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.

"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.

"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.