While some students spent their quarantine watching new shows on Netflix or catching up on sleep, WHS senior Amanda White capitalized on her free time and created a business. Fat Dog Cookie, a baking company named after her dog, specializes in selling homemade chocolate chip cookies. 

White was inspired to develop her own recipe for the perfect chocolate chip cookie after watching baking videos on TikTok. After a lot of experimentation in the kitchen, she began sharing the cookies with family and friends. White said that positive feedback inspired her to donate cookies weekly to a homeless shelter. 

White also cheers for WHS, so in the midst of sports cancelations, she revitalized her baking. “When everything shut down in September again and sports got canceled, I had more time,” said White. She used her spare time to officially start Fat Dog Cookie in September. 

Fat Dog Cookie operates through Instagram and Facebook, and White organizes orders through a Google Form which can be found at fatdogcookie.com. Working from her own kitchen, she typically bakes four to eight dozen cookies every day. White has hired a few friends to help deliver cookies and help with baking when she has a surplus of orders. 

When White started her business, she never imagined that it would grow so quickly. Due to its fast rise in popularity, White constantly has dozens of batches on backorder. Customers buy cookies for special events or holidays and look forward to her signature chocolate chip cookies, priced at $22 a dozen. 

While the pandemic has impacted many businesses around the country, Fat Dog Cookie has remained unaffected. Since White started the business during quarantine, she created her business model around the safety of her customers. Customers have the opportunity to opt for contactless delivery and pickup, allowing them to enjoy her cookies in accordance with both COVID-19 guidelines and their own comfort level. Cookies can also be delivered to customers’ homes or picked up at White’s home, where she greets customers with a mask. 

Fat Dog Cookie was originally created to give back to her community. White explained that she started her business to make others happy and help others during this time, which is why White donates 10 percent of her profits to charity each month. White has previously donated to Beastly Rescue in New York, and this month she is donating to Feed the Frontlines NJ. White looks forward to donating to other charities in the future and likes to ask her customers if they have a preference for where the donation is made. Although her business is growing more popular, White still wants to maintain the charitable aspect of Fat Dog Cookie because she said, “during this really difficult time people need some joy.”

As White’s business has taken off, she is starting to grow out of her kitchen. She is looking to rent out a commercial space and experimenting with new cookie flavors. White is also considering taking a gap year after she graduates, if the pandemic persists, to further grow her business. To order your very own batch of cookies and stay updated visit @fatdogcookie on Instagram.