If home is where the heart is, Puffy Muffin has a heart of gold. Its founder, Lynda Stone, started with little more than an idea that her business was to welcome people as if they were home. And, that warm welcome started with rolls that “puffed up when she baked ‘em” as her daughter Kristi explains. That love from the oven of her mother’s kitchen served as quite the inspiration for Puffy Muffin established in 1986.
Kristi recalls, “One of my sweetest childhood memories of my mom baking in the kitchen is first her sourdough bread which is how Puffy got started, then her molasses cookies. I can close my eyes and remember the sweet smell of the spices, and then the moment when I got to eat a warm cookie straight from the oven. It was hard to wait until it was cool.” But, Lynda’s love for baking rose to the occasion with family, friends, and beyond when she found her current home for Puffy Muffin on Franklin Road in 1992. Upon retirement, Lynda knew she wanted to keep the business in the family since it was built upon love. So, from one generation to the next, Kristi continues Lynda’s legacy.
From celebrating firsts and lasts to where business deals are made, or just an average Tuesday, customers feel the love in their favorite local bakery and restaurant. “Food is love. It's one way that I can show my family I love them. It's one way that I show my friends that I love them and enjoy them,” Kristi said on a recent episode of Tennessee Crossroads featuring Puffy Muffin. Kristi and her team start their day way before most folks have even rolled out of bed baking those trademarked rolls, and making everything else under the sun ready to greet diners each morning.
The bakery counter boasts cookies, petit fours, cakes, and pies. At the grab-and-go counter, customers can snag a boxed salad, sandwich, or even cake-in-a-cup for the road. And, their drink of choice? Ginger Tea – a concoction of fruit tea and ginger ale. But, make no mistake. This isn’t a fast food drive-thru situation. Given time, customers prefer to cozy up and make themselves at home within the full-service dining room serving specialties such as chicken salad, quiche, and grill favorites like burgers and reubens. Puffy Muffin also offers a full line of catering and bakery services that have garnered attention from the likes of Grand Ole Opry, and the Queen of Country Music – Dolly Parton.
Try for yourself what Lynda found to be true more than 30 years ago by baking from Taste Imagination – a cookbook filled with nostalgic family favorites, along with some that became Puffy Muffin staples. Copies are for sale at Puffy Muffin ($29 each or two for $40) Featured in the book are those molasses cookies that Krisiti craved as a kid.
Molasses Cookies
1½ stick margarine, melted
½ c molasses
1 c granulated sugar
1 egg
2¼ c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp salt
Cream together the margarine, molasses, sugar and egg. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill the dough overnight. Shape into small balls and roll in sugar. Do not flatten the cookies, as they will shape as they bake. Bake in a preheated 350° F for 8-10 minutes.