Sure, we love the scent of freshly baked cookies filling the kitchen. We don’t, however, love the mess that is inherently baked into baking. And since we fancy ourselves cookie aficionados, store-bought doesn’t always cut it. (Cookies from Levain — the most famous NYC cookie bakery — are considerably better shipped straight from the bakery, even though you can find them in the grocery store now.) But not to worry, because there are professional bakers all over the South striving to create the perfect cookie.
Don’t get us wrong — we love Crumbl, Tiff’s Treats, Insomnia Cookies, and Cheryl’s as much as you do, but if a cookie-worthy occasion arises and you’re looking to support small businesses, we’ve got nine delicious options right here. Crispy to gooey, classic to inventive, these bakeries offer cookie delivery options that are to die for.
8 Southern Cookie Bakeries That Ship!
HiFi Cookies | Nashville, TN
Everything about HiFi Cookies is funky, musical, and creative. New York native Sean Newsome left the restaurant industry and started experimenting and remixing some of his mother’s classic recipes. After he fell in love with his wife Kristen, they also fell in love with Nashville, launching HiFi cookies in 2016. Inspired by childhood classics like Fruity Pebbles and Cosmic Brownies, Sean wants his cookies to evoke something magic or nostalgic in you, like a great song. Since HiFi is a small-batch operation, they only ship cookies on Wednesdays. You can shop HERE.
“The Hits” box contains four best-selling favorites: Bowie (Funfetti cookie with white chocolate chips), Marvin (pretzel and potato chip cookie with mini chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and toffee), Etta (peanut butter cookie with peanut butter chips and Cap’n Crunch Peanut Brittle), Johnny (chocolate cookie with dark chocolate chips and Cocoa Krispie and cacao nib crunch). Image: HiFi Cookies
Sugar Shane’s | Atlanta, GA
Two years ago, Shane Quillin quit his corporate job to chase his passion for baking cookies. With no formal training, family recipes, or culinary experience, Shane has now won Dessert Wars and gained tons of hungry fans in Atlanta and beyond. He’s got a creative and rotating menu of melt-in-your-mouth flavors with a signature gooey (and very Insta-worthy center), and he ships nationwide. Shop Sugar Shane’s HERE.
Shane’s New York Style “8 Mile” cookies have semi-sweet chips, dark chips, M&Ms, caramel chips, pretzels and are topped with flakey sea salt. Image: Sugar Shane’s
RELATED: The Single-Most Indulgent Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe You’ll Ever Make
Kizito Cookies | Louisville, KY
Many Kentuckians already know Elizabeth Kizito’s joyful smile and her irresistible cookies. If you don’t, you will soon. Elizabeth was born under a banana tree (literally!) in Uganda and came to the United States in 1975 with a dream to start her own life and business. She’s been working on realizing her bakery dreams for more than 30 years, and flavors like Lucky In Kentucky and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip have customers lining up. You can order from Kizito’s Louisville bakery online HERE.
“Cookie Lady” Elizabeth Kizito’s homage to her adopted home, this cookie has dark chocolate mixed with white chocolate and crispy pecans along for the ride. Image: Kizito Cookies
Cookie Rich | Austin, TX
A newer player in the cookie scene, Lorin Michel Peters was forced to leave her career as a chef of savory goods when the pandemic rocked the culinary industry. She set out to shake up the classic cookie by creating a bulbous, curvy double-sized cookie with delectable fillings in between … while also honoring the nostalgic flavors and textures of classic homemade cookies. After lots of recipe tinkering in her home kitchen, the perfect cookie took shape, and Cookie Rich was created. Get this chef’s quirky creations shipped directly to you on Goldbelly.
Cookie Rich boasts inventive flavors and luxe packaging that is more suited for a French macaron than a Texas cookie! Image: Cookie Rich
Grey Ghost Bakery | Charleston, SC
Grey Ghost Bakery’s cookie recipes have been passed down for generations like many ghost stories from owner Katherine Frankstone’s childhood. At five, Katherine learned to bake — not with an Easy-Bake oven but right alongside her parents in the kitchen. She started the small, family-owned baking company to honor those lazy summer baking days and Carolina Lowcountry lore … one of which says that the friendly Grey Ghost will warn residents of impending coastal storms. Shop lemon sugar, molasses spice, chocolate bourbon, and more addictive flavors HERE.
Grey Ghost Bakery cookies are hand-formed from scratch and come in a bevy of truly addictive flavors like this crowd favorite, lemon sugar. Image: Grey Ghost Bakery
Appalachia Cookie Company | Boone, NC
David Holloman launched Appalachia Cookie Company during his senior year at Appalachia State University, and he’s won over fans the nation over, including Paula Deen. She called his Blueberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie one of the top 10 cookies in the country, but other flavors like Cookies and Cream or Cheesecake might become your favorite. The good thing is, you can order an assortment directly from Boone HERE.
To create this fan favorite, lots of whole Oreos are added to classic brown sugar batter with creamy white chocolate chips folded in. Image: Appalachia Cookie Company
RELATED: 9 Southern Chocolate Makers We Love
Celli’s | Williamsburg, VA
After she left a career on Wall Street and her four children were grown, Gina Celli entered the cookie business. Since setting up shop near the heart of Colonial Williamsburg in 2019, Celli’s has lured a legion of loyal cookie fans who want a taste of the recipe it’s taken Gina more than two decades to perfect. Have some shipped and try them for yourself.
Celli cuts no corners — she bakes in small batches with high-end, organic ingredients like triple-milled French flour, Madagascar vanilla beans, super-premium chocolate, and European butter. Image: Celli’s
Cookie Fix | Birmingham, AL
After a childhood fascinated by the baking magic of her mother and years of whipping up cookies for her own family, Amy started Cookie Fix. She quickly couldn’t keep up with demand — everyone around Birmingham wanted her homemade dough on hand in their freezers in case they needed it. Now she features more than 80 rotating flavors to pick up in-store, and you can try a select few flavors in tubs and frozen dough HERE.
Cookie Fix’s signature element? Crispy outside meets gooey inside — a combination that is very hard to pull off. Image: Cookie Fix
Go get your delicious Southern cookies, cookie monsters!
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