Something sweet arrives in Walkerville with Windsor’s first Craig’s Cookies location

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Happiness comes in small bites.

Sometimes, it’s the first bite of a chocolate chip cookie, still warm from the oven, now tucked into a pink box stamped with bold black letters: Craig’s Cookies.

And on Saturday, Windsor gets its first taste when the popular Toronto-based chain opens its seventeenth location — the city’s first — in Walkerville.

To sweeten the deal, the first 100 customers through the door will receive a free cookie.

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“My main goal with owning a bakery is creating a dessert — and for us its cookies — that creates a nostalgic feeling for people,” founder Craig Pike told the Star.

“It’s the same as what my mom used to bake for me when I was a kid.”

The shop will offer a rotating selection of 12 to 18 flavours daily, pulled from a menu of more than 80 that range from the classics to wildly inventive takes.

It’s a brand built on a story — and it all began when Pike needed to pay his phone bill.

Years ago, Pike, a Newfoundlander who moved to Toronto to pursue an acting career, found himself between gigs and short on cash.

To make ends meet, he turned to something familiar: his mother’s chocolate chip cookie recipe.

He started baking small batches and delivering them by bike to friends and customers across the city. By 2018, the first brick-and-mortar Craig’s Cookie location opened its doors in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood.

Some of the most popular creations include cookies stuffed with Cadbury Eggs, Mars bars, and even Pop-Tarts. Others veer into the absurd. Think Cheezies, pizza, or Doritos.

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“I was at a grocery store with a friend of mine and Pop-Tarts were on sale, and somebody said, ‘You should put a Pop-Tart in the cookie’,” said Pike.

“So, I put a Pop-Tart in the cookie, and it tasted good. Then I thought, if a Pop-Tart tastes good, probably anything would taste good in a cookie.”

It was Brandi Plantus, owner of the Windsor location, who first saw an opportunity to bring Craig’s Cookies to the Walkerville neighbourhood where she grew up.

“Walkerville was selected because of the openness of the community,” said Plantus.

“Especially the BIA and their involvement in wanting to really push other businesses forward and its focus on the arts community and creatives.

“My core group of friends would drive up the 401 to get the cookies. Now, we’ll be able to share that here.”

Pike said customers can always expect freshly baked cookies and a daily rotation of yumminess.

“Everything is literally made from scratch the day you’re enjoying it,” he added.

Want a bite?

Craig’s Cookies opens its Windsor location at 1701 Wyandotte St. E on Saturday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

[email protected]

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