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StumbleuponOakwood woman makes cookies her bread and butter
Laura Enzbrenner started baking as a hobby; now she has an exclusive deal with Dorothy Lane Market.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
WASHINGTON TWP., Montgomery County — It's easy to spot Laura's Cookies in the bakery of any Dorothy Lane Market location.
This time of year, the colorful cookies may take the shape of flowers or a summer standby – the ice cream cone. When the season's change, so do the shapes and colors of the cookies.
Cookie creator Laura Enzbrenner of Oakwood has been baking the popular cookies exclusively for the Dorothy Lane stores for eight years.
"I've always baked," said Enzbrenner, 47.
Enzbrenner moved to Dayton from New Jersey in 1993 to work as administrator of surgery for Miami Valley Hospital.
In 1999, Enzbrenner left the hospital, and knew she wanted a change. Friends encouraged her to turn baking, which had been a hobby, into a career.
"For me, baking has always been a stress reliever," she said.
Enzbrenner learned the ins and outs of owning her own business. Then she took a cookie recipe she had used and created her own frosting for what would become Laura's Cookies.
Eight years ago, she approached Dorothy Lane about selling them in the bakery.
When she first began, Enzbrenner worked in the kitchens with the bread makers, starting in the afternoon and not finishing sometimes until 3 a.m.
These days, Enzbrenner bakes at a small facility near the Washington Square store, aided by a full-time employee and four part-timers.
Enzbrenner estimates she sells 260,000 cookies a year at the stores. Although she is an independent contractor, her cookie creations are sold only through Dorothy Lane Market.
Enzbrenner also creates special orders, sometimes for weddings, birthdays and company events.
Enzbrenner said some favorites, such as the smiley-face cookies, can usually be found all year long.
Enzbrenner said she tries to keep local events in mind when she bakes her cookies.
When the "music" of the cicadas hit a high note in 2004, Enzbrenner created cicada-shaped cookies.
"It was popular," Enzbrenner said.
About six years ago, while flipping through a bakery catalog, Enzbrenner spotted a stomach-shaped cookie cutter and wondered how to use such an item. Two days later, a drug company representative approached her about making cookies shaped like a stomach for an event featuring a medicine that helps digestion.
Enzbrenner knew just what to do.
Laura's Cookies are so popular that people who have left Dayton sometimes call the stores to see whether they can be delivered. Enzbrenner said her cookies have even been shipped overseas to Iraq.
