What began as a fun side project earlier this year has turned into a full-blown small business for a Fort Morgan couple who are combining old-fashioned baking with cutting-edge technology. Brittney Hatcher and Hugh Harmon, the pair behind Blue Crab Cookie Lab, are using a food-safe printer and a 3D printer to turn custom cookies into hyper-detailed edible art, and orders have been pouring in from across Baldwin County and well beyond.
The idea took root back in February, when Hatcher started researching cookie decorating as a possible avenue into party planning. She signed up for a series of decorating classes, and Harmon came along for the ride. The two set up shop in the kitchen of Harmon’s Fort Morgan home, carving out a corner with a commercial kitchen table, a shelf of food coloring, and a specialized cookie printer they now use to bring nearly any image to life on a fresh-baked sugar cookie.
Food-Safe Printing Meets Homemade Baking
At the center of the operation is what Harmon calls the Eddie printer, which he describes as the only food-safe printer of its kind on the market. Paired with the right software, the machine can transfer virtually any scanned or digital image onto a cookie, from cartoon characters and sports stars to company logos and family photos. On circular cookies, the printer can decorate a dozen at once in about two minutes, allowing the pair to fulfill large orders quickly without sacrificing the intricate detail that has become their calling card.
The technology doesn’t stop there. Using a 3D printer set up in a spare bedroom, Hatcher and Harmon can design and produce custom cookie cutters in almost any shape imaginable, from a crab to a Ford Bronco silhouette. That means a customer isn’t limited to standard rounds or hearts; if they can describe a shape, the couple can likely turn it into a cutter and, eventually, a cookie.
From Hobby to Corporate Orders
The business has grown quickly since its early days. In their first month alone, Hatcher and Harmon produced roughly 54 dozen cookies, including a standout 17-dozen corporate order for FedEx Freight in Mobile. That order came together the way many small-business breaks do: through word of mouth at a dinner party, when a friend mentioned the couple’s cookies to an acquaintance who works for the shipping company.
Since then, the orders have continued to diversify. The pair has produced cookies replicating the shoulder patches worn by the Gulf Shores Police Department, along with a steady stream of requests from area residents and visitors alike. Hatcher said inquiries have started arriving from well outside the region, including vacationers from Oklahoma and Kansas who discovered Blue Crab Cookie Lab online before ever setting foot in Baldwin County.
Handcrafted Touches Beyond the Printer
Not every order relies on the printer. Hatcher and Harmon also handcraft sculpted cookies for special occasions, including baby shower favors shaped like rattles and bottles, a 1970s-style Ford Bronco, a personalized Jameson bottle, and miniature wedding dresses complete with 3D-printed hangers and a display rack. Hatcher said the detailed sculpting work, like adding tiny bows to a wedding dress cookie, is time-consuming and requires patience, though mistakes can simply be scraped off and redone.
A Second Act for Two Longtime Baldwin County Entrepreneurs
This isn’t the first time the couple has turned a shared hobby into a moneymaking venture. A few years ago, they gathered driftwood along the Gulf Coast and crafted small Christmas trees to sell, using the proceeds to fund a cruise. Blue Crab Cookie Lab, they say, has the potential to become something bigger.
Hatcher has spent roughly two decades bartending along the Gulf Coast and is beginning to consider stepping away from that career as the cookie business gains momentum. Harmon, a retired member of the U.S. Army, has found an unexpected benefit in the meticulous work of icing and decorating. He said the intense focus required to pipe icing accurately helps quiet the anxiety and PTSD he has managed since his military service, giving the craft a therapeutic dimension alongside its commercial promise.
What’s Next for Blue Crab Cookie Lab
With demand still climbing, Hatcher and Harmon are already planning to expand their menu. A lemon sugar cookie, featuring lemon flavoring baked into both the cookie and the icing, is in the works, and customers will still be able to pair it with a custom printed or hand-sculpted design. For now, the Fort Morgan-based business continues to rely on referrals and social media buzz, a grassroots growth pattern that has become increasingly common among small Baldwin County makers looking to turn a creative hobby into a sustainable enterprise.