Cookie Lady Does What She Loves
Dale Muramoto serves up freshly baked cookies. Photo courtesy The Cookie Lady Hawaii
Nothing beats the invigorating aroma of freshly baked cookies right out of the oven, and when you want cookies done right, The Cookie Lady Hawaii delivers the recipe for success.
Dale Muramoto serves as chief executive baker and is the woman behind Cookie Lady Hawaii, which opened up shop in Waipahu in January 2010. Muramoto originally considered baking as a mere hobby, but with a passion for the trade, she finally decided to take it one step further.
“I started off with family recipes, and modified them here and there. I started to bake on my days off from work as an outlet to relieve stress,” Muramoto says. “I started to bake more and more, and I began to make little goodie baskets to give to family and friends for small occasions.
“Years later, my daughter suggested that we stop working for others and start working for ourselves. My daughter said that we should do something that we were both passionate about and suggested that we open a cookie shop!”
With 14 varieties of cookies to choose from, including chocolate chip, shortbread macadamia nut and the signature lemon cookie, there’s something for even the most indecisive cookie monster.
Prices start at $2.25 for a bag of three cookies, $6.50 for a bag of 10, and $18 for a jar of 30 to 35 cookies.
“Currently we sell our cookies in our shop in Waipahu, but you can also get them at Karen’s Kitchen on Cooke Street or Maruki Tei in the food court in Windward Mall,” Muramoto says. “Our goal is not to mass produce cookies, but to treat each one as if we’re going to give it to family,” she adds.
“That’s how we think of our customers. We put a little love in each cookie. Our cookies have that homemade feel, just like mom used to make.”
Muramoto says all of her cookies are derived from personal family recipes, which she has personalized and tweaked over time.
As of now, the majority of clientele is local, but Muramoto says that she’s noticed an increase in Japanese visitors as well.
“We hope to open other locations so that we can cater to more of our customers,” she says. “Thank you to our customers who travel so far to get our cookies. It’s very rewarding when customers enjoy my cookies and seeing them return every week for more.
“I especially love when I’m able to hand a child a cookie, and see them take the first bite and smile.”
The Cookie Lady Hawaii is located at 94-449 Akoki St., Waipahu. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Closed on Sundays and Mondays.) For more information, call 671-4715 or visit thecookieladyhawaii.com.
