Janie’s Life Changing Baked Goods: Pie Crust Cookies (NYC)

Janie’s Life Changing Baked Goods is a New York City bakery known for reworking classic desserts into highly structured, shippable baked goods. Founded by Janie Deegan, the bakery built its reputation by focusing on a tight product lineup, consistent execution, and desserts designed to hold up outside of a traditional bakery setting. Rather than offering an expansive menu, Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods prioritizes a small number of signature items made with traditional techniques and familiar flavors. This approach has helped the bakery scale from local sales to nationwide shipping while maintaining product quality and brand recognition. The company also integrates second-chance employment into its business model, pairing operational growth with community impact.

The Pie Crust Cookies

Janie’s most recognizable product is the pie crust cookie, a hybrid dessert that combines elements of a traditional pie with the convenience of a cookie. The structure typically includes a flaky pie crust base, a dense filling layer, and a crumb or streusel topping, creating contrast in texture while keeping the dessert portable. Unlike standard cookies, pie crust cookies emphasize butter-forward dough and layered construction rather than spread and chew. This makes them easier to portion, stack, package, and ship — a key factor in their popularity for mail-order desserts and gift boxes.

By highlighting the crust — often considered the best part of a pie — the cookie delivers a flavor profile that feels nostalgic while offering a distinct eating experience. This format also allows for a wide range of fillings, including nut-based, chocolate, and fruit-forward varieties, without compromising structure. Today, pie crust cookies remain the foundation of Janie’s product lineup and a defining example of the bakery’s approach: take a classic dessert, refine its form, and optimize it for modern consumption.