Frisco’s Sweetest Society

By Allie Spletter

For many, ideas, hobbies, and passions remain merely that and seldom develop past a “we should” thought. Frisco residents, business owners, and entrepreneurs Jeff and Marissa Allen turned those ideas, hobbies, and passions into a full-blown following. You won’t find a more kind, gracious, humble, and congenial couple anywhere else, which serves as a testament to both who they are and the success behind their young but rapidly growing business that’s turned into Frisco’s Sweetest Society.

With its flagship location right here in Frisco, a location in Addison, and a third location opening in Southlake soon, Cookie Society made a name for itself early on and has well-established itself as a Frisco (and nationwide) favorite. 

Marissa and Jeff’s story began in college as student-athletes at the University of Illinois, where Marissa played soccer and Jeff played football. They met in the training room, and according to Jeff, the rest was history. Jeff eventually went on to be drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012 with Marissa by his side and spent nine years in the National Football League (NFL) before retiring after a 2020 Super Bowl victory with the Chiefs.

Marissa graduated college in 2013 with a degree in marketing, and while she didn’t find her dream marketing job right away, she had more time to dive into what would eventually turn into a dream career. “I was at home, and so that’s when I picked up a camera and had more time in the kitchen to start playing around, and I fell in love with the kitchen,” Marissa recalls. “I started a food blog, and I would document dinner parties, and that’s where the food writing began…it all was very organic. I started to spend more time in the kitchen, then I learned how to develop recipes, and then it transitioned to developing cookie recipes.”

Upon opening Cookie Society, the Allens acknowledged that being first-time business owners with a brand-new storefront was definitely not without its challenges during those early days, especially in the middle of a global pandemic. 

“We could never have anticipated how busy we were going to be when we first opened the doors. Early on, we didn’t have big enough equipment and didn’t have enough refrigeration…there were things we just didn’t know. You know, we were selling out early, burning cookies…” Jeff says, laughing. “There were just a ton of mistakes that were made being a new business. We were just thankful we were in Frisco and that we got that grace. Because a lot of times in normal situations, depending on where you open, that could ruin your business.”

Because of the pandemic, Cookie Society didn’t actually open their storefront doors to customers until they were three months in. “We had to protect our team and customers, so we would run out to the cars and take the orders, and that just became normal. But there were some people who, I think, made it their personal mission to make sure we didn’t go anywhere and wanted to keep us in business and not let us fail, so we’re just really grateful,” Marissa adds.

Most, if not all, business owners might agree that choosing the business’ namesake is one of the very most important decisions to be made in the developmental process, and it was one Marissa and Jeff didn’t take lightly. After firing off names back and forth, Jeff and Marissa ultimately came up with Cookie Society, which fit in with exactly what they hoped to do with their business…bring people together. 

“We’re trying to create a brand that, not only where our employees are comfortable, our customers are too, and it’s a space they can come, enjoy our cookies, and share with other people. It’s all-encompassing,” Jeff explains. Looking back, Marissa says that they got further validation in their name choice for the business because important proverbial doors kept opening. She adds, “The best part, which felt like a sign from God, was that the URL was available, and the social handles were available [for the business name], which is just wild because it’s generic in a way, but it speaks exactly what we’re trying to do. And the fact that it was available was really our like, ‘okay, let’s keep going.’”

And keep going they did with a menu full of truly delectable gourmet cookies and even some sporadic pop-up menu items that only further speak to Marissa’s culinary genius. Their in-store cookie menu consists of six staple flavors and four seasonal/holiday-inspired flavors that are rotated in and out each month. 

Those signature cookie flavors include their Chocolate Chip, loaded with chocolate and topped with a touch of flaky sea salt; Salted Carmel, featuring soft melted caramel stuffed in their signature brown sugar cookie dough and topped with flaky sea salt; Frosted Oatmeal, a warm spiced oatmeal cookie with a decadent vanilla glaze on top; Banana Pudding, a cookie with all of the flavors of sweet and creamy banana pudding including crushed up ‘Nilla Wafers baked in; Snickerdoodle, a sweet brown sugar cookie with cinnamon; and Sugar, a sweet and simple cookie topped with crunchy colorful sprinkles.

Marissa plans her menu carefully, given that Cookie Society ships their cookies nationwide, but also wants flavors to be fun and inventive. “We have to be able to make thousands of them because we ship, as well as sell them up front. So, for the rotating flavors, we try to do something stuffed, something topped, and then a nostalgia-type flavor every single month,” she explains.

December’s flavors have already hit the menu online and in-store and include White Chocolate Ginger Snap, Red Velvet, Frosted Sugar, and Peppermint Bark (and Hot Cocoa with toasted marshmallow, but shhh…it’s a December pop-up flavor!). Cookie Society also has sporadic pop-up items in stores, including huge brownies, red velvet brownies, cookie sammies (signature cookies and some specialty cookie flavors sandwiched together by buttercream icing), and even Marissa’s infamous cinnamon rolls very sporadically (if you see the cinnamon roll announcement on their socials…RUN to Cookie Society, they don’t last long!).

