When I attended the UW from 1975–79, there were several Oakhouse cookie carts on campus. One was always parked on the corner of University Avenue and Charter Street and I believe there were a couple of others. I remember buying four cookies in a package for a dollar. I think it later changed to three per package, but the cookies were great and it was a treat to have homemade cookies after a day of classes. Whatever happened to the original Oakhouse cookie bakery?

The oven’s still warm at Oakhouse Bakery, thanks to the UW grads who rescued it from bankruptcy in 1981. The business partners continued to sell cookies on campus until 1995, when sales dipped due to a boom in food carts on Library Mall. By that time, Oakhouse had become a full-line bakery supplying grocery and convenience stores with more than 200 products in addition to custom baking, and the business moved in to a new 25,000-square-foot production plant in Madison.

Today, Oakhouse has a devoted following at the Farmers’ Market on the Square, where the bakery peddles delicious donuts, pastries and breads on the corner of Main and Carroll streets. UW alumni hankering for a three-pack of Oakhouse cookies made from the original recipes — chocolate chip, oatmeal chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, molasses, double chocolate chip and sugar — can satisfy their craving by ordering directly from Oakhouse at oakhousebakery.com.