Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Coley.
Hi Alicia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My sugar cookie saga really has two beginnings. It began in 2011 when a very handsome man invited me to his family’s Easter lunch. My very southern Mama and Memaw taught me never to show up empty-handed. Naturally, I really wanted to impress them (& him). I spent hours on Pinterest that week looking for the perfect dish to bring, but pictures of beautifully decorated sugar cookies kept flooding my screen.
I had heard of royal icing sugar cookies at a recent book club I had attended, but had never tried to actually bake a cookie, let alone decorate one. Being somewhat adventurous and overly confident, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to try this out. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I couldn’t recreate these perfectly curated cookies. Welp, as you can probably guess, my cookies were not the beautiful creations I had found on Pinterest and I did not even come close to nailing it.
However, his family pretended to adore them and it sparked something inside me that continues to grow to this day. From that point on, I baked sugar cookies and decorated them for my friends and family every chance I got. I worked hard to perfect my sugar cookie and royal icing recipe. Over the years, friends started requesting my sugar cookies for different events they were hosting and I was humbled and honored that anyone would want me to bake for them.
I improved and learned new techniques every time I was asked to try a different theme. This desire to teach me how to decorate with royal icing turned into a hobby but it took a back seat as my life evolved and changed over the next few years. Decorating sugar cookies is and was very time-consuming and as a full-time teacher, I didn’t see a lucrative bakery in my future at that exact moment.
The second beginning wasn’t all that long ago. Remember that handsome man from the beginning of my story? Well, he’s my husband now and we have two beautiful children. who is now two and four? I completely stopped baking when my children were babies, besides making cookies for my own baby shower or for Christmas, etc. As a stay-at-home mom, I found that over the years I didn’t think I had time to do the things I use to enjoy before having children.
I slowly started baking again in 2021 after my kids went to bed at night. My sister was opening a new location for her hair salon, Blend, and asked me to make cookies for her and her business partner to pass out on their opening weekend. From that order, I received my first order for a set of Micky Mouse Club House cookies. One order turned into two, and the rest is history, as they say.
Somewhere along the way, I created an Instagram account to share my bakes, and this has grown my business the most.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a business from the ground up has been an incredible learning experience for me, and I can’t say that I have had any major hiccups on the business front of things.
Being a stay-at-home mom is wonderful in a lot of ways, like being fortunate enough to spend so much time with my little ones, but the downside is that there is always a long list of things that need to be done around the house and I feel guilty not giving my children my undivided attention when they are awake. For this reason, all of my cookies are baked and decorated at night, sometimes well into the wee hours of the morning.
This can make for some pretty exhausting days. I’ve had to learn to set boundaries for myself and my business, like having set business hours and scheduling my bake and decorating days. Sometimes this is hard for me because social media drives my business and it’s hard to just turn that off. I overthink most things, and the constant pressure to post can feel overwhelming.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I consider myself a cookie artist. I specialize in custom-decorated sugar cookies. I am most proud of the cookie sets I’ve designed and decorated with complete creative freedom.
I’m happy to use inspiration pictures from my wonderful cookie clients, but it’s just that, inspiration. I like to think that I am curating my own style and that my cookie clients are learning what to expect from me and order from me because of my sense of design.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Even though Orlando is a big city it doesn’t always feel as big as it is. I like that there are so many different opportunities such as local vendor events and farmers’ markets for me to enjoy with my family or to sell cookies.
I dislike how long it can take to get around sometimes. For this reason, I operate under a pickup-only bakery for now.
Pricing:
- My basic custom cookie package starts at $48 a dozen.
- Do it Yourself Decorating Kits are $25.
- Seasonal Individual cookie options start at $4.50.
Contact Info:
- Email: Rollndoughbyalicia@gmail.com
- Website: www.rollndoughbyalicia.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/rollndoughbyalicia
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/rollndoughbyalicia
- Other: www.TikTok.com/rollndoughbyalicia
Image Credits
Brie Rios and Krissi Nicole Photography
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