12/05/2025
Every great story starts with a spark — and for Daina Lloyd, it began with a recipe whose origins have been lost to time. A page in a book? A screenshot online? A handwritten note tucked in a drawer? She’s not sure. But that mystery became part of the magic. What she does remember is how the recipe evolved.
It didn’t come to life in a kitchen — it came to life in a family. Her daughters stood beside her, taste-testing, mixing, subtracting, reinventing. One refused raisins but adored coconut. Another insisted oatmeal was non-negotiable. Then came the great flavor debate: vanilla? almond? lemon? Batch after batch, they shaped something uniquely theirs.
Soon, at every church function and family reunion, the question became the same: “Are you bringing THE cookies?” And that’s when Daina realized this wasn’t just a recipe at all — it was a metaphor. Life hands us a basic formula. But the real story is how we make it our own. We add a little of this, take away a little of that. We learn the hard lessons (like never, ever use fake butter). We adjust, refine, and rewrite until the result feels true to who we are. Because in the end, whether it’s a cookie or a life’s journey, the goal is the same: To show up as something unmistakably, unapologetically you.
So yes — bring the cookies. But even more importantly… bring THE YOU!
Congratulations, Daina, on winning PSL's 2026 Cookie of the Year with your Coconut Cranberry Chewies!
