For Sarah Carlson, cookies have always been a family affair. One of eight children, she grew up baking with her family before turning a lifelong dream into Quinnie’s Cookies, a business she launched from her home kitchen three and a half years ago.
Now, Carlson is opening Joy Batch Cookies & Coffee shop in Highlands Ranch Town Center, serving the melt-in-your-mouth cookies Quinnie’s fans have come to love. Open to the public starting October 9, guests can experience cookies, handcrafted coffee by Carlson’s brother’s roasting company, and thoughtful gifts while leaving feeling more joyful than when they arrived.
“It’s something that I’ve always loved,” explains Carlson. “I think the name really emulates the feeling that I want from the experience of a cookie. I feel like cookies bring joy, baking brings joy.”
Carlson says the idea of selling cookies was always there—it was a “one day” dream. One day she would start selling cookies, which became one day she would open a store. It started with selling cookies from her house, and when word spread and her business grew, she knew it could maybe be something more.
Then the opportunity for a storefront came up and Carlson explains she was approached by a friend who asked her, “Why not now?” She says it opened the pathway to thinking why not now?
“Then from there, I just feel like God opened up so many doors for this to even become a potential that it’s now something that I know I have to do,” observes Carlson.
From choosing a name that reflects baking and cookies (and is even her middle name, Joy) to figuring out seasonal cookie flavors, coffee, and specialty gifts, Carlson says she has felt very supported by the community.
“It’s just really something that I can’t even express how grateful I am for the support and for the ability to be here and be doing this. But to know I have people in my corner and I have a village to help me do it,” she says.
Carlson explains that she is excited to see what the future holds and for her kids and husband to see the new chapter in their lives.
As for the cookies themselves, the store will feature five signature flavors: Triple Chocolate Chip, Cake Batter Confetti, Cookies & Cream Cheesecake, Toffee Pretzel, and Chocolate Candy Crunch. The store will also include four rotating seasonal flavors each month, which for October are Peanut Butter Cup, Animal Party, Dirt & Worms, and Cinnamon Toast.
The cookies are also sold in three sizes, named after Carlson’s three children: Double Decker (large individual cookie), Quinnie’s Minis (pre-packaged dozen mini cookies), and Welles Batch (20 three-bite cookies presented with homemade buttercream frosting for dipping). Special and large orders can be placed online with at least a day’s notice.
The cookies are unique in shape and texture, with a light, crisp exterior and a thick, gooey center. Think a brownie-ish center topped with homemade buttercream frosting or toppings tailored to each flavor.
On top of that, Carlson explains that she only uses organic flour and dye-free sprinkles with the intention of better-for-you ingredients. The coffee comes from Carlson’s brother’s coffee roasting company out of Louisiana where he roasts all the coffee from organic coffee beans.
To round out the store, Joy Batch will have a unique selection of gifts—such as tea towels, bath bombs, little stuffies, cards, candles, and more—that can be a thoughtful gift to bring to a friend’s birthday or a complement for a hostess gift of cookies.
“We want their day to be just a little bit better because they came in,” explains Carlson. “We want that thought to be, ‘I’m so happy I stopped by, that really was such a joyful experience.’”
The joy that kids bring is exactly what Carlson says she wants—she wants everyone to feel like a kid when they come in. To be excited to have a cookie and be excited for the experience.
“It’s okay if they smudge the window,” she emphasizes. “I want it to just be that true feeling of an experience when you come in, and it’s meant to bring that happiness and joy into your day for all ages, but especially kids.”
Located at 9315 Dorchester St., #109, in the Highlands Ranch Town Center, Joy Batch will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. For more information, visit joybatch.com.