Cookie business in Selma expands to reach more community members

SELMA, Calif. (KFSN) -- For Marianne Rodriguez, it's just the right ingredients added with a little love that make the perfect cookie. The school administrator had just retired, when an unlikely business emerged.

"I decided to try my hand at it. Being the person that I am, I took some pictures of my cookies and made a plea to my friends, 'I need grandbaby money' and they started rolling out of the kitchen."

That is when Auntie Mo's Handmade Cookies was launched. In her first few months, Rodriguez sent out dozens of treats. She has a cottage license so she can make cookies from her home. The personalized cookies are made for birthdays and special events like weddings. She's found the recipe that entices people's sweet tooth.

"I've found a couple that are just right in the pocket that just taste so good. People love them and they come back for more. My husband teases me that I'm a sugar dealer because I'm out there all the time giving people cookies."

Rodriguez said the process of making detailed cookies takes time. From making the cookies to baking them to drying them and adding frosting.

In addition to making cookies for events, Rodriguez also holds cookie parties. She teaches people how to make festive treats. Each participant gets a chance to make a batch of cookies, eat them, and take some home. Classes range about $25 a person for a party. She said it offers a chance to connect.

"Gathering around the table-- there's something magical about that."

Rodriguez and her husband have also started doing random acts of kindness, one cookie at a time to members in the community.

"We just bless people and say thank you and just let them know we are thinking of them. We appreciate what they're doing and we see it."

A sweet way to show their appreciation while Rodriguez bakes the world a better place.