14 | PALESTINE MAGAZINE | HOLIDAY EDITION 2024
FEATURE | COOKIES
Rockin ’ Dough Cookie Co .
These ain ’ t your granny ’ s cookies !
BY PENNYLYNN WEBB
Julie Kato had roots in Palestine , and returned to find support from friends who she said have become like sisters – it was those friends who inspired her to create the
Rockin ’ Cookie Dough Company . “ When I moved back to Palestine , I didn ’ t have a lot of family left here , but I had a group of friends that has really become like family to me ,” she said . “ Our group has always had ties with music . We are all single , so we just started doing stuff we always said we were going to do , we made sure we went to all the concerts we could . We ’ d go to three or four a year , or we ’ d sit around the patio table , have a drink and listen to rock n ’ roll .”
Kato said she works full-time as a preschool teacher and Assistant Director for the Palestine Independent School District Employee Day Care , however , after her son , who has high functioning Autism , graduated from high school and his child support stopped she began looking for ways to make more money . She took on another job as a waitress . Prior to moving to Palestine , Kato said she worked full time in a bakery and that she had always done custom cakes on the side . She began thinking and praying about different ways she could put her baking skills to work . That ’ s when the idea for a cookie company began to develop .
“ It ’ s really just fallen into place and found its niche ,” she said . “ I didn ’ t want to do something that everyone else was doing . I wanted to create cookies that you couldn ’ t get anywhere else .”
She started by developing her own recipes for cookies and passing them out to other teachers at PISD .
“ So when the cookie business started , and my friends and I were sitting around one day , I told them I didn ’ t know what I was going to call it . My friend , Sherry Poe , said ‘ You need to call it Rockin ’ Dough .’ And I thought , ‘ That sounds pretty good .’ Then we all decided to name all the cookies after songs .”
Kato said each cookie has been named by one of her friends or her son .
Kato started out offering 6 ounce cookies and now also offers a 3 ounce cookie .
She rolls and then weighs the dough ball of each cookie before she bakes to ensure they all weigh the exact amount they are supposed to .
She set up her kitchen , filed all the necessary paperwork , got her DBA , set up a website and social media pages and started selling cookies .
She has developed 18 unique cookie recipes and also takes orders for an array of other items , including custom cakes , cheesecake , pies , cake pops , cake balls and edible cookie dough . “ Just whatever comes to mind , I do ,” Kato said . She takes special orders , sets up at festivals and ships cookies . She has filled orders for shipments throughout the state as well as to Georgia , Iowa , Washington , Missouri and Tennessee . Kato said if she ’ s not at work , she ’ s baking .
“ It ’ s something that I love to do , it ’ s not really work , I ’ ve always loved to create ,” she said .
Kato has not only used this
14 | PALESTINE MAGAZINE | HOLIDAY EDITION 2024