I can’t believe I’m finally writing this post. I’ve somewhat kept you in the loop with my career shift (but still blogging when I can, don’t worry!), especially if you follow me on TikTok.
I am officially open for business, and my new company, Little Brittle™, has formally launched! I have been pouring all my time, heart, and focus into this, and I am so excited to be doing this finally!
Over the past year, I have been working night and day in between being a full-time mom to create a brand, organize my new business, get insured, build a website, dive into marketing, become certified, get my license, and sign a lease for a commercial kitchen space. It has been more work than I expected, but it has finally paid off, and the fun part has started. As a mom, I do most of my work during the early mornings, nap time, and after bedtime. It’ll be easier once we dabble into daycare next year.
For the past few years, I have been baking for locals on the side. I’ve made themed cakes, cookies, brittle, and sourdough loaves, and I do local cinnamon rolls almost every Sunday. It brought me so much joy that I decided to finally take the next step into doing this full-time.
I attended my very first farmers market last weekend as a vendor!
I was incredibly nervous about this career shift, primarily afraid of what others would think, but that’s silly. I’m glad I decided to follow my dreams, and I don’t think I’ve been this happy in a long time. I felt like I was missing something, and I feel incredibly full right now. Before I started this blog, I made cupcakes and cakes for weddings in college. Some of you probably remember those days I used to share on Tumblr. The blogging world took off, and I had a shift in goals.
We just circled back to what I always wanted to do. I love to bake. I will jump to the occasion when anyone asks on our neighborhood forum for a dessert or for somone who can make something for an event. I bake like a maniac when family or friends visit, which I never get tired of doing. During the holidays, I made a dessert board for a client that had over 1000 items on it. I stayed up until 3 am completing it, and baking is the only thing I’ll willingly stay up for (aside from my child.) I’m just so passionate about it, and I would regret not following those dreams.
One day, I was sitting on the couch, and my husband said, “You know, you really should start your own company for your baking and brittle.” that’s how it started. The next day we started talking about names, a plan, the look, legalities, and our goals. About ten months later, here I am!
I will sell my baked goods locally, offering baked goods for nationwide shipping, creating custom corporate boxes, and selling my brittle flavors online! During the holidays, I will offer festive gift boxes filled with seasonal treats. I will try to do as many pop-ups and festivals as possible, too! If you are local, follow our social media to stay updated on when we are at a market (like this weekend!) I have spent the past months creating over 65 brittle flavors that I will rotate throughout the year! In the fall, I’ll launch all new seasonal flavors, which are so good! I can’t wait for you to try them.
Now that I’m in a commercial kitchen space, I can produce higher volumes of brittle, sourdough cinnamon rolls and other baked goods. We are working right now on the logistics of shipping the cinnamon rolls, which will be amazing!
My recap posts will be so much fun now that I can take you along on this new journey of mine as a mom and business owner! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments. I will check them this evening!
Below, I’ll share some Little Brittle™ photos from the past months!
Thank you all for the support over the past 14 years, I can’t wait to share this new chapter!
I wake up on cinnamon roll mornings at 3 am. They need a double rise and so much time to prepare, which was no different on the morning of my first farmers market. I wanted the cinnamon rolls to be fresh as can be! I made all of my brittle bags and cookies the night before and woke up early to start the rolls. If you follow me on TikTok, I often share vlogs of the process.
If you are a fan of peanut brittle or know a family member, that is, you’ll have to try mine! I spent countless hours perfecting the consistency, and after years of making it with my my mom, the recipe is finally in its perfection era.
When I was trying to design the brand, I wanted something that felt cozy, classy, and inviting. I started drawing peanuts, and somehow I ended up sketching a cottage. And maybe if I have a brick-and-mortar one day, this cottage I drew for my logo will come to light! I love how my branding turned out, and I almost went the black-and-white or beige route, but I felt as if the color was needed. It just felt more like “me.” The market was a success. We sold a lot of brittle bags, sold entirely out of cinnamon rolls, and most of the cookies, and even made some online orders after it. I can’t wait to be back there this weekend with my cinnamon rolls and a new dessert menu! We will also have our classic peanut brittle and maple cinnamon pecan.
