Besides playing the violin and acing it on the volleyball court, sophomore Charlsie Doan has managed her own cookie business, The Cookie Angel, since early Nov. 2016.

How did you first start baking?

I turned to baking seriously the summer after eighth grade. Middle school was hard and stressful for me, and baking is very relaxing and cathartic.

Why did you start this business?

I wanted more opportunities to bake (and not have all of it just lying around my house), so I sent out an email to some girls I knew were interested in maybe buying some cookies right before freshman exams. I love how happy my cookies make people—I mean, what is more comforting than a chocolate chip cookie?

How many cookies do you make each week?

It really varies on the season. At Christmastime, I baked more than 30 dozen cookies in one week, and my oven actually broke. But now, sometimes I’ll have a week with no orders or just a few dozen.

So, you really do this on your own?

Most of it I do on my own like baking the cookies, keeping track of profits and expenses, and communicating with my customers. My mom sometimes helps out with packaging the cookies or making deliveries, and if I have a test coming up, she’ll bake them for me if I really feel that I don’t have time. I offered to pay her but she refused.

What’s your favorite cookie?

Peanut butter or chocolate chip cookies, but nothing beats chocolate chip cookie dough.

How have you seen the business grow?

A family in Lower School had ordered a few dozen cookies, and the next week I got an email from their housekeeper saying how much she loved my cookies and asking if she could place an order. That was really cool seeing how my business was growing from word of mouth.UNT. After I graduated there with my MFA, I taught a semester design course.

Maria Harrison – Features Editor