Hi there! I’m Maggie Dotel.
Baking has always had a special place in my heart. I was a little girl when my grandmother, Mimi, taught me her secret recipe for Apple Pie, entrusting me to carry on the tradition of making the family favorite for birthdays and holidays. As a teenager, I would constantly be trying to bake something delicious from the ingredients around my parents’ kitchen.
I was a senior in college when I made my first set of decorated sugar cookies. My mom was hosting a baby shower the day after Thanksgiving and couldn’t find a bakery with availability. At the party, friends asked if I took orders… “Of course I do!” was my knee jerk response. I drove back to school with a handful of Christmas cookie orders in hand, and my company, MagPies, was born.
Since then, I’ve graduated with a degree in Secondary Education, taught in Nashville and Kansas City, fell in love and married the love of my life, Julio, and had three babies, Rosie, Katie, and Nicholas. They are my whole life. With their encouragement and endless support, I’m transforming my business into the one I’ve dreamed of since childhood.
My Favourite Recipes
Bringing Baking and Books together
My favorite aspect of baking is getting to share what I make with others. I believe that homemade food and baked goods have their own kind of magic. When something is made and shared with love, you can feel it!
Owning a baking business and working a full time job while becoming a mom of 3 under the age of 4 means my baking schedule has had to be … creative. The 2:00 AM alarms or the all-nighters that lead directly into a full workday have only reinforced my belief that it takes some grit to turn a passion into a successful business. For me, it’s all worth it! Baking is one of my favorite ways to express my creativity and connect with others.
Baking Bookworm is a dream I’ve had for many years now. If I’m not baking, I’m reading! That’s where the idea came from. Why not create a themed treat for book club that goes with the story? Or why not design, create, and teach a group to decorate cookies that go with their latest read!
My newsletter will feature a novel and recipe combo each month. Something fun to share with book club or a celebratory treat to make when you finish a new book!
Cookie parties will feature my specially designed sugar cookies to highlight the characters and themes of a particular novel. Together, we’ll decorate step-by-step as your group chats and discusses the book.
I am so excited to start this chapter, bringing you along with me as I grow my community of home bakers, busy moms, and of course, book lovers!
A Few Fun Tidbits About Me
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Pie Pro: My first and favorite recipe is my family’s “secret” Apple Pie. I once turned it into my middle school FACS teacher for an assignment and my dad drove me back to school to ask for it back.
Midnight Maker: As a night owl, my baking schedule almost always includes a middle of the night chunk of time. The house is quiet and I can listen to an audiobook and decorate… bliss!
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Constantly, Curiously Confident: I have a jack-of-all-trades trait that has carried me through life. I love learning and if I’ve done it once, odds are I’ve considered a career change.
Book Boss: When I was 9 years old, I created my own home library. I alphabetized my 100+ books, attached labels according to the Dewey Decimal system, and created library cards for the neighborhood kids.
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Family First: I grew up as the fifth of five girls. My sisters, mom, and dad are the foundation of who I am. I cherish the memories of my childhood and strive everyday to create the same magic for my children!
Repeat Reader: I believe that stories are fundamental and shape who we are. I have a select number of books that I will return to when I’m world-weary and the familiar story and characters are a comforting respite from the stress.