Keller - Eat more dessert : more than 100 simple-to-make & fun-to-eat baked goods from the baker to the stars

AS I STEERED A RENTED YUKON BRIMMING WITH FRAGILE COOKIES, CUPCAKES, CAKES AND CAKE POPS THROUGH LOS ANGELES, I MARVELED AT HOW QUICKLY MY LIFE HAD CHANGED. I WAS JUST ANOTHER MOM, HAPPILY LIVING WITH MY HUSBAND AND TWO KIDS IN A SEATTLE SUBURB. IN MY SPARE TIME, I LOVED STRETCHING MY CREATIVE MUSCLES BY PUTTING TOGETHER DESSERT TABLES. THERE WAS SOMETHING INCREDIBLY FULFILLING ABOUT CREATING THEMED TABLES OF SWEET TREATS FOR MY CHILDRENS BIRTHDAY PARTIES AND HOLIDAYS. I PICKED UP BAKING ASSIGNMENTS FROM PEOPLE WHO HEARD ABOUT MY DESSERT TABLES FROM FRIENDS HERE, OR MADE A WEDDING CAKE THERE. BUT NOW HERE I WAS, DRIVING A TRUCK FULL OF DESSERTS TO TORI SPELLINGS HOUSE FOR A BOOK PHOTO SHOOTALL BECAUSE OF A COOKIE.

When my beautiful daughter, Ally, was born, I fell deep under the spell that only a new baby can cast. Suddenly the coffee shop my husband, Dan, and I owned wasnt my first priority. Six months after Ally was born, my husband and I sold our business so that I could stay home. But, before long, the entrepreneur in me found the daily grind of baths, laundry, grocery shopping and dinner planning a bit boring. I needed a creative outlet to prevent myself from losing Jenny Keller to Allys Mommy.

In October 2006, Dan handed me a cookbook called The Greatest Sugar Cookies Ever. He loved baking with his mom when he was growing up and thought it might be something fun for Ally and I to do together. Granted, baby Ally was only ten months old at the time. Still, she could definitely monitor the sugar-cookie-baking from her high chair. So, a few days later, we gave the greatest sugar cookies ever a shot. Being a self-taught bakerlets just say these were not the greatest sugar cookies ever.

With sugar cookies on the brain, I asked my mother-in-law for her time-tested recipe. These actually were the greatest sugar cookies evermelt-in-your-mouth soft. In no time, I was a woman obsessed. That October, I baked dozens of my version of the family recipe and created pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies, handing them out to family and friends. They were a hit.

Two weeks after Christmas, my sweet baby girl turned one. Ally was fascinated with Baby Einstein, so I built her birthday party around that theme. In preparation, I bought every Baby Einstein character I could find, gathered every ounce of primary-colored party loot, and found someone who could make custom Baby Einstein candy bar wrappers. Without realizing it, I had created my first dessert tableand it turned out that cobbling these elements together in a vibrant way was just as much fun as baking.

After that, I was constantly on the prowl for an excuse to bake themed desserts. The sugar cookies were joined by cupcakes, cakes, and cake popsthe newest dessert on the scene at the time. But, even with these additions to my repertoire, my decorated sugar cookies were still everyones favorite. My family and friends began to affectionately call them Jenny Cookies. I started a blog called The Story of Us, which documented our little familys day-to-day activities, outings and milestones. Not surprisingly, pictures of my cookies and desserts overtook everything else and soon required their own blog. The Jenny Cookies blog was born.

As the months passed, the parties got more extravagant, and dessert tables became my signature. I scoured flea markets and estate sales, antique shops and secondhand stores for clever props. And I took it upon myself to ensure that every single holiday, big or small, made an impression on my kids.

St. Patricks Day means green beer for most people, but Ally and her brother, Hudson, spent it in the park, eating shamrock-shaped sugar cookies, rainbow cupcakes and cake pops placed in a bed of Lucky Charms, while searching for a hidden pot of gold treasure. Halloween wasnt just trick-or-treating around the neighborhood; it meant inviting our closest friends and family for a celebration centered around caramel apples, caramel corn, pumpkin-shaped cake pops and cake with fondant spiders dangling from the sides. Rather than battling it out with the older kids at the local Easter Egg hunt, we had friends over to dye eggs while nibbling Easter basket cupcakes and egg-shaped sugar cookies.

The kids had a blast at these parties, but Im not sure they had half as much fun enjoying them as I did creating them. I got a rush of excitement every time Target or Michaels set up a new displayit meant another holiday was just around the corner. I started stashing away Rubbermaid containers with goodies and supplies for future parties, just in case I needed to throw an end-of-summer campout or back-to-school bash. Of course, neither of my kids were actually in school yet, but, heyits always good to be prepared.

When I wasnt plotting my next party, I began taking custom orders. My clients consisted of friends and friends of friends, people who tasted my sugar cookies at a friends baby shower or who sampled a cake pop at a childs birthday party. The orders were small: a few sugar cookie orders or a few dozen cupcakes. I had no intention of marketing myself as a baker, but I loved making these creative little treats, so I obliged whenever someone asked.

Then, a funny thing happened: More and more people began reading my blog and following my Jenny Cookies Facebook page. My childrens parties were featured on top party sites like Amy Atlas, Karas Party Ideas and Hostess with the Mostess. All of these posts linked to my little blog, and an unexpected viral cycle began. With more publicity came more orders. I began making cookies and dessert tables for major corporations such as JC Penney, Microsoft and Neiman Marcus. Based on demand, I started teaching occasional sold-out classes, demonstrating how to make and design Jenny Cookies. Every now and then, I considered opening a shop. But the truth is, I didnt want to go into business. I wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom and make my confections on my own time. I wanted to have my cookie and eat it, too.

Then, in 2010, my friend Kennedi attended a signing for Tori Spellings latest book, where she gave the actress some of my cookies. Ten minutes after receiving them, Tori tweeted to thank me for the cookies. I couldnt believe it. A couple of weeks later, Tori asked if Id make a dessert table for her party-planning book, celebraTORI. And, just like that, I had my first celebrity client.

With a couple of days notice, I did as much preparation for the dessert table book shoot at Toris house as I could. Running on almost no sleep, I arrived in Los Angeles from Seattle with a suitcase full of painstakingly packed cookies and supplies. I sped to the local Target to buy a Kitchen-Aid. Once back in the house I had rented, I put the mixer to immediate use, making cakes, cake pops and even more cookies until the wee hours. Harried, I had an impromptu meeting with Tori the next day to pick out a desk, chairs and chalkboards to stage the dessert table with a classroom theme. Then it was back to my little kitchen to decorate and bake some more. I finished at 7 a.m., and within the hour I was packing up the Yukon for the shoot.