Two Dallas sisters with a love of baking and fitness have turned their passion into an online business. Meghann and Erin O'Leary, both Southern Methodist University graduates, created O'Cookies Wholesome Bites, organic cookies that start with a whole-wheat flour blend, trim the fat and load up on good-for-you ingredients such as dried fruit and nuts.
But if you think these are tasteless "health" cookies, think again. The two-bite, 60-calorie mounds have a wonderful, dense, cookie-dough texture, and the chocolate makes them taste decadent.
"Erin and I have always loved baking," says Meghann, a 2005 grad who lives in Dallas. "And we love sweets." Erin, who graduated in 2004, is pursuing a dance career, so she lives in New York, where she's also an instructor at Physique 57.
The sisters started baking on her New York visits, Meghann says, and realized they spent a lot of time adapting cookie recipes to be more healthful. They talked about turning their pastime into a business, and O'Cookies was born.
Erin handles all of New York, where family and friends helped spread the word – and the cookies. "I'm doing Dallas and most of the shipping," says Meghann, who's now in the cookie business full time. In fact, if you live close to her, or your location is convenient, Meghann may even hand-deliver your cookies.
"It's really incredible to work together," she says of her sister partnership, "and it's great to have a job we're so passionate about."
