Black Doctor Left Healthcare To Bake Some Of Oprah Winfrey’s Favorite Cookies

“Kyri’s Kookies,” baked by Dr. Kyri Mosley, is part of Oprah Winfrey’s Favorite Things list for 2023.

“The founder behind this box of ginormous cookies—chocolate chunk, oatmeal cran-raisin, Georgia pecan turtle, and more—promises a hug in every bite. She’s not wrong,” Winfrey stated on the Oprah’s Favorite Things 2023 page. According to Oprah Daily, Mosley was full of nerves when she received the email about her feature on this year’s list.

According to the Kyri’s Kookies website, the entrepreneur opened her first brick-and-mortar store in December 2022 in the heart of Dallas, Georgia. The physical location followed the relaunch of her brand in 2021, a decision that stemmed from a story of life challenges. Mosley was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ewing Sarcoma in 2019. The trauma from the diagnosis was heavy as she underwent intense chemotherapy. Once she received news of remission, she left the healthcare field to pursue baking full-time.

The baker sent her cookies to her medical teams in New York and Georgia as a “thank you.” They returned positive feedback about her recipes and several suggestions that she should sell her cookies.

In August, Mosley shared with 11Alive that quality time in the kitchen with her grandmother when she was younger is how she found her love for baking.

“Cookies remind me of grandma’s baking,” she said. Baking kept Mosley going during times of feeling abandoned following a divorce. Baking cookies with her son led to sending coolers of treats to troops in Iraq, who she felt must have felt isolated at times, too.

“This went on for years,” Mosley told the outlet. “And just getting their feedback was encouraging because they would always tell me, ‘Why aren’t you doing this for the rest of the world? They need to taste your cookies,’ and I was like, ‘That’s never going to happen.’”

The former medical professional would distribute her cookies to her staff and other nurses and doctors while she ran her own healthcare compliance company.

Since launching, the brand has expanded from local cookie lovers to gaining the attention of national hotel chains. Kyri’s Kookies, which feature flavors such as Chocolate Chunk, Oatmeal Cran-Raisin, and Zebra Macadamia, can be purchased online or in person from the Georgia store.