08.23.2023

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Today’s Forecast

69º | Rainy | 87% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:28 a.m. | Sunset 5:42 p.m.

🍪 Bake it until you make it

Erica Yern holding a mixing bowl in her home kitchen.

You’re looking at Erica Yern’s home kitchen, where the sausage — er, cookies — gets made. | Photo courtesy of Cookie Wookie Kitchen

Ube and pandan and jolly pong, oh my. Those are flavors you can try when you order from Cookie Wookie Kitchen, a local micro-bakery.

Cookie Wookie’s magic starts in the home kitchen of owner Erica Yern, who bakes and delivers each and every cookie by hand, with love.

And the cookie crumbled pretty far from the tree. A Queens, New York native, Erica spent most of her life in the Big Apple, working in TV news while she raised her two kids.

A cookie made with cereal and marshmallows. — Erica said the Jolly Pong Marshmallow cookies tastes a bit like Honey Smack cereal.
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Photo via Cookie Wookie Kitchen

“I was commuting from Queens to Manhattan, and it was like an hour and a half each way,” Erica said. “I barely got to see the kids, so we wanted to make a lifestyle change so that I could stay home, raise them, and see them grow up.”

In pursuit of that dream, Erica quit her job, packed her family up, and moved to Austin five years ago. With more time on her hands, baking became Erica’s creative outlet.

When baking became a weekly habit, Erica began to write a cookie blog called The Sweet & Sour Baker. On Aug. 4, 2020 — National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day — Erica made her cookie business official.

A purple ube cookie with coconut on top. — Name a more purple cookie. We’ll wait.
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Photo courtesy of Cookie Wookie Kitchen

“I baked a lot for my family for my kids, it was kind of like my creative outlet,” Erica said. “I always feel like Austin is such a supportive community for small businesses. It was definitely scary to start out during the pandemic, but the warm welcome I received definitely made it a lot easier.”

Cookie Wookie’s pastries are made with one-to-three-day aged dough, and flavors rotate monthly according to Erica’s taste. Here’s what we recommend:

Erica’s order: Jolly Pong Marshmallow cookie

Figi’s order: Ube Coconut cookie

Click here to order for delivery or pick-up.

Events

Wednesday, Aug. 23

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band | Wednesday, Aug. 23 | 6:30-8 p.m. | ACL Live, 310 W. Willie Nelson Blvd., Austin | $50-$190 | Spend an evening with the band and their acclaimed album “12th of June.”

Thursday, Aug. 24

Intro to Improv | Thursday, Aug. 24 | 6-7:30 p.m. | Fallout Theater, 616 Lavaca St., Austin | Free | Test out a new hobby at this free sample class.
ALEXSUCKS | Thursday, Aug. 24 | 8 p.m. | Mohawk Austin, 912 Red River St., Austin | $15 | Yardsale! will also perform at this Thursday night concert.

Friday, Aug. 25

Please Don’t Destroy Live | Friday, Aug. 25 | 7 p.m. | The Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave., Austin | $35-$45 | The comedy trio is well known for its videos on “Saturday Night Live.”
Robert Glasper | Friday, Aug. 25 | 8 p.m. | Empire Control Room & Garage, 606 E. 7th St., Austin | $35 | Jazz pianist Robert Glasper will perform at this month-long celebration of Empire’s ten-year anniversary.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Community

Texas electric vehicle owners will need to pay a $400 registration fee and $200 annual fee starting Friday, Sept. 1. The change is part of a new law aiming to make sure EV owners pay their fair share of highway funding. (KXAN)

Real Estate

Austin is the second-best big city in the US to buy a house, and No. 7 across cities of all sizes, according to a WalletHub study.

Announced

Black Pumas’ newest single, “More Than a Love Song,” is out now ahead of a second album release. “Chronicles of a Diamond” will be released on Friday. Oct. 27, as the local mega-hit band’s first LP since 2019. (Pitchfork)

Community

Tarrytown’s Casis Village is under new management for the first time in more than 70 years. Built by the Bryant family in 1952, the retail center is now managed by a partnership between Ivy Companies and 35 South Capital. (Austin Business Journal)

Opening

Sushi by Scratch co-owner Margarita Kallas-Lee has a new dessert shop in the works. Wolf and Wheat will open at 1009 E. 6th St. sometime this fall, offering bread, baked goodies, and cultured goodies. (Eater Austin)

Event

Cirque du Soleil’s ice show, Crystal, will make a stop a the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park this spring. Tickets for the Wednesday, Feb. 21-Sunday, Feb. 25 shows go on sale this Monday, Aug. 28.

Play

‘Skip work like a professional’

‘Skip work like a professional’ at the Deep Eddy V.O.D.K.A. Conference

A graphic with a woman holding a bottle of Deep Eddy Vodka.

The celebration is also happening in Miami, New York, Baltimore, San Diego, and Louisville. | Graphic via Deep Eddy Vodka

Do you need a little TLC? R and R? Another acronym? If you do, the Deep Eddy V.O.D.K.A. conference might be for you.

The conference — which stands for Virtually Optimized Developmental Knowledge Assembly — is a “foolproof” excuse for employees to play hooky, according to the Austin-based brand. Simply sign up, add the event to your calendar, and log off from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. this Friday, Aug. 25.

Organized by spirit brand Deep Eddy Vodka, the conference gives ticket-holders two options: skip the virtual invite for a free day on the town or attend an in-person event, complete with fake conference swag, live music, and activities.

Not in love with the idea of playing hooky? The in-person event runs from 3-7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25 at the South Austin Beer Garden, 10700 Menchaca Rd., so there’s still time to chill after work.

Shop

Eat

Ready to tailgate? Our online shop, Six & Main, has you covered. Spice up your game-day burgers with Spicewalla’s 3-Pack Grill Lovers Collection.

Seasonal

Find your new favorite scents this fall from our candle brands such as Wixology and Corridor Candle Co. Shop now at Six & Main.

Active

Socks mysteriously eaten by your washing machine again? Yeah, us too. Try these women’s no-show socks — a bestselling sock with 50,000+ five-star reviews.

Kids

These pop-up soccer goals make the most of time outdoors with the kids or grandkids. Easily set them up, then just as easily put away and store.

Home

The piece of furniture we’re drooling over: this Poly & Bark leather ottoman pouf in cognac brown. Hello, soft leather and beautiful living room.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Figi

From the editor

In personal news, I’m proud to announce I taught my cats how to sit. Yes, you can train cats.

In fact, if you’re a fellow feline owner, I’d highly recommend training your cats. All you need is a clicker, like the Lumsters app, and some treats. Here’s a guide to get you started.

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Baking it to the top with Cookie Wookie Kitchen’s Erica Yern

‘Skip work like a professional’ at the Deep Eddy V.O.D.K.A. Conference