Sugar Cookie: Part 1 – A Sweet Beginning
The story of Armstina’s Cookies
A sugar cookie is often seen as a simple, sweet token of joy crafted with love, capable of brightening even the dullest of days. At least, that’s how I see them.
Sugar cookies and I have a complicated relationship. They’re one of the many pieces of the kaleidoscope that is me. The journey of the sugar cookie is not quite over, but it has been one that’s both sweet and bittersweet. I’ve found and lost myself countless times through the adventure that is Armstina’s Cookies.
Let’s begin with my most recent memory of cookies, because it’s a sweet one. As you may know, I’m currently craving joy—not just to experience it, but to spread it.
Right after this past Thanksgiving, I decided to do something special for my family- gift them boxes of joy for Christmas. What made it even more magical was that, in the process, I also gifted myself joy and happiness. It was then, for the second time, that I rediscovered the part of cookies that had once changed my life forever, reminding me why I first fell in love with them.
Since these were gifts and not transactions, I was free to play. There were no rules, just the pure joy of creativity. I wasn’t confined by anyone else’s expectations. I was simply me.
I made about 200 decorated sugar cookies, choosing my designs with pure creativity, no rules, just the joy of making something beautiful. Armando and I spent late nights together, making over 500 drop cookies, singing along to Christmas music, chatting, and taking pictures. We soaked up our time together, and in those moments, the joy of baking felt like it used to, when we ran our full-time cookie business from our tiny apartment and then our house.
Packaging the cookies was just as special. Designing tags and making gift boxes had always been a fun part of the process. It felt like a return to the old days, when every batch was more than just a product; it was a piece of me, an extension of the creativity and love that went into it.
Making cookies last Christmas was not about meeting someone else’s expectations. It was about rediscovering the simple joy of creation, the kind of joy I hadn’t felt in a while. In that freedom, I remembered why I fell in love with baking in the first place.
My favorite part of cookies has always been gifting them. I rarely make my signature sugar cookies anymore, so when I do, my family gets excited. And let me tell you, my cookies taste as good as they look. I take great pride in that. I love how my cookies can bring a smile to someone’s face. Experiencing joy is great, but gifting and spreading joy? That’s magnificent.
As always, my son Nicholas was the first one to try a decorated cookie from the batch. As he ate, he smiled and said, still chewing, “Mom, these are the best cookies. They are sooo good.” I knew it was all worth it. After all, I did embark on this cookie journey because of him.
But as sweet as this memory is, it’s only part of the story. Let’s start from the beginning.
Right after Nicholas' first birthday, we discovered he had a peanut allergy. When his second birthday came around, I wanted him to be able to indulge in all the birthday sweets. I decided I would bake everything myself; cake, cupcakes, and sugar cookies. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but I figured it out along the way. Well, sort of. Looking back on that memory now, I laugh at myself for all the things I did horribly wrong, like not putting enough water into my royal icing, so I had to spread it onto the cookies with a butter knife. It literally just needed more water. It still cracks me up. But regardless, I’m proud of myself for being brave and trying something new. Baking everything for Nicholas’ second birthday was just another moment in my life where trying something new led to unexpected surprises and sparked my curiosity. And if there’s one thing I’m learning about myself, it’s that I am a very curious and passionate person.
So naturally, I had to try again. I went down the YouTube rabbit hole, watched so many videos, researched recipes, and started following cookie Instagram accounts. I made cookies for my sister’s baby shower, and although they were super simple, they came out much better than the first ones. After that, it became a hobby of mine. But here's the thing, I don’t think I can just have a passive hobby. I get so passionate about things that I continue to push myself to learn more and more. I don’t know when this started, but I do know it’s who I am.
Soon, I was making them for family birthdays, holidays, and about 8 months later, family started ordering cookies from me. What started off as just a fun side hustle turned into something I truly enjoyed. I loved the creative side of cookies and fell more and more in love with them. Remember, I’m a passionate person, so I experimented and taught myself how to master my skills. The more I made cookies, the better my skills became. I experimented with many versions of my cookie recipe for about a year before I finally found the signature Armstina’s vanilla sugar cookie. Wow—a year of failures (aka lessons) and I still kept going. I don’t think I realized it at the time, but I was very tenacious. Not was…I am a resilient and determined woman. I have to keep reminding myself who the hell I am sometimes.
After a few months of orders trickling in, the side hustle turned into a second full-time job. There were many days I took naps in the bathroom of the office during my lunch breaks because I would only sleep 3-4 hours the night before. It was not healthy or sustainable. My family (the older generations) thought I was crazy and that I should focus on the stable job with benefits and climb the corporate ladder. I remember my grandmother once telling me that Armando, my husband, would leave me because I was working too much. She is an old-school Puerto Rican woman who grew up in the patriarchal system. I understand why she thought this, but it didn’t stop me from pushing forward.
And as a side note, Armando is my biggest cheerleader and supports me in anything I want to pursue. He loves me for who I am, which includes being a determined woman who wants to quit her stable, full-time job to focus on building a cookie business.
As the days at the office became more unfulfilling, the urge to quit and devote 100% of myself to the business grew. I wasn’t passionate about logistics, but I did meet some great people—one of whom I still connect with from time to time. Let’s just say she’s one badass woman and an inspiration. She left the company before I did, but she was the best boss I ever had. A real leader, and I learned a lot from her. As the team changed and morale plummeted, I knew it was time for a change. So, in May of 2019, I bet on myself and took the leap. I quit my stable office job and ran ArmStina’s Cookies full-time.
Thanks for reading! Part two will be available soon. Be sure to follow along to see what happens next!
I love being your cheerleader!! ❤️