Catering To Cookie Cravings With Healthier Online Offerings

Sara Sims has always been a big fan of cookie dough, but she stopped eating it after her teens when she realized it wasn’t healthy to eat raw dough. Sims, founder and president of Sara’s Cosmic Cookie Dough, told PYMNTS in an interview that she started to become more health-conscious. In 2015, she went on a strict, clean “whole-food-only type diet,” which excluded grains, sugar, gluten, dairy or alcohol, allowing primarily veggies, lentils, lean meats and fruit.

Week three into the diet, Sims was in St. Croix with a friend, and they were craving something sweet like a chocolate chip cookie. At that point of the diet plan, their acceptable food list had expanded to include maple syrup, and they decided to get creative. “We started to put together this clean cookie dough recipe,” Sims said. With a little bit of maple syrup, almond flour and sugar-free chocolate, they had a clean cookie that could be eaten raw – and that tasted incredible. She remembers thinking it was too good to be true: They had just made a cookie that tasted as good as – if not better than – a traditional Tollhouse cookie.

Sims started sharing the cookies with friends and family and took every opportunity to make them. Everyone kept giving her the same reaction: they liked them better. That went on for a few years before she launched her company in January. Today, her plant-based cookie dough is made with pasteurized almond flour and vegan ingredients.

The Product and Market

The company’s flavors include chocolate chip cookie dough, oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough and hot chocolate chip cookie dough, which has an extra kick thanks to cayenne pepper. When it comes to their target market, Sims said her product has a broad appeal among people without food restrictions as well as the vegan and gluten-free communities. Sims pointed out that an increasing number of children are diagnosed with celiac disease, which means they can’t eat gluten. With Sims’ offerings, they can enjoy a gluten-free chocolate chip or oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

To spread the word about her company Sims attends events such as Nourish, which is a gluten-free festival, as well as vegan festivals in the Colorado area. While her products are available in some grocery stores, Sims focuses primarily on selling online, which allows her to target the audience that is seeking her product. In addition to her website, Sims’ cookie dough is also available on Amazon.

The eCommerce Experience

Sara’s Cosmic Cookie Dough’s main products are featured on the home page of the website. There, consumers can buy single pints, little two-ounce cookie dough on-the-go single servings or four-packs. They can choose between a one-time purchase or a subscribe and save option. If consumers have already tried the product and know they like it, they might opt to subscribe and have a pint shipped to them, say, every other week for a discount. Customers can pay through Amazon Pay, PayPal, Google Pay or credit cards.

When it comes to timing for the company, Sims noted the spike of gluten intolerance in the country, and also pointed out that veganism is on the rise. Overall, she believes her company is offering the right product at the right time for people “who are trying to level up in their health and wellness world.”

With a new twist on cookie dough combined with eCommerce, consumers can indulge in that classic dessert with a healthier, plant-based option that meets their dietary needs.