her business took off.
“At first, I think people just tried them because they were pretty. People would say ‘That’s so pretty’ and buy one. Then they’d message me and say it was the best sugar cookie they ever had,” Chun said.
This year, she added brioche donuts, and those have become her best sellers.
Now the cookie business is her full-time job, and she offers different Christmas cookies each week. She also sells DIY cookie kits with six cookies, three icings and sprinkles for $18.
Find it: Saturdays at Farmers Market of the Ozarks or on Liz Cookie Co.'s Facebook page
The Sweet Deal
Know someone who follows a gluten-free diet? Head to The Sweet Deal, 107 W. Aldersgate Drive, Ste. 10, in Nixa.
This is a completely gluten-free bakery, so you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination.
Owner Laura Deal gave up gluten to reduce inflammation in her body caused by some health conditions. She originally started a year and a half ago as a vendor at Farmers Market of the Ozarks and realized there was a huge demand for her products.
So, last August, she opened a brick-and-mortar operation and has had to hire additional bakers.
“Most of my employees have celiac. I only have one employee that is not gluten-free. I wanted people in here who understand what I do and how serious it is,” Deal said
She is known for her macarons but also has traditional cookies and is selling cookie kits with buttercream icing. Her DIY kits include six big cookies, six little ones, three bags of icing and sprinkles for $15 or an option with a dozen for $30.
“Macarons are my most fun thing to bake. They are amazing,” she said.
Her best-selling macaron flavors: salted caramel, strawberry and s’mores. For the s’mores, she makes homemade marshmallow fluff, torches it and adds chocolate ganache on the other side. Deal uses a Swiss buttercream, which is less sweet. There are adorable little gingerbread faces if you want a festive selection.
Deal posts her macaron flavors on Facebook each week. Larger orders should text or call ahead.
Find it: 107 W. Aldersgate Drive, Ste. 10, in Nixa or on The Sweet Deal's Facebook page
Text: 417-239-6497 (text messages are a good way to get in touch)
That's it for bakers! Looking for other local goods to liven up your holiday gatherings? Check out our piece on Ozarks-made holiday libations, or get your shopping done early with this list of 5 local shops for holiday gifts. We also just published a massive Christmas Lights guide with the best spots to see lights in Springfield, Ozark and Nixa.
