A cup of good coffee is energizing, but if you want to supersize that experience, add a K-E Sweets Monster Cookie.
Josh Congleton, who runs K-E Sweets with his wife, Shay, calls it “the cookie when you can’t decide what kind of cookie you want. It’s your basic sugar cookie mixed with oats, cinnamon, M&M’s, chocolate chips, peanut butter, kind of an all-in-one. And they’re a larger size, so that’s why they’re called Monster Cookies.”
Creating tasty treats as a business started in November 2017 when Josh made spritz cookies from his grandmother’s recipe and sold them through posts on Facebook. He ended up making and selling more than 100 dozen.
“Mainly, what it came down to was, I wanted to enjoy them and eat some, but I didn’t want a whole bunch of cookies sitting around,” Josh said.
He did that for a few years during the holiday season while he worked at a full-time job that “didn’t allow a lot of flexibility.” Gradually, the idea came to sell more varieties to include Shay’s family sugar cookie recipe, and see if coffee shops would be interested in selling.
To do that, they needed a commercial kitchen, so in January 2023, they began using the Cravins Adventure Lunches facility in Livingston. Silo Espresso was their first wholesale client back in April 2023.
The name “K-E Sweets” comes from a tribute to Josh’s grandmother and to his daughter, the company’s dedicated quality control expert aka taste tester.
K-E Sweets soon went from sporadic production, maybe once a month, to steady weekly baking. Currently, each week they produce about 50 scones, 50 Monster Cookies, and 40 Raspberry Crumble Bars, plus other goodies like scotcheroos and brownies.
Josh keeps up this pace between other supplemental work. “It takes a lot of cookies to replace a full-time job,” he said.
The raspberry bars were “inspired by Crust and Crumb Bakery, when they closed their bakery, we decided we had to make them ourselves to keep them available locally,” Josh explained. And yes, I can affirm that the raspberry bars are delectable!
For holidays, the offerings get more elaborate, with decorated sugar cookies making an appearance. Scroll through the KESweets406 Facebook page to admire the four-inch sugar cookies shaped like pumpkin pies for last Thanksgiving.
Holiday cookie-decorating kits are also available, so “you don’t have the mess of decorating,” Josh said. “You don’t have to worry about all the ingredients and baking. It’s a soft sugar cookie, so the kids always have fun decorating them, and they taste delicious.
Josh said he appreciates the supportive feedback he’s been getting from customers. “We look forward to continuing to bake in the community.”
You can find K-E Sweets in Livingston at Silo Espresso (both locations) and at LuLu’s Montana Market. You can also find them at Two Doors Down in Clyde Park and at the Super 8 in Gardiner. Keep an eye out for Easter goodies appearing later in March.
In addition, Josh turns up at holiday markets in the area, as well as the Livingston farmers market. He plans to be there again this summer, hopefully with a cart selling gourmet hot dogs when the details get worked out.
Watch for flash sales that are announced periodically on Facebook, on the KESweets406 page or the “This is REALLY Livingston” page. Josh will also ship products, either wholesale or to individuals.
For more information and to make arrangements for private orders, go to facebook.com/KESweets406 or email Josh at kesweets406@gmail.com.