 

While the incredible flavors of both their staple menu items and their rotated flavors are enough alone to set them apart from other cookie bakeries in the area, Marissa and Jeff credit their firm belief in efficiency and a focus on consistency as key contributors to their success. 

 

“So it was Angel [Cookie Society’s Sales Director and Jeff’s sister] who said that we are a big business in a small building, and since the beginning, we’ve operated that way. We’ve always tried to be as efficient as possible…a lot of bakeries do a lot of things, but we committed really early to being really good at cookies. We worked really, really hard, and we do a lot of training when it comes to consistency,” Marissa recalls. 

 

Jeff agrees that their decision to make cookies the focal point of their menu has set them apart, along with their well-developed flavors and ensuring that each cookie is curated in the way Marissa originally designed the cookie to be. He adds, “We make sure the texture of the cookie is going to remain the same…it has to have the crispy edge, it has to have that soft, chewy center, and it has to match that profile before it makes the menu.” 

 

 With locations in Frisco, Addison, and Southlake (coming soon), Cookie Society also has an operating 18-foot food truck that supplies cookies in Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport’s Capital One Lounge, and has a Frisco-based warehouse, out of which the company completes catering and shipping orders.

 

“I think a cool part of our story is that it all truly started in Frisco. In the beginning, we were shipping everything out of that 1,500 square foot space at 9320 Dallas Parkway out of its back door while serving customers out of the front door,” Jeff says.

“I’ll tell you, everything is divine. The timing is everything, and everything has just been laid out perfectly, and it’s nothing but God,” he admits. “We found our commissary because another Frisco company moved to a bigger location, and we were able to move in right there, right down the road. Thankfully, we’ve been able to grow, and we’re going to move into an even bigger production facility.”

Marissa and Jeff will be the first ones to admit that owning and running their business is truly a “pinch-me” moment day in and day out. “I just think it’s so cool that we get to play around with butter and sugar and come up with new things. The way people’s faces light up is just the best. And they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is my favorite!’ and to hear that about something I make…that’s a humbling experience,” Marissa says. 

 

Like Marissa, Jeff says the support of the customers along the way from their infancy stage to where they are now while they continue to grow only adds to those daily “pinch me” moments.

 

“Someone tells us like, ‘Hey, this is the best cookie I’ve ever had!’ or ‘You’re my favorite cookie place,’ when we know there’s so many amazing options out there. For someone to take the time and say, you know, ‘We love you,’ we so appreciate that, and that’s humbling, and we can’t thank them enough for that,” he adds.

Cookie Society has quite a decorated media coverage resume as they were very quickly discovered upon opening and have since been covered by the Dallas Morning News, ESPN, Good Morning America, Yahoo Sports, Eater, Huff Post, and numerous other local media outlets and news stations. Perhaps, though, their most notable recognition was landing on Oprah’s Favorite Things list in November of 2020, mere months after opening.

In looking back on the incredible media coverage they’ve received, Jeff and Marissa unanimously agree that being on Oprah’s Favorite Things list is at the top of their most significant memories to date. Marissa considers being on Good Morning America a very close second, though. “I called everybody I knew. They don’t tell you how long your segment is going to be, but it was so cool. We sent cookies to the studio, and they ate them, and Robin [Roberts] started dancing…and it made my whole life. I was just so proud,” Marissa says. 

 

Dallas Morning News was the first news coverage the Allens received about Cookie Society and Jeff credits that article for being the reason people in and around Frisco found out they had opened during the pandemic. “That sparked everything,” he remembers.

Throughout what’s been an unprecedented business launch and venture, the Allens know that making Frisco the home of Cookie Society was a decision they’ll never regret as they revel in the support of Frisco businesses, both big and small. 

 

“The collaboration aspect of business in Frisco is awesome. We’ve collaborated with a lot of folks. Being able to help your neighbor is huge, and we try to do the same thing, too. Early on, during the time we didn’t have enough equipment, Leah Clark at Batch Bakery was gracious enough to help us out in a pinch and give us refrigeration,” Jeff explains. 

 

“Frisco Diner came in and gave us our first dollar and fed our team breakfast many a day,” Marissa adds. “We have a wonderful Chamber of Commerce, too, and we truly couldn’t have picked a better place [than Frisco] to start.”

Jeff and Marissa have gotten to a place where they have learned much, created policies and processes, and have found themselves in a place where they can continue to scale and grow, and that’s just what they’re doing while continuing to crank out delectable gourmet cookies that don’t disappoint.

“We’ve been extremely blessed, to say the least. And we can’t be more humble and thankful, and there’s more to come. I can say that for sure,” Jeff adds.

 

As they continue to grow, they’ve proven the sky is the limit for their sweet society, and we’re just proud Frisco has front-row seats to see all that they will do.

For more information on Cookie Society, visit www.cookiesociety.com. Cookie Society’s Frisco location is located at 9320 Dallas Parkway, Suite 160.

Allie Spletter is the Managing Editor at Frisco STYLE Magazine and is proud to celebrate Cookie Society’s success and continued support of Frisco.