Knoxville entrepreneur's passion for baking fueled by joy of sharing

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Lindsay Beeson prepares a batch of cookies at her home.

"When I get excited I go big with my ideas. I was baking cookies and wondering what would happen if I could make this into something real."

Lindsay Beeson

Lindsay Beeson's desire to bake is fueled by her hunger to make others happy.

Apparently, it's working.

In a little over a year since she created her business, The Plum Baker, she has established a following at three local shops — Old City Java, Blackbird Coffee, and Coffee and Chocolate.

But she hasn't stopped there. During a recent interview she was awaiting news from another possible client.

'I don't recall a moment when I didn't enjoy baking. The real motivation for me is to have something to give to others and watch them enjoy it,' she said.

Beeson received a degree in creative writing from Hollins University. She worked as a copy editor for the Roanoke Times for seven years before marrying and moving to Knoxville with her husband, Patrick Beeson, who is with E.W. Scripps Interactive Newspaper Group.

After stints at The Daily Times and Metro Pulse, Beeson left the newspaper business to focus on her passion.

'I've always had the urge to take leaps of faith … and I really just wanted to focus on seeing if I could make baking a serious career,' she said.

Her confidence was boosted after cookies sent to her brother spurred an order from one of his friends.

'My brother shared them with someone he works with … and he called me and said that guy wanted to buy some from me,' she said.

The name, The Plum Baker, came to Beeson while daydreaming about the possibility of being a successful baker.

'When I get excited I go big with my ideas. I was baking cookies and wondering what would happen if I could make this into something real. I started thinking about what life would be like if I was a baker. And, of course, it would be beautiful and I would look adorable in a really cute outfit. Then I thought, well, what would the outfit look like?

'This is so silly, but this is where the idea came from.

'The outfit would be really cute with a flowing skirt and nice blouse and cute shoes. I would need some kind of color, but black isn't me, so I thought of plum. Oh, the plum baker. It only took a second and then all of a sudden it was exactly what it needed to be,' she said.

Later she looked up plum in the dictionary and found that other than a fruit and a color, another meaning is a gift given in return for kindness.

'That's me up and down. That's when I knew it had to be The Plum Baker,' she said.

After seven months of plying her trade, and garnering attention locally, she took a part-time job as assistant baker at Magpies Cakes, with hours that are conducive to her personal baking needs.

'I was very open with them about my business. I can't imagine they consider me competition. For the most part I don't do the same kind of baked goods that they do, and, I mean, they are Magpies,' she said jokingly.

She also has her spatula swirling in a venture called Craft and Spoon with Meg Parrish, co-owner of Old City Java. Its focus is catering special events with an emphasis on presentation.

'We're not just giving you cookies and candies, but we want to give you a beautiful presentation of those things.

'Meg and I will sit down with a client and feel them out for the aesthetic style they are drawn to, then make everything from scratch and put it together in a beautiful way,' she said.

They will be serving dessert at the upcoming Baconfest 2010 Swine and Dine dinner on Feb. 26, with a menu to include Beeson's popular bacon toffee bar as well as bourbon bacon caramel corn and bacon toffee ice cream with maple cones.

One of her more popular offerings is her newly created bacon toffee chocolate chip cookie.

'A year and a half before I started doing my own baking I saw a recipe for bacon chocolate chip cookies. I tried it out and it was just OK. I started playing with it and landed on bacon toffee chocolate chip cookies.'

Other popular cookies in her baking repertoire include the triple chocolate cookie and ginger chews, which is what her brother shared with his friend.

She's also trying her hand at macaroons, which were recently heralded on National Public Radio as the new cupcake.

'The French macaroon (spelled macaron in France) is a much-feared baked good because you have to make meringue. Luckily I'm familiar with making meringue, so it's less scary for me,' she said.

Her recipe uses almond flour in the meringue, which is filled with butter cream.

She said she gets inspiration for new recipes from a variety of sources, including the Internet site tastespotting.com.

'It's really just an ongoing, frequently updated Internet site that includes inspiring flavor profiles,' she said.

She's very happy with the progress her business has made and looks forward to what the future has to hold.

'My business is growing as it should grow. I'm doing things very slow and steady, and making sure that what I'm making meets my own standards,' she said.

She shares her recipe for chocolate chocolate coffee chocolate cookie, which is another of her popular offerings.

Chocolate chocolate coffee chocolate cookie

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped fine (chips work in a pinch)

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup white sugar

4 eggs, gently stirred

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon espresso powder

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup granulated sugar, to coat cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Ensure rack is in the middle position. Prepare 2 cookie sheets (spray, or line with parchment or silicon baking mats).

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Place chopped semisweet chocolate, light brown sugar and white sugar into bowl of stand mixer. In separate bowl, add eggs, stir gently with vanilla extract and espresso powder. In small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Quickly pour into bowl with sugars and chocolate; mix at medium speed until the chocolate is completely melted. With mixer on lowest speed, add eggs, vanilla and espresso powder and mix until fully incorporated. Slowly add sifted dry ingredients and chocolate chips; mix until combined. The dough will be soft just after mixing. Let it sit for up to 30 minutes to firm slightly, then scoop in generous 2 tablespoon portions, roll in granulated sugar and set on prepared baking sheets (about one dozen should fit per sheet.) Bake until edges are set, and top is cracked, about 15 minutes (check at 12 minutes). Let the cookies rest on cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to come to room temperature. Yield: 2 dozen cookies.

Mary Constantine may be reached at 865-342-6428. Follow her on twitter at @skilletsister.

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