Cookies After Hours: Build Your Own Cookie Workshop

Make the cookie you wish existed. For the first time ever, I'm opening the Cookies & Dreams kitchen after hours & handing the cookie creation over to you. Maybe the cookie in your head is tiramisu-inspired. Maybe it's bourbon caramel, strawberry cheesecake, margarita, birthday cake or something so weird you're not entirely sure it should work. Bring me the idea. I'll help you figure out how to turn it into a cookie. During this hands-on workshop, I'll walk you through the same kind of creative process we use when developing flavors at Cookies & Dreams: starting with an idea, thinking through flavor & texture, building a test cookie, tasting it, troubleshooting it & making adjustments. You'll choose from three professional cookie dough bases: Brown Sugar - rich, chewy & caramelized Sugar - a sweet, versatile blank canvas Chocolate - rich & brownie-like Then you'll head into our Cookie Lab, where you'll have dozens of ingredients to play with: chocolates, candies, cookie pieces, crunchy mix-ins, spices, flavorings, fillings, drizzles, finishing salts & more. And I'll be there to help you figure out what actually works. Because creating a great cookie isn't just throwing delicious things into dough. Some ingredients add moisture. Others absorb it. Flavors need balance. Sometimes the idea in your head needs to be approached completely differently to make it work. That's the fun part. You'll create your first test cookie, bake it, taste it & decide what you'd change. Then we'll head back to the Cookie Lab to make adjustments before you create your final batch. Come with an idea. Leave with a cookie that didn't exist before you made it. Your ticket includes: 2-hour after-hours experience inside our Bettendorf bakery Your choice of three professional cookie dough bases Access to our Cookie Lab with dozens of flavors, mix-ins, fillings & finishes Live recipe-development guidance throughout the workshop, including help troubleshooting your test cookie before your final bake. Your first test bake + troubleshooting A final batch of four giant 5 oz cookies to take home A take-home batch of professional cookie dough so you can use what you learned & create your next cookie at home. Your own Cookie Creator workbook to document your creation Light savory refreshments & drinks Plenty of tasting along the way And maybe a little bragging rights if you create something we can't stop thinking about... You don't need to be an experienced baker. You just need an idea you're excited to bring to life. The details Monday, September 14 6:30–8:30 PM Cookies & Dreams, Bettendorf $79/person - Only 16 spots available! Ages 12+. Participants ages 12–15 must attend with a ticketed participating adult. Every person entering the kitchen must have their own ticket; we cannot accommodate spectators. This is a hands-on experience in an active commercial bakery kitchen. Closed-toe shoes are required & long hair must be tied back. Our kitchen regularly handles wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts & tree nuts. We cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment. Tickets are nonrefundable but may be transferred to another participant. If you can't attend, contact us before the event with the name of the person attending in your place. Not local or can't make this date? This is just the beginning. I'm working on more ways for us to bake & create together, including digital workshops, an online baking community, recipes & plenty more. Want to come along? Join my list here on Substack & you'll be the first to know what's next + get access to exclusive recipes, BTS + more. Join Steph's list →