Texas-based Boozy Ball Cookies emerged from a love of cookies and a yen to build a business together. When David Christensen retired, his wife Kerry decided that baking boozy cookies offered a sweet kick for the next part of their 33-year marriage.
Kerry began experimenting with liquor and cookies, searching for a unique way to blend the two. The cookies resisted the level of liquor she wanted until she turned to her grandmother’s recipe for bourbon and rum balls. When she combined this classic recipe with other liquors such as vodka, gin and whiskey, she knew she was on the right track.
That’s when the creativity kicked in. In various sessions, by themselves and with friends, ideas for the new balls began to pop – with flavors like Toasted Coconut Rum and Snickerdoodle Cinnamon Whiskey. David sought the more fruity options, like the Lemon Drop Gin, Margarita and Blueberry Vodka, which uses dried blueberries to enhance the flavor. Caramel Whiskey, Gingersnap and Chocolate Peanut Bourbon delight Kerry, but new flavors are always on the horizon. “We’re developing the Strawberry Daiquiri. We’re going to put some dried strawberry in there or roll it in a strawberry powder, just to give it a strong strawberry punch,” said David.
After retiring from the military, the couple moved to New Braunfels, Texas to be near their aging parents. David worked as a high school teacher for 16 years when they were raising their children. Even though they have grown up and are off on their own, the family remains close. As Kerry remarked, “Right now, we have a staff of two. Every now and then it grows to a staff of four with our kids.”
Boozy Ball Cookies runs out of their home, and the baking occurs in a commercial kitchen they share with several other businesses. David does all of the marketing, while Kerry is the master cookie maker. They collaborate on the flavors, and their shared military background influences their operations. Kerry, a cost analyst and efficiency expert in the Air Force, organizes things and creates processes. With his enthusiasm for implementation, David looks for ways to improve the systems and products. In the future, they hope to expand into their own commercial kitchen.
When asked about their favorite moment in their young business, which opened in September 2021, they both reply, “the Christmas rush.” Their talent for organization and baking stretched as they needed to bake every other day. The Boozy Ball Cookies ship across the country, traveling as far away as Hawaii. Notes David, “We’ve shipped to all but five states in the United States, and it’s just fun to see where these people are that are buying our cookies. I really get a kick out of that.”
AUTHOR
LA Bourgeois is a writer and creativity coach based in the eclectic food enclave of Ithaca, New York. Her enthusiastic embrace of food and business led her to run a cafe/bar and wine shop in Colorado for a little over a decade. Now, she uses her words to delight her readers and share her adventures at Housewyfe.com.
NEXT ON THE DISH
