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Pastry Chef Talula Dempsey Launches a Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Pastry Chef Talula Dempsey Launches a Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix originally appeared on L.A. Mag.
Talula Dempsey spent years perfecting her signature chocolate chip cookies, known among friends for the chewy centers and crispy edges. She's had some practice where sweets are concerned: the baking fan earned multiple pastry certifications at Le Cordon Bleu Paris and London, and honed her craft as part of the pastry team at Michelin-starred Gucci Osteria in Beverly after months of development, her company, Talula's Kitchen, has launched a cookie mix that allows others to re-create them at home. The cookies feature the exact ingredients Dempsey uses, including chocolate with a hint of vanilla, in sustainably sourced packaging. Here, she discusses how to make the perfect cookie at home and what she'll be whipping up on Father's Day for her dad, actor Patrick Dempsey.
When did you first fall in love with baking?
It's always been something I've loved to do. My uncle would make spaghetti and meatballs, and I'd pretend I was the one who made it, setting up a fake restaurant in their house. As I got older, I was always in the kitchen making cupcakes or cake pops with friends.
Where do you shop for ingredients?
I do a lot of my shopping for ingredients that are fresher at the farmer's market. I love the Brentwood farmers market, as well as the Santa Monica one. I like Erewhon for certain ingredients when I'm looking for something that I know is going to be organic and have different options for different sweeteners. I really like to stay local, just making sure that all the food I get I can guarantee was processed in a sustainable way.
Why did you decide to launch the cookie mix?
When I was in high school and in college, I would always make chocolate chip cookies for my friends. If we had a beach picnic, I would be the one bringing the cookies. And as much as I love shipping cookies, it's not the same as having a fresh cookie to eat. It's not the quality dessert you would want. [It's not] as if it just came straight out of your oven. But then I would send my friends my recipe, and I realized that the primary reason they're not getting the same results is because the ingredients are different. So I wanted to make a mix with the exact same ingredients I used, same semisweet chocolate and type of sugar. I was like, 'If I start making a mix, they can re-create this and they're not going to have a difficult time and have different flavors.'
What makes your cookie mix special?
I think it's the ratio of sugar that I put into it. I use both brown and white sugar in my mixture. I think that the best chocolate chip cookie is one that has a chewy center and a crispy exterior, so finding the perfect combination between those two sugars really helped me create a cookie that consistently has that chewy interior, crunchy exterior.
How are you planning on celebrating Father's Day this year?
My dad's a big breakfast person, so we'll usually do a brunch. We like to go to the farmers market, then cook a spread with all his favorite things — cheesecake, cookies, definitely something sweet.
This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
