Melissa Ben-Ishay Wants You to Always Make Room for Dessert
The Baked by Melissa founder talks life, family, business, and Halloween sweet treats!
Melissa Ben-Ishay believes life should be sweet.
The founder lives a life battered by surprises, sweet treats, and the sweetest gift of all: the love of her family. Baking has always been her love language — and in her earlier days, her way of celebrating the ones she cared for most in life. Cupcakes would soon become part of her routine, with the now wife and mother of two daily stop at Clover Deli in Murray Hill for two cupcakes, basking in the delicious flavors, eventually leading to her motto for Baked by Melissa.
“I could never decide between all the different flavors that looked so delicious. So, at Baked by Melissa, we decided to make them small so you could try them all.”
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Launching Baked by Melissa in 2008, the business blossomed out of a negative time in her life. After being fired from her job in advertising, she visited her older brother. After some tears and comforting, he convinced her to throw on her apron and make something sweet out of a sour situation—thus, Baked by Melissa was born.
The first location opened in Soho, not far from Ben-Ishay’s first New York City apartment in the grand streets of Chelsea, and the tiny treats allowed customers to experience all flavors. Bursting with tempting tantalizations such as brownie batter and cookie dough, word traveled across the five boroughs, and the brand quickly gained notoriety.
“Baked by Melissa was a product of seeing every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow, holding yourself accountable for how you feel, and taking advantage of every opportunity that comes your way,” Ben-Ishay recalled.
The bite-sized cupcakes have now become a household name. Shipping to all 50 states, the sweet confections come in a variety of flavors unique to Ben-Ishay. Fan favorites include an assortment of colorful and flavor-bursting minis, electric tie-dye, blondie, and cookie-butter brownie.
When she’s not crafting new fan-favorite flavors of her iconic bite-sized cupcakes, the Hoboken, NJ-based mother is dropping her kids off at school. The evenings are reserved for dinner with her husband and two daughters, while explaining the importance of nutrition and balance as the family of four serves as her inspiration for new flavors.
“We recently had a flavor called Doobies cupcake, inspired by my daughters and the dessert they eat at night. They inspire my outfits. They inspire the way I wear my hair. They inspire what I make for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are my entire world, impacting every facet of my life.”
On paper, being a business owner and mom may make for the perfect family recipe. Ben-Ishay boasts over 60 thousand Instagram followers and has captured the hearts of New Yorkers with 14 storefronts across the city and in Boston. But the confectionery crafter admits to being far from having it all figured out.
“It does feel like every moment of every day is consumed by the things I need and want to do for both my family and for Baked by Melissa, my other family.” Ben-Ishay touts. “I am on overdrive. I am tired. I am happy and fulfilled, but it is not easy to have two young children and a full-time job.”
Exhausted from the pressures placed on moms by society, she embraces the chaos and works towards acceptance. “I don’t believe there is a secret recipe in being a mom, a founder, a CEO, and a creator. You’re never going to be all,” she advises. “I’m never going to be the mom that my mom was because she was a stay-at-home mom, and she had a lot more time in the day to get things done, so she could be fully present. And it’s very important that we don’t compare ourselves or our children to each other because we are each individuals with our own strengths and priorities.”
Despite being one of the country’s most successful woman-owned cupcake brands, Ben-Ishay does not believe in a cookie-cutter lifestyle. For many families, desserts are an afterthought, and mothers can face backlash for allowing their children to eat sugar at such a young age, but for the famed baker, cupcakes are a rite of passage.
“I have a very clear philosophy on food: mealtime is for nourishment, and if you get your nourishment and fulfillment from your meals, you can absolutely indulge in dessert every single day. Sometimes my kids have dessert more than once a day — it’s dessert. It’s intended to be a sweet treat that makes you feel happy. I’d rather teach them how to make the right choices so they’re equipped to continue living a healthy lifestyle when I’m not around.
I am so proud to have a product that makes people happy,” she says. “If you have someone in your life that you’re looking to bring joy to — or to help celebrate a holiday like Halloween — send a moment of happiness to someone you love.”
Melissa’s Brown Butter Candy Cookies
For all the little goblins and ghouls, Melissa Ben-Ishay shares the perfect recipe for your family to get creative with Halloween candy.
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups chocolate candy, chopped (M&Ms, Milky Way, Reeses, Snickers, etc.! You can also add pretzel pieces for crunch), plus more for topping
Flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and swirl occasionally until brown specks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Once these specks appear and the butter smells slightly nutty, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Don’t walk away, as it can burn quickly.
- Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using the paddle attachment, beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition, followed by the vanilla.
- Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir on medium-low until a dough forms.
- Fold the candy into the dough until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Place the mixing bowl in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Chilling helps the cookies bake more evenly.
If you’re in a rush, you can skip this step, but I highly recommend it. - Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes to make it pliable. Scoop the dough onto the baking sheet and top each ball with additional candy or chocolate chips.
- Bake for 12 minutes, until
lightly golden. - Immediately after you remove the cookies from the oven, swirl a large glass or biscuit cutter around them to get a perfect circle.
- Top with flaky sea salt and try not to eat them all at once. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
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