CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Tonya’s Cookies, a business that started in Chapel Hill, is on the 2021 list of Oprah’s Favorite Things, and boxes of Tonya’s Pecan Crisps are flying off the shelves.

What You Need To Know

Tonya’s Cookies Pecan Crisps are featured on the 2021 list of Oprah’s Favorite Things

Tonya Council says she submitted samples of her products and found out they were selected a few weeks before the list was made public

Council started making the cookies 12 years ago and was inspired by her grandmother’s famous pecan pies

“People are picking up like 10 to 15 boxes at a time,” said Tonya Council, the owner of Tonya’s Cookies. “This will probably be gone, all these cookies will be gone in another hour, and we’ll have to redo it again.”

“We just sent samples, and we’re lucky we were picked. I’m sure there are a million people that send her stuff all the time,” Council said.

So what makes these cookies so special?

“They’re made with love and pecans. Everything is southern. A lot of people who eat the cookies say it’s like eating air because they’re so light,” Council said.

While Council isn’t about to give away her secret recipe, she loves sharing how these cookies came to be. Her grandmother, Mildred Council, started Mama Dip’s Kitchen in Chapel Hill and was famous for her pecan pies, so she decided to try and turn that flavor into a cookie.

“Basically it all started with pecans,” Council said. “One day I was about to throw some cookies in the trash but my grandma was like, ‘Wait let me taste those.’ Once she tasted them she said, ‘I think you got something.’”“Basically it all started with pecans,” Council said. “One day I was about to throw some cookies in the trash but my grandma was like, ‘Wait let me taste those.’ Once she tasted them she said, ‘I think you got something.’”

Little did she or her grandmother know, 12 years later, those cookies would get the attention of Oprah Winfrey.

“It’s kind of surreal. I woke up this morning with my grandmother on my mind. This is crazy,” Council said.

“My grandmother was a huge Oprah fan. I remember growing up, and I think Oprah came on at like 4 o’clock so she’d come home and watch it or go back to work when she had the time. I remember one time Gayle King came into the restaurant to help her son, he was looking at colleges. My grandmother went out and met her, and she was psyched so I think she’d be very, very proud,” Council said.

Council was told to prepare for a mad rush, and she is grateful for the support, but says it’s also a little overwhelming. She’s also thinking it might be time to move the baking to a bigger space.

“I knew it was coming. I just didn’t know when that I would need a whole lot more space and ovens. This opportunity has shown me it’s time to ramp up production a bit,” Council said.

Council also owns the store Sweet Tea and Cornbread NC at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh. The store features her cookies as well as products from locally owned businesses. Council hopes people emphasize supporting local this holiday season.

This is the 25th year of Oprah’s list of Favorite Things. The list can be very influential and help catