Since launching her cottage bakery earlier this year, Tori Aaker has been delighting Northern Colorado with sourdough loaves, cinnamon rolls, baking mixes, and what many now call the best chocolate chip cookie they’ve ever had - aka "The Number One". Around here, most people don’t even say “Tori” anymore—they just say Baker Aaker.
In this cozy conversation, Heather and Tori talk about what a cottage bakery actually is, how Tori set up her porch hutch, and why her background in photography, design, and branding made it easier to launch quickly. They also get honest about pricing homemade goods, baking at altitude, the joy of feeding people, and the freedom to try things without having to stick with them forever.
Whether you’re a home baker, a small business dreamer, or just someone who loves a good cookie, this episode is a warm invitation to try, taste, and enjoy the season you’re in.
In this episode, we talk about:
- What a cottage bakery is and how the Colorado cottage food law works for home bakers
- How Tori’s upbringing—watching her mom cook for hundreds at church events—shaped her love of serving people through food
- The story behind the now-famous “number one cookie” and the neighbor who insisted she start selling it
- Why the biggest challenge isn’t always pricing, but deciding how much to bake and what sizes to sell
- Baking at altitude in Colorado (including Tori’s tip to slightly reduce butter in cookies so they don’t spread)
- The hidden time cost of cookies versus other baked goods
- Tori’s favorite kitchen tools, including those magnetic measuring spoons and restaurant-style sheet pans with lids
- How her background in photography, branding, and web design made Baker Aaker quicker and easier to launch
- The emotional side of pricing your work and facing imposter syndrome when you sell what you can “just make at home”
- Tori’s fast-start personality, why she’s had multiple businesses, and her permission slip to stop something when it’s no longer right for your season
- Encouragement for kid (and grown-up) bakers: reading the recipe, trying again when it doesn’t work, and learning from mistakes
Where to find Tori / Baker Aaker:
- Website: bakeraaker.com
- Instagram: @bakeraaker
Catch more of the story @thanks.for.doing.that.podcast!
