A Day in the Life of a Home Baker

Welcome back to The Nest! Today, I’m taking you behind the scenes of a typical day here at Little Owls Bakery. While every week follows a similar schedule, I’ll be walking you through what a typical Sunday through Friday looks like! 

My week starts on Sunday, when I make all of my cookie dough for the week ahead. I then cut out all of the week's designs, which usually involves a trip to my collection of cookie cutters and possibly even using my 3D printer to create a new cutter. Lastly, after cutting out all of my designs, I bake them all! Although Sundays are long, they set the stage for the rest of the week. 

On Monday, I make all of my icing for the week ahead, typically around three gallons and a variety of colors, then the real work begins! 

From Monday afternoon through Friday, my days revolve around decorating, photographing, and scheduling my orders. 

Typically, my days start early, with my alarm going off at 6 a.m. Before I ever pick up a piping bag, I make sure to post on both Facebook and Instagram at 6:30 a.m to share my work with my customers and fellow cookiers. Sharing my work and connecting with my community is one of my favorite parts of this business, and mornings are the quietest time to do that intentionally.

By 9 a.m., I’m in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, reviewing designs and beginning to decorate. Depending on the order, decorating might include using my projector to make sure each design is flawless or possibly even watercoloring a design or two. This part of the day is all about staying focused, giving each detail my attention to ensure that every cookie fits seamlessly into the set.

By early afternoon, the decorated cookies are drying and I begin to shift gears. I photograph completed designs, respond to emails, finalize design plans, and brainstorm new ideas and products for my customers. Below, you can see my photography set-up compared to the final product!

As evening rolls around, I’m back at the decorating table adding final details and finishing touches. Most nights, I don’t wrap up decorating and cleaning until around 9:00 p.m. By then, trays are stacked, orders are coming together, and my kitchen is finally quiet again.

This schedule is full, sometimes exhausting, and deeply rewarding. Baking from home allows me to create, share, and connect in a way that feels incredibly meaningful. As always, thank you for your continued support, I would not be able to run Little Owls Bakery without all of you! 

Until next time, keep baking!

Stephanie Barnes

Cookie Tip #3:

Skip the flour! Instead, roll your cookie dough out between two silicone baking mats, as shown in the picture. No fuss, no mess!

Click the image to the right to check out Silicon Baking Mats on my Amazon storefront.