Our Story:
The beginning of
Lucy Jane's Cookie Jar
Lucy Jane's Cookie Jar welcomes you to our delicious homebake and always Gluten-Free cookies!
Chief Cookie Creator, Leslie Mason, grew up here in the Austin area with my parents and older brother. At some point in my childhood my Dad gave me the nickname Lucy Jane. I really don’t remember when or how it started, but it stuck. So when I decided to start my cookie company, it was the obvious choice for a name.
My Mom enjoyed baking so we always had homemade cakes for birthdays and homemade cookies or cupcakes for other parties and events. This fostered my love of baking.
Frosted sugar cookies at Christmas were my favorite! I was happily baking desserts for family birthday and holiday celebrations and happily eating gluten without issue. Then 8 years ago after an endoscopy looking for reflux, I was surprised instead with a diagnosis of Celiac disease.
I’m going to be perfectly honest, I started to cry when the Dr. told me. It was partially because I was still under the effects of the anesthesia from the endoscopy, plus it was completely shocking because I had not been having any of the traditional symptoms. The main reason I was upset was because I really liked cake, cookies, and the local famous doughnuts. (Yes, you know the ones!) Up until this moment in my life the only gluten free dessert I had tried was HORRIBLE! After getting over the initial shock, I thought there have to be some decent desserts out there. I tried many. Some were still awful, others ok, and then some that tasted good, but the texture was off. A common phrase I kept hearing was “It’s good, for gluten free”. That wasn't good enough for me.
My Mom and I both kept trying and can now bake desserts that just taste good and can be enjoyed by both gluten free and gluten eaters. This turned out to be a very good thing because she now requires a gluten free diet and a few years ago, my brother was also diagnosed with Celiac. He figured out how to bake gluten free too!!
The world of gluten free desserts has come a long way, but there are still only a select few bakeries that make quality gluten free items. Quality gluten free cookies are still lacking. For this reason, I created Lucy Jane's Cookie Jar. Cookies so good, people are often shocked when I tell them they’re gluten free. I’m the designated baker for family events with my in-laws and none of them eat gluten free. My nieces and nephew are always excited to see and taste what Aunt Leslie brought. This is truly my passion and I bake with love. Thanks for visiting and always, thank you for supporting a local business!