Cupcakes, cookies and cinnamon rolls, oh my!
Brittney Cummings Murdie is a new cottage-food law baker in Jackson County under the name Petal & Whisk Bakery, and one bite of her sweets and you know it comes from the heart.
She’s been baking since she was a little girl, and learned from her mother, Lucinda, who will be retir - ing this year from Industrial East as the music teacher. In fact, Murdie uses her mother's sugar cookie rec - ipe, and adds her own little oomph. "I'm the daughter of Houston Cummings, who was the Industrial band director, we moved to Edna when I was seven and then moved to Rice Consolidat - ed when my father got a job there," Murdie said. "I graduated in 2009, moved back here, and have been here ever since." Baking and pastries has been Brittney's passions, but it always didn't take a front seat in her life. She'd even toured the Art Institute in Houston, but as life often does, it finds its own path, and for her, it took the form of her husband Dakota, and three sons, Canaan, Isaiah and Gideon.
"I would bake on and off for people, and I had some mental health postpartum depression, but I'm to the point where I've gotten it under control," she said. "I picked up crocheting, which was therapeutic for me, but baking has always been my dream." Now there's no stopping her, and with the support of her husband of 11 years, she's slowly work - ing towards the brick and mortar bakery she's always wanted. Murdie said in addition to running errands and delivering, he's been learning how to bake the gourmet cookies she offers.
"When he's not working at his job he's helping me," she said. "I had a big week - end recently and while I decorated, he began baking the gourmet cookies." Petal & Whisk Bakery has been operating for about two months, and does so through the Texas cot - tage food law, which means home-bakers can bake from their home and have a food handler's certification. She does not make anything perishable that has to be refrigerated because they have to be time-temperature controlled, but once she has a commercial kitchen she plans to.
Her ideas are made from scratch, and sometimes come from Dakota's mind as well as her own. For example, the new thing she hopes to offer soon are cookie pies, which Murdie says are big in the UK now.
"It's a cookie baked in a springform pan, and then you fill it with whatever you want to: a chocolate milk spread, candy bars, pretzels, etc. I do one with a brownie base," she said, "so that's the next thing I hope to offer." The name Petal & Whisk Bakery came from Brit - tney's two loves: piping flowers out of buttercream, and baking in general. She's not a storefront, so one must order something first, but she does custom orders, like cakes, cinna - mon rolls, cookies and cupcakes, so sometimes she has extra goodies on hand to sell most every weekend.
Petal & Whisk Bakery in Edna can be found on Face - book, and on Instagram, under petalwhiskbakery. One can also call or text her, 361-648-6885.
"My faith has been a big part in this push to do this, I've struggled with that some, but I know this is what God wants me to do, and we're going to do it, and we're going to do it scared," Murdie said with strength. "I know He will provide a way and we'll figure it out as we go." "There's a lot of other cottage bakers in this town, and I'd like to start a net - work within us. I don't do fondant or royal icing, but would like to refer those clients to others, and then they do the same so we know who does what sort of specialties," Murdie said.
