Some businesses start with a spreadsheet. Others?  With love. And butter.

For as long as I’ve known my sweet friend Cyndy, she has been making shortbread so incredible, it feels like a love letter to another era. This is the kind of shortbread that crumbles delicately between your fingers and melts the second it hits your tongue. Just a bite of her shortbread makes you feel like you’re in the misty green hills of Scotland.

There’s a reason for that: Cyndy’s grandmother, Janet, emigrated from Glasgow in the 1920s. And oh, what a treasure she left behind. In addition to her beloved shortbread recipe, Cyndy also has fond memories of her grandmother’s scones and creamed fish. 

“It sounds horrible, but I miss it!” Cyndy laughs.

Janet’s precious recipes were handed down to Cyndy’s mother, Audrey. And from her mother, Cyndy learned the secrets of baking the very best shortbread.

For years, Cyndy made her shortbread just for family and some lucky friends (like me!), and people always told her she should be selling it. But one day, a neighbor asked to buy some shortbread for client gifts.  This was the turning point when Cyndy decided to turn her hobby into a business.  The Shortbread Nana was born!

Once she made the announcement, the orders came flying in. At Christmas, a colleague who owns a gift basket business ordered forty dozen for some high-end holiday gift baskets. (Yes – four-oh. Forty!). This would be a big order for a commercial kitchen, but for a home baker – wow! Luckily, this business owner also mentors and supports women-owned businesses, so she was able to give Cyndy some advice and helpful tips to help her grow her shortbread empire. 

Cyndy’s Recipe for Success

Cyndy has some excellent suggestions for anyone who dreams of turning a home baking hobby into a business:

• Be Ready.

Have your packaging and supplies all set – you might quickly get busier than you think!  “That first week I was swamped,” she says.  “I think all of my friends were eager to support me, and I would have been overwhelmed if I hadn’t had everything ready to go!”

• Know the Rules.

Do your homework and learn the cottage food laws in your state. In addition to doing her research, Cyndy met with other home bakers and talked to people at farmers’ markets for advice. 

• Know Your Costs.

Don’t sell yourself short. Take the time to calculate your costs and factor in everything: ingredients, packaging, your time – it all matters.

• Use the Very Best Ingredients.

Cyndy searches out the highest quality ingredients she can find. For the holidays, she made a limited-edition peppermint shortbread with a peppermint glaze and crushed candy canes; she sourced the candy canes from Whole Foods to avoid artificial dyes.

Tradition with a Twist

While Cyndy stays true to her grandmother’s recipe, she’s made a few tweaks of her own.  She’s adjusted the shape, updated to high-quality ingredients, and added some fun flavor variations, like glazed lemon, a lovely lavender, and coming soon: a gluten-free version inspired by her daughter Jenny, who suffers from celiac disease.  Understandably, this is a project near and dear to Cyndy’s heart.  She says she is getting close, my gluten-free readers, so keep checking back for those!

Even her “mistakes” have turned into magic.  Once, when she slightly overcooked a batch, she crushed it up, added cream cheese, and dipped it in chocolate to make truffles!  I mean –  yes, please!

Oh, and baking clearly runs in her genes – Cyndy’s daughter Leslie, a hospice chaplain, is a baker, too, often taking requests from her patients.  She’s made biscotti and fruitcake from patient requests – and she bakes her own bread, as well.  Sounds like Cyndy has a built-in plan to keep The Shortbread Nana in the family!

How to Get Your Hands on It

Ready to try the BEST shortbread ever? You can find Cyndy on Instagram @theshortbreadnana, or email her at theshortbreadnana@gmail.com.

Trust me, you’ll be glad you did!

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