Elise’s Home Kitchen: Eat Dessert First

Prompted by COVID to begin baking and selling cookies from her home kitchen, Thomas turned her small start-up business into the flourishing Cookie Co. franchise. Now, like a next-gen Debbi Fields, Thomas wants to share the recipes that earned her the nickname “Cookie Lady.” Opening with sweet treats, including chocolate chip, sugar, and Oreo cookies that became the foundation of her business, Thomas then branches out with savory recipes for breads, soups, and more. Dishes range from tater tot casserole to Thomas’s Thanksgiving strawberry pretzel salad. Those in search of fresh twists on classic dishes and innovative culinary challenges will need to look elsewhere, as Thomas sticks to her version of tried and true recipes. But her easy-to-grasp recipe formatting and cheery prose style will especially encourage those new to cooking to give her dishes a try.