Kim and Patrick Cliett have a worry-free solution for people who want to eat raw cookie dough that cautions people to cook before indulging.
“It’s completely safe,” said Kim Cliett of the product sold at Alumni Cookie Dough on Town Park Lane in Evans. “We use heat-treated flour. At first, we used egg whites, but we completely took the egg out of it.”
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The Cliett’s shop looks like an ice cream shop. Raw cookie dough is kept in a refrigerated area and scooped out with an ice cream scoop. It can be added to make a milk shake or sundae, placed in between baked cookies or simply eaten from a cup.
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Alumni Cookie Dough offers several flavors, but the hands-down favorite is chocolate chip, she said.
They also offer vegan, gluten-free and keto options. The two gluten-free options are chocolate chip and oatmeal.
She said she doesn’t know what to call the vegan flavor.
“It has a tropical taste,” she said.
The vegan recipe has aspects of coconut milk and applesauce that give it that tropical hint.
The Clietts opened the sweets shop in November 2019 and made it through the pandemic with a few creative ideas. They offered curbside pickup early on and have their product available through Grub Hub. They also had neighborhood pickup days, where neighborhoods would do a pre-order, and the Clietts would deliver all the dough in one day.
“About 30 neighborhoods kept us going,” she said.
They also participated in Showpony’s ‘We Give A Shirt’ campaign, which raised money for area businesses and non-profit organizations last year.
The Clietts believe in giving back to the community.
Each month, they have a specialty flavor. In February, a birthday cake flavor was used to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The cookie monster flavor was originally an autism awareness flavor with its bright-blue coloring, but children liked it so much that it became a regular part of the menu, she said.
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They also have spirit days, during which they donate a portion of the proceeds to a school. They also have a fundraiser which allows schools to take orders for cookie dough and sell it.
Patrick Cliett said it’s a win-win as the schools don’t have to pay for the product upfront.
The Clietts also cater events.
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A friend of the Clietts started the first Alumni Cookie Dough in Athens, Ga. Kim Cliett said the Evans store is a sister store to the Athens’ one, but now the founders are starting to franchise other locations.
For more information, call (706) 922-0708.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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