Everything's coming up COOKIES
By TERESA TAYLOR
Of The Post and Courier Staff
April 28, 2004
In Judith Moore's hands, an everyday treat becomes a flirtatious, uniquely Charleston edible souvenir
Judith Moore has given one of her chocolate chip cookies a "secret" Southern ingredient, but even if you guess it, don't expect confirmation. A cookie that plays hard to get fits right in with Southern society, and it's best for the cookie to keep the flirtation going as long as possible.
Moore officially launched The Charleston Cookie Company in October, 2003, but the business was a labor of love for many months before. Always a hobby baker, Moore decided after Christmas 2001 to explore starting her own cookie business. Her interest was piqued when her son-in-law in Tennessee told her about a very successful cookie company there.
She already had begun a personal quest for the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie and was working through different recipes. Then, Moore says, "I just got an idea for something to make (the cookie) uniquely Southern and different."
Her quest turned into a mission to give Charleston its own version of the ubiquitous treat. "Charleston is known for its food and hospitality, and I figured it would be a natural for Charleston to have a chocolate chip cookie at a really gourmet level because this is a town that appreciates fine food," Moore says.
Moore made mountains of dough while working on her cookie. The process was more complicated than she had imagined, and she fed a lot of rejects to her friends. "I went through about every cookie recipe I could find," Moore says. "Eventually, I pitched them all and started with a basic sugar cookie."
Two of her priorities were appearance and sweetness. "It has to look good. I don't like flat cookies, and what I had in mind was a thicker cookie that had complex flavor," Moore explains. Moore also didn't want a too-sugary cookie. She says the standard Toll House chocolate chip cookie is almost equal parts sugar and flour. "It's just too sweet."
She settled on a refrigerated dough, striving to get the right balance of the sugar, flour and eggs that would yield a meaty cookie. Then she started to add things to the dough, such as pecan meal. "That was the first thing that I did to tweak it, to really make it mine," Moore says.
There was more experimentation along the way. She had to find the right proportion of brown to white sugar, explaining that brown sugar absorbs more moisture than white, which can make the cookie soggy. She tried using butter flavoring, a flop. She pumped up the vanilla because she likes its scent and impact. "It's one of the flavors that really comes through when the cookie is baked," Moore says. She learned that fresh eggs make a difference. "They have to be fresh," she says. Moore gets hers from Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner.
And, oh, the chocolate. "I ate my way through more kinds of chocolate than I ever knew about," Moore says. She liked the Ghirardelli brand but couldn't obtain it in bulk. A Swiss chocolate was chosen instead, which, Moore says, has the same balance of dark chocolate flavor and not too much sugar.
The secret weapon was one of the last elements to go in. Only one person has guessed it, she says.
PAY DOUGH
Moore developed a marketing plan with the help of a Charlotte businessman she had met. He had an advertising agency and "was intrigued by the whole concept," Moore says. In exchange for cookies that he could present to clients, he offered to develop a "brand identity" for the cookie, including a logo, stationery and other promotional materials.
Moore did a test run of the cookies during Christmas 2002 and was able to officially launch the business by October. She has graduated to baking five different kinds beyond the original Chocolate Chip Pecan, including a Mint Double Fudge and a White Chocolate Pistachio. The cookies are sold in tins and bags via a Web site, charlestoncookie.com, at farmers markets and through some small shops and restaurants.
She has big dreams for the company, which seems to be the perfect meeting between her business and psychology sides. "It is so much fun to give people a really good cookie and to watch them smile. My great joy is making people smile."
Finding a home in Charleston also has made her happy. "I found Charleston to be extremely hospitable and welcoming," Moore says. "I wasn't going to stay. ... I tell people I was seduced."
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