It was cool having my son there and showing him that his mom set a goal and went after it. He is what motivates me to do it all. I’m sure his highlight of the farmer’s market was having Grandma feed him pancakes from the Flipped truck. They are some of the best!
We had samples of our classic peanut brittle and our maple cinnamon pecan brittle. It was so rewarding hearing everyone’s feedback. People loved that our brittle was light and airy!
My favorite local coffee shop, Humble Cup Coffee Company, also attends the Fort Mill Farmer’s Market, which is fantastic when I need the mid-morning pick-me-up!
Our sourdough cinnamon rolls were a hit! They sold out entirely, along with the Nutella cinnamon rolls. This weekend, I’ll have Father’s Day boxes for the rolls. I’ll also be selling on Sunday morning in my neighborhood, which is also super fun. Getting up at 3:00 am on the weekends is tough but worth it! After the coffee sets in, it’s relaxing since the house is so quiet and everyone is alseep.
I wanted to eat all of these cookies, and so did my little one.
I also had classic almond sugar cookies with blue almond frosting, a lemon blueberry cookie with lemon meringue buttercream, oatmeal cream pies, and chocolate chip cookie sandwiches that almost sold completely out! I made the cookies ginormous!
I will offer local pick-up for these cinnamon rolls three days a week at my kitchen space and other pop-up locations. You can find out more about that on my website! Hopefully, soon, we’ll be shipping nationwide.
The Nutella rolls are a game-changer!
I will also be shipping Little Brittle™ chocolate chip cookies! This recipe has been in the works for almost seven months and is to die for!
Coming up with the brittle flavor calendar was one of the most fun parts! Executing the recipes was the biggest challenge, but I cannot wait for you to try these new brittle flavors! We have Root Beer Float, Gingerbread, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Citrus Lavender, Mocha, Raspberry Cheesecake, and so many more on the lineup!
We’ve also been shipping out corporate boxes, which has been incredible!
Above is the caramel cashew, one of my favorite flavors!
Pistachio almond lovers!
I can’t wait for you to experience Little Brittle™! I have so much more in the works, and the fun is just getting started.
I hope you all browse the website, and let me know what you think! xo
Congratulations Tara! One of my favorite memories was coming over to your house and decorating Christmas cookies with you when we were in college <3 I can't wait for the Pumpkin Spice flavored brittle! I can't wait to read and watch you grow with this new adventure!
Oh my gosh! I have photos from that! I wish you lived closer. Thank you for your sweet words! xo
Looks like we’ll need to plan a girls trip and I can come visit you/ you come visit me! 😉
YES YES YES
This is really cool! Congrats! Glad you followed your dreams 🙂 Enjoy all the moments
Thank you, Shannon!!!
Congrats on your new business!!! I just started a small candle making side hustle myself, but nothing compared to such a grand scale like this! I’ll definitely be ordering some items in the future!
Awww thank you, Kat!!! Don’t sell yourself short! I bet it’s amazing. I can’t wait to check out your page!
Congrats! I hope you are able to ship to Alaska in the future so I can order brittle!!!
It’s in the works!!
Yay!!!!! Can’t wait to support you and your business!
Yum, yum, & yum! What an amazing career change for you!
Thank you!!!!
Congrats, this looks so amazing!! Do you think you will do any shipping of brittle in the future? I live several states away 😭😭😭
Yes!! all my brittle ships! 🙂 You can checkout on my website!
Awesome I’m so excited thank you!
Omg congratulations! Some of us have indeed been around since tumblr. It’s been incredible to watch you evolve from afar & I’m so excited to follow you on this next adventure!
Ahhh thank you, Katie!!!!
Congratulations !! Another long time tumblr follower here. Your blogs have been such a constant through the last 10+ years of change in my life! Your new business looks incredible, I’m sure all of your hard work will bring amazing rewards. Look forward to following your next adventure !
Awwww thank you so much, Hannah! That is the sweetest!!!!
