Tips from the Cookie Monster – Michael Pinckney

Michael Pinckney started Pinckney Cookie Café 2009 from his creativity and passion for cooking and baking – his business card even says Cookie Monster. He bakes cookies from all natural decadent ingredients, no preservatives and gourmet chocolate - creations that last best in the refrigerator. And, wanting to be inclusive, Michael created his special "Miracle Cookies" that are both vegan and gluten-free and absolutely delicious. He currently sells his amazing cookies in both the West Seattle and University District Farmers Markets and as well as online. He shares some tips and ideas for making the best cookies. 

How did you start baking cookies? 

I started baking at my mother’s knee with my three brothers. As a young man working for IBM in New York City, I decided to create the world’s best chocolate chip cookies, just for fun. I’d take them to work and share with my friends, and then when next I baked, I’d take them to work with the changes my friends had asked for. I never stopped experimenting with the recipes, and decades later Pinckney Cookie Café was the result. 

Why was it so important to you to include vegan and gluten-free cookie options? 

When I started the company, I was in Whole Foods and I demoed every week at each store. People would walk by my demo booth and sheepishly say “are any of them gluten free.” There’s but so much of that my heart could take, so I had to come up with gluten free cookies. Years later I had the same experience at the farmers market, but with people who were vegan. It wasn’t practical to have three product lines, so I tried to develop a cookie that was both vegan and gluten free. The fortunate result was a cookie that is vegan and gluten free and delicious, hence a miracle. So we called them Miracle Cookies. 

Are there any tips you want to share for being creative with cookies? 

The nice thing about making cookies is that once you master the basics there’s a lot of room for creativity. For example, you can make a traditional chocolate chip cookie and add any number of things to it, and just experiment with the quantities and combinations. Nuts. Dried fruit. Chocolate melted, cooled and mixed into the dough. Mint. Oatmeal. Coconut. Toffee. The list is endless. 

Anything people should keep in mind for making good vegan cookies? 

It depends on what the substitutes are. If one is using coconut oil temperature is a key concern. It needs to be soft enough that you don’t get lumps of it in the cookies and it acts like butter, but not so hot that it stays liquid and doesn’t come together with the other ingredients. Applesauce is also a good butter substitute, though I haven’t used in exclusively, only with coconut oil. Flaxseed and water works great as a substitute for eggs and it really helps to use hot water, and then cool the mixture down once it stops separating. I’m told by other professional bakers that the liquid from chickpeas also works very well.  

What do you like about selling your cookies at the farmers markets? 

Farmers Markets have a wonderful vibe. There’s a tremendous sense of community, both within the vendor community and with the customers. It’s wonderful to be able to spend a few hours putting smiles on people’s faces. It’s also great being outdoors amongst a cornucopia of great, wholesome food. I really enjoy trading with other vendors, and learning about different foods and other vendors’ businesses. I’ve never spent any time on a farm and I really enjoy learning from farmers. 

Why do cookies make such a good Valentine’s Day gift? 

Chocolate! Did I hear chocolate? Seriously, Dark Belgian Chocolate is our number one ingredient. A cookie is an experience. It’s hearty and delicious. Cookies fit the Valentine’s chocolate tradition but they’re something different. And Pinckney Cookie Café cookies are not only delicious and rich, but we have a wide variety of flavors making a particularly appreciated gift. Our Personalized Cookie Gift product is the perfect thing for Valentine’s Day because your personal message is incorporated into the product itself. Over half of our sales at lovethesecookies.com are gifts, and that’s all year round, not just around Valentine’s Day! 

What is new for Pinckney Cookies in 2024? 

We’re incredibly excited to be opening our first retail store! We expect to open as a pop-up (think indoor farmers market booth) at the end of January, and a month or too later we’ll expand into our full vision of a destination store featuring local artisan producers. We’ll have cookies and coffee and chocolate and gifts and more, from local artisan producers. The theme of local artisan producers is inspired by our farmers market experience, and that's what will really make it stand out from other bakeries or cafes — it will be a real celebration of wonderful local goods and gifts. With the store will also come additional cookie flavors as we expand our own line! 

Anything else you would like to add? 

We love to hear from you! Most of our best ideas come from customers and employees, so please say hello at the farmers markets and let us know what’s on your mind.  

Michael Pinckney was recently on New Day Northwest. Watch the segment here

Try the Pinckney vegan and gluten-free chocolate chip recipe.