Made by Mom Gift Guide: NC Cookie Momster specializes in all your favorite childhood cookies

By day, Maria Buckenberger is a part-time human resources specialist in Cary. By night — and on the weekends — she's whipping up baked goods at home to sell online and at pop-up markets across the region. Buckenberger is the mom behind NC Cookie Momster, which launched in March 2019 when her home kitchen was state certified.

Her specialties might just include a few of your favorites from your own childhood — chocolate chunk, molasses and my personal favorite black and white cookies. NC Cookie Momster is a featured business in Go Ask Mom's annual Made by Mom Gift Guide. Find out more about the business in my Q&A with Buckenberger, a mom of two, below. And stay tuned for more Q&As of the mom-owned businesses featured in the 2019 guide!

Go Ask Mom: How did NC Cookie Momster get its start? Have you always been a baker?

Maria Buckenberger: I grew up in an Italian household making homemade bread, pasta, sauce and wine. This is where my love of homemade foods began! I started baking sweets when I relocated to North Carolina. I mainly baked for holidays and special occasions. My friends received a tin of homemade cookies for the holidays each year. I loved to hear about their favorites! It brings me joy and a smile to my face when others enjoy my sweets. I decided to turn my love of baking into a business.

GAM: What all do you have and where can people find you? And what flavors do people seem to really love?

MB: I mainly bake old fashioned cookies that bring back memories of being a child. Some of my favorites are chocolate chunk, molasses, iced oatmeal, rainbow cookies and black and whites. The flavors most people seem to really love are sea salt chocolate caramel, Oreo and heath bar potato chip cookies. I currently sell through my Facebook page and at local markets and other local events. You can also find my cookies at The Market at Three Little Birds in Clayton.

GAM: What's your favorite part of running your own business?

MB: My favorite part is meeting people and hearing about the fond memories they associate with certain cookies. For example, a woman associating rainbow cookies with fond childhood memories of her mom and a gentleman remembering delivering newspapers to a woman who always gave him molasses cookies as a gift! The stories always bring a smile to my face and warm my heart!

GAM: What's been the biggest challenge running your own business? How much time do you spend baking!?

MB: The greatest challenge has been organizing my time so that I can get everything done. I work part-time during the day and make cookies at night and on weekends.

GAM: What are your hopes for the future of your business?

MB: The next step for my business is growing it. I need to expand my social media presence. I will work on meeting new local business owners and finding ways we can help each other. I would love to have my cookies placed in other local businesses. My goal is to bring a smile to as many people as I can, one cookie at a time!