TARA!! Just placed my order – I’m so flippin’ excited! Excited for you, and the brittle, I should say 😂
You’ve been on such a unique journey throughout life and I’m so happy that you’re doing what you love! Can’t wait to see what more is to come!
Ahhh!!! just saw that and it made me smile!! thank you for the support!!!!
How awesome for you ! Congratulations,, it all looks amazing 🙂
Thank you!!
Taralynn!! Congratulations! I saw your account on Insta & assumed you were up to something amazing. I’m so happy for you! Everything is adorable & looks delicious! Any chance there will be a gluten free cookie or cinnamon roll? 🙂
Always up to something lol 🙂
Thank you so so so much!!!!
I can definitely do some gluten-free ones, unfortunately, they won’t be certified since I do work with regular flour in my kitchen, but I can definitely offer some!
Amazing! I’ve always wondered if you would do something like this! Your cakes looks SO professional and the sourdough bread too! I will definitely be a customer. Is your mug for sale!? The logo with the cottage is the cutest thing!!! I’m
Thank you, Kate!!!
Those mugs are in the works along with some coffee!! 🙂
Thank you so so so much!!! The logo is my favorite and it was so fun to design! It all happened while sitting at the counter with a pen! I need to frame the original one 🙂
Omg yay i can’t wait! I love merch and maybe in the future some tote bags or something will come along too…. 😉 the whole thing is just so inspiring. You are an artist! Yes, definitely have the original framed! Congrats again, can’t wait to try!
Your website looks amazing Taralynn! I am so happy for you and this new chapter, you are so talented and inspiring, I am so glad you went after your dreams! I´ve been following you for more than 10 years and it´s been a pleasure to see you growing up and turning into the women you are today.
I know I won´t be able to try it out as I live in Europe but once I come to US it will be on my bucket list!
Big hugs 🙂
thank you so so so much, Milena!!!!!
I would love to meet you one day! 🙂
All of these baked goods look sooo good and tasty! (sadly I live in France 😄)
It’s very inspiring to see you succeed and following your dream, I wish you all the success you deserve!
Aw, thank you, Nina!
Oh my goodness!! This is fantastic! And all looks amazing. Congrats, Taralynn!
Thank you, Mackenzie!!
Congratulations! Your baking looks amazing and I love the branding. As a stay at home mom of a three year old I can only imagine the amount of hard work and commitment this took!
Thank you so much, Helen!
and as a mom of one, I cannot imagine how tough 3 is!!! you go girl.
Oh so you mean after YEARS of making our mouths water with such delicious recipes we can now buy it?! Girl, you are about to be SO BUSY!!! 😉
Congrats!!! I can’t wait to try one of those cinnamon rolls! I’ve been drooling over them for months! 🙂
Ahhhh thank you, Heather!!!!!
YEEEESSS!! CONGRATS girl! I have always said that you should open a bakery or something one day – and now you’ve actually done it! I’m super proud of you, which I guess is weird coming from a stranger but idc. I’ve followed you since the Tumblr days and I’ve always loved your love for baking. This is really awesome, I’m so happy for you! Can’t wait to read more about this exciting new beginning 😍👏🏽
It’s been a dream and hopefully one day I’ll open the doors!
thank you so much!!!
I’ve been here for years now and would like to say congratulations, you (and your family standing ride beside you) deserve all the success that comes your way 🙂 hugs to all!
This is so sweet. thank you thank you thank you!
Congratulations Taralynn! I’m so proud of you! YOU GO GIRL! Love the name and logo! Everything looks so professional and polished. You deserve all the success that will soon follow.
THANK YOU!! gosh this made me smile!
Congratulations on making your dreams a reality!! so so proud of you! this just seems absolutely perfect for you, and I love the name 🙂
AWW thank you, Kelsey!!
Congratulations! I have been following along since the Tumblr days and it is so inspiring to watch your story unfold! I’m proud of you for following your dreams — can’t wait to try Little Brittle!
Thanks so much, Emma!!!
Wow! So proud and happy for you and your family, Tara! I’ve been here since Tumblr & have really enjoyed the blog & following your journey. This is spot on for you. Can’t wait to order! Cheers ☕️ Kim
Thank you, Kim!!!
Wow, you have been busy! Congratulations on your latest endeavor. Your website looks amazing!
Thank you so much, Dana!!
What a fun and delicious endeavor! I actually got a little teary-eyed reading your post because I’ve followed your blog since the Tumblr days and it’s been so lovely to see your journey over the years! You’ve always been very inspiring! Thank you for letting us follow along and congrats on this new chapter! As a graphic designer, I’m obsessed with your branding, and I can’t wait to order some of your baked goods… especially the Cinnamon rolls!
I’m curious how many hours a night do you usually sleep? I have two kids and the thought of waking up at 3 am sounds terrible haha
This comment is making me teary-eyed now!! gosh, thank you! And thank you for your feedback. That means so much coming from a graphic designer!!!
I usually get around 6-8 hours. My son goes to bed around 7:30, and I hop in bed with my book and fall asleep shortly after 🙂 My brain is mush at night so I don’t even try to do anything productive. I’m just a morning person 🙂
Congratulations everything looks so beautiful and yummy!
Thank you, Laura!!
This is so awesome! You go girl. Love supporting female small business owners and your baked goods look amazingggg. Question- any chance you’ll consider shipping sourdough bread at some point?
Thanks girlfriend!!!
YES! that is all in the works!:) I’m working with a few professionals to learn how to ship most of my sourdough bread and desserts safely and fresh!
That is amazing! You should be so proud of yourself. I followed your journey for the last 13 years from Germany and am so happy to see that you got just a full and happy life! All the best to your company, you will do amazing!
Thank you, Vanessa!!!!! this is so kind!!
I’m impressed! CONGRATULATIONS! Love the logo.
Thank you so much, Lorri!!!
Congrats!!! This is amazing!!! You are so good at marketing, the branding is perfect! Wishing you all the best!
Thank you, Nolwenn!!!!
It’s all so beautiful and sooo exciting!! Congratulations and… caramel cashew brittle—Count. Me. In!! 👏🏻🎉😍😋
That is one of my faves!!!
Longtime reader and just so excited for you!!! Good for you for going after your dreams and what a natural transition!! Looks like the perfect fit. Wishing you all the success!!
Thank you so much, Janel!!!
Congratulations on your new business! Your recipes for both chocolate chip cookies and double chocolate chip cookies are the only cookies I ever make now. I’ve used butterscotch chips and pecans, mixed white/dark chips, and mint chips in the double chocolate cookies. My family and colleagues always enjoy. I bet your other items are even better with all your testing so you should be a sweet success! It’s so wonderful to see someone’s dream come to reality – best of luck with your new adventure.
Thank you, Leslie!!!
Félicitation Tara c’est incroyable
Awww!!!
Congratulations on this exciting new venture, Taralynn! I am so excited to support your business and I look forward to when I can purchase some cinnamon rolls. The entire aesthetic of your business is so perfect and what a lucky little guy you have who can witness his mama doing #boss things.
Awwwww thank you so much, Nikki!!!!
aww! this is amazing. I love this for you! congratulations! May God prosper and flourish your business!!
Thank you, Lily!
Everything looks absolutely delicious 🙂 Congratulations on this new adventure. I wish you all the luck in the world. You deserve this 🙂
Gosh thank you Charlotte!
Congratulations! So proud to see my favorite blogger flourishing. Wishing you all the best! Placing my order right now.
AWW thank you, Susie!!
Congratulations! I am so happy for you and this is so well deserved. If you ship domestically, I’d love to try a couple of your flavors that you offer. My dad loves brittles and his birthday is coming up!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
I do!! 🙂 Thank you, Maureen!!
Great job! Your product presentation is so stylish and professional. So modern, yet so soft, pastel. I love the colors too. Best wishes growing this lovely business!
How fantastic Taralynn! Well done! Everything looks absolutely beautiful and I wish you all the best with it all!