Her mother taught her to bake. Now she has her own business

LAKE MILLS — When Morgan Fox was a kid, her mom would frequently bake cookies and other treats.

“The passion for baking really started with my mom,” Fox said.

And when it was time for her to decorate her mom's cookies, Fox didn’t just want the traditional icing and sprinkles. As a kid she was already adding piping and fancy decorations to all of the cookies.

Now, Fox has made a business out of this passion. Originally from Sun Prairie, Fox moved to Lake Mills in 2020. By 2021, she was getting requests from friends for customized cookies for birthdays and events. So in 2022, Fox launched a business around these requests, which she called Morgan's Custom Cookies.

Fox said it was pretty easy to get off the ground, because she already had so many connections to people who were interested in buying her cookies. She is often booked with orders several months out and as of August, had already received requests for 2025 orders.

She takes orders a few times every week, on top of working full time at Journey Mental Health Center and going to school online for her substance abuse counselor license.

Despite being very busy with a job and school, Fox said baking as a business is worth it.

“My favorite part is when the finished product is all done and they pick them up, or I get to deliver them, and the look on their faces when they see them personalized,” Fox said. “Seeing the kids' faces light up when they see their favorite characters is such a good feeling.”

And just like when she was a little girl, her favorite part of the baking process is decorating. For Fox, baking is like an art and a space for her to show her creativity. She enjoys designing cookies around a theme with elaborate decorations.

For now, Fox sells her cookies out of her house and does advertising through word of mouth. She is getting married in September, and after the wedding is over, Fox hopes to expand her custom cookies to sell at markets and to partner with local businesses to sell in stores if possible.