Champaign County home baker opens first brick-and-mortar in Piqua

Kristi Frazee started baking with her mom about two years ago in St. Paris.

They would bake items such as cheesecakes or cake pops, and sell them at the St. Paris or New Carlisle Farmers Markets.

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Baken Me Happy is now one of six vendors inside The Social at Piqua Center.

RCS Construction and Brait Capital purchased the former Miami Valley Centre Mall, located at 987 E. Ash St., in 2023. They have since turned the food court into a dining and entertainment destination.

Customers can expect gourmet cookies, cookie cakes and pretzels bites.

“We actually have about 30 different (cookie) flavors from being at the farmers market that we will rotate through,” Frazee said.

Credit: Natalie Jones

Examples of cookies include:

Funfetti Sugar Cookie (vanilla chips with funfetti sprinkles)
Strawberry Shortcake (golden Oreos, freeze dried strawberries and vanilla chips)
Dad Bod (malt, chocolate and peanut butter chips and pretzels)

Baken Me Happy’s top seller is the chocolate chip cookie. It has a mixture of semi-sweet chunks and dark and milk chocolate chips in it.

Credit: Natalie Jones

For those trying Baken Me Happy for the first time, Frazee recommends the Snickerdoodle Sammy. It features two snickerdoodle cookies stuffed with a homemade buttercream. The buttercream has a vanilla bean paste in it that Frazee’s mom makes from scratch.

Frazee said they are planning on adding two to three varieties of cheesecake each day, in addition to cake slices or cake cups.

Baken Me Happy is looking forward to getting community feedback.

“We love baking,” Frazee said. “I love trying new things, so I already had three or four different suggestions on things to add together and incorporate into cookies.”

ExploreChampaign County restaurant known for its pizza opens second location in Piqua

For more information, visit the bakery’s Facebook or Instagram (@baken.me.happy) pages.

Natalie Jones writes about food and dining in Southwest Ohio with an emphasis on the Dayton region. She may be reached at natalie.jones@coxinc.com.

FOOD & DINING EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Sign up for our free food and dining email newsletter by Reporter Natalie Jones, which hits inboxes on Wednesdays. Visit the website and click “my account.”

DaytonDailyNews.com

ExploreOwners of Indiana catering company, bistro open restaurant in Piqua

In Other News

Five decades of hope: How The Foodbank is meeting today’s challenges

Fueling hope where hunger rises: How you can make a difference today

Kings Island WinterFest is back with train ride through ‘12 Days,’ live...

Touring the ‘Auschwitz’ exhibit in Cincinnati with a woman whose father...

From Royal Blue to holiday tradition: The journey of Cincinnati’s...

About the Author

Natalie Jones

Natalie Jones is an All Media Journalist with Dayton.com focusing on food and dining, pop culture and lifestyle. She is a Wright State University graduate with over seven years of experience in the media field.