“C” was for “cookie” in downtown Hanford Thursday afternoon, as Modern Farmhouse Cookies celebrated its brick-and-mortar grand opening.
And before the doors were even open at noon, there was a line down the block.
“I’m excited. It’s more than I anticipated,” said owner and baker Jennifer Thornton, adding that she hoped she’d have enough cookies to last the day.
Before opening up at 250 W. 8th St. in Hanford, Thornton baked and sold cookies out of her home kitchen, gathering a large following of loyal customers via social media.
“I see a few familiar faces already,” she said, as the bakery’s first customers filed into the shop just after noon.
The bakery offers a variety of creations that will rotate every week or so. Currently, the local favorites are the chocolate chip sea salt and the double chocolate peanut butter, which is stuffed with peanut butter and topped with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
“The s’mores are always a classic,” Thornton said. “It’s got a graham cracker, stuffed with marshmallow and topped with a toasted marshmallow and a Hershey chocolate bar.”
All the cookies are Thornton’s own recipes, honed in the kitchen over the past three years.
“I’m already working on a menu for next week,” she said.
The bakery has seven employees, but with such a busy opening, that may need adjusting.
“With the turnout today, I may need to hire a couple more,” she said with a laugh.
The store is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
