We want to tell you the story behind our Chocolate Oat Chip Cookies. The recipe we are using is from Cookies for Kids Cancer's fundraising cookbook. CKC is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for pediatric cancer research because so many children are diagnosed with different pediatric cancers each year. The founder of CKC lost her son at the age of 6 after a 4 year struggle with cancer. To raise money for research to try to help her son while he was still fighting the disease, she held a huge bake sale and this Chocolate Oat Chip Cookie was the main star. It is truly a wonderful chocolate chip cookie. Soft, chewy, and yet crisp around the edges and loaded with lots of semi sweet chocolate chips and a touch of oats. It is one very special cookie.
We are huge supporters of raising money for pediatric cancer treatments because John almost became one of the statistics when we found out he had a brain tumor 2 years ago. In our treatment journey for his non-malignant tumor, we have met several families who are in the fight of their lives with very young children going through incredibly tough treatments to wipe out their cancers. Some have had success, while others have had the ultimate loss. We did an online Facebook auction last year in September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, to gather donations for research to find better treatments and ultimately a cure for these cancers. We send those funds directly to the Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's of Alabama Hospital. We are making that an annual event, but we thought it would be fitting to offer a cookie that would allow us to help out this cause a little more, so half our profits from the sales of the Chocolate Oat Chip Cookies will go towards this all year. It is our way of giving to those in need and expressing our thanks to God for what he has done for us. Our story could very easily have been a much harder one.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Introducing 2 Brothers and a Cookie...the back story.
This is Nathan and John's mom here, chiming in to introduce you to 2 Brothers and a Cookie. I thought you might want to know how the idea for this little business started. John has been trying to find something he could do to make some extra money. We have gone through several ideas, all of which, while creative, were not things he would be able to do on his own at this time or a product that would be widely in demand. One day about a month ago, John came in the kitchen with me and asked if he could make sugar cut-out cookies, which are one of his favorites, and did I think he could sell them and start a little business.
As a side note, John is not much of a dessert eater in that he pretty much just likes plain vanilla items: cheesecake, cake, cookies, ice cream, and even then, he doesn't always like them. So for him to come in and want to make dessert and then eat it is a very big thing.
Anyway, I was happy to show him how to do that and we set about making those cut-out cookies. He did a great job and was very happy with what he made. They were quite delicious. He then continued talking about how he could sell these and make some money. So over the course of the next few weeks, his father and I talked and confirmed that he is very serious about this. However, we did suggest that he needed to add some other kinds of cookies, to add variety to the menu. We also suggested that his brother could help him and make a few of the varieties that had chocolate and peanut butter in them, which by the way John strangely dislikes. Go figure. We asked Nathan if he would like to be a part of this entrepreneurial adventure and he said yes. Nathan loves all kinds of cookies and desserts (takes after me in that), and he likes to cook them too. So the boys decided they would work together on this.
Next thing we knew in the conversation the name 2 Brothers and a Cookie came up, which I thought was quite catchy and cool, and voila...we had the beginnings of a business plan. After a few weeks of nailing down some family favorite recipes, finding out how much ingredients cost, plugging in the numbers, and doing a little research on the prices of competitors, we are ready to open shop. Scott and I encouraged the boys to make this business an opportunity for giving and helping others, as that is something we want to see the boys make a priority, so Nathan and John have decided to give 10% of their profits to various charities/organizations of their choice each month. It could be to a missionary, funding for Childhood Cancer research, a local ministry, just something that will benefit others.
So that, in a nutshell, is how all this got started. I have been praying for God to give the boys a passion for something that they can do to earn a little money and help others. I have been praying for a strong work ethic, because they were created by God to work and be leaders and servants. I hope this venture will teach them a lot of practical life skills and draw them closer to God as they look to him for guidance and help in this endeavor. Thanks for letting me share their story.
As a side note, John is not much of a dessert eater in that he pretty much just likes plain vanilla items: cheesecake, cake, cookies, ice cream, and even then, he doesn't always like them. So for him to come in and want to make dessert and then eat it is a very big thing.
Anyway, I was happy to show him how to do that and we set about making those cut-out cookies. He did a great job and was very happy with what he made. They were quite delicious. He then continued talking about how he could sell these and make some money. So over the course of the next few weeks, his father and I talked and confirmed that he is very serious about this. However, we did suggest that he needed to add some other kinds of cookies, to add variety to the menu. We also suggested that his brother could help him and make a few of the varieties that had chocolate and peanut butter in them, which by the way John strangely dislikes. Go figure. We asked Nathan if he would like to be a part of this entrepreneurial adventure and he said yes. Nathan loves all kinds of cookies and desserts (takes after me in that), and he likes to cook them too. So the boys decided they would work together on this.
Next thing we knew in the conversation the name 2 Brothers and a Cookie came up, which I thought was quite catchy and cool, and voila...we had the beginnings of a business plan. After a few weeks of nailing down some family favorite recipes, finding out how much ingredients cost, plugging in the numbers, and doing a little research on the prices of competitors, we are ready to open shop. Scott and I encouraged the boys to make this business an opportunity for giving and helping others, as that is something we want to see the boys make a priority, so Nathan and John have decided to give 10% of their profits to various charities/organizations of their choice each month. It could be to a missionary, funding for Childhood Cancer research, a local ministry, just something that will benefit others.
So that, in a nutshell, is how all this got started. I have been praying for God to give the boys a passion for something that they can do to earn a little money and help others. I have been praying for a strong work ethic, because they were created by God to work and be leaders and servants. I hope this venture will teach them a lot of practical life skills and draw them closer to God as they look to him for guidance and help in this endeavor. Thanks for letting me share their story.
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