Springdale woman runs home bakery, teaches cookie decorating classes

Taking a cookie decorating class three years ago has led a Springdale woman to open her own home bakery business.

Amanda Monnich was an on-and-off teacher for 10 years before finding her passion in baking. She practiced baking and decorating her own cookies at home. While she was teaching, she began to dabble in selling her cookies, informally taking orders through friends and neighbors.

For the first part of the pandemic in 2020, it was a part-time gig. The hobby slowly transitioned to full time after the birth of her second son that same year, leading her to become a stay-at-home mom.

This gave her the opportunity to open her business, Sprinkled With Love, later in 2020.

“I turned a fun hobby into a business,” Monnich said. “I never thought in a million years I’d have a cookie business.”

Monnich offers sugar cookie decorating classes twice a month. She offers in-person classes at The Black Canary coffee shop in Springdale and the event venue Capes & Crowns in Plum. Classes are offered virtually, too, with more in the works.

The classes are open to all ages. Student bakers range from teenagers to middle-aged adults.

“It is a beginner class, so you do not have to know about cookie decorating,” she said.

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) cookie decorating boxes containing cookies, frosting, sprinkles and other items are available to buy.

Monnich takes custom orders for special events, such as weddings and birthdays. She said hot cocoa bombs were popular during Christmastime.

As baking was falling into place, Monnich had to learn how to operate the business side of things. She had the knowledge to be able to teach, but the logistics of owning a business was a new challenge. She credits her husband for helping her out with the finances.

Her latest challenge has been social media.

“Social media is a great tool, but trying to figure out how to grow it based on what we have is hard,” she said.

Monnich would love to have her own storefront some day and expand her skills. But for now, she’s happy with what she has produced. She wants to remained focused on cookies.

“I really like teaching the classes. It is like painting, with a twist — but you can eat it afterward,” she said.

The Sprinkled With Love website (sprinkledwithlovesweets.com) has information on classes and custom orders.