Cookies by Design

Over the weekend my sister attended a fundraiser to raise awareness for Alzheimer's called the 11th Annual McGrail Family St. Patrick's Day Party. A family tradition held around St. Patrick's Day to honor their relatives affected by this disease, the McGrail's have turned this small function into a reputable event that has become well-known in their community. The fundraiser has raffles, a silent auction, contests, entertainment, and of course corned beef and cabbage--with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer's Association of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. To date, this event has raised more than $100,000 for the Alzheimer's Association and is still growing!

My sister and her friend participated in the silent auction and won an awesome St. Patrick's Day cookie basket. This wasn't your typical cookie display; it was put together extremely well and each cookie contributed to the design. The basket was donated by Cookies by Design of Exeter, NH. Cookies by Design, dubbed the "original cookie bouquet company", was created in 1983 by an unemployed, single mother, with a mission to provide for her family.

With time to think, this creative and motivated woman combined two traditional gifts, flowers and sweets, and turned them into one deliciously clever concept, the cookie bouquet. Her edible bouquets of custom-shaped and hand-decorated sugar and cinnamon brown sugar cookies on sticks, were cleverly arranged in baskets as tasteful gifts for any occasion. Gift-givers quickly embraced the new idea, and Gwen's budding enterprise soon outgrew her own home kitchen, crediting her with a great deal of success early on.
 
The newly successful entrepreneur moved to a location in nearby, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Then in 1986, when things really picked up, Gwen moved her business to Dallas, Texas. After the Dallas business was established, Gwen turned her attention to the numerous requests from others wishing to start their own Cookie Bouquet franchise. The first franchised Cookie Bouquet location opened in 1987 and the momentum has been growing ever since. To better reflect all of the creative, unique and customized products sold, Cookie Bouquet locations changed their names to "Cookies by Design" in 2004. Now, 30 years later, approximately 100 Cookies by Design locations are operating across the United States.

Cookies by Design helps their customers to send gourmet gifts that say they care. They've found that it's amazing what a good cookie can do for someone. With that being said, you can truly understand how Gwen's vision has brought happiness to millions of people over the last 30 years, including the smiles it brought to the McGrail family fundraiser with their St. Patrick's Day cookie arrangement.

Their cookies can be customized for any occasion and can always be personalized with a name or special message. Cookies by Design offers creatively designed edible custom cookie arrangements, classic cookie gift baskets, cookie cakes, and gourmet cookie bouquets and cookie trays, filled with delicious hand decorated cookies. Check out their website and send a personal and creative expression today with delicious cookies from Cookies by Design that will have any special someone devouring the details! And please take some time to visit the Alzheimer's Association website and learn more about what you can do to raise awareness for this tremendous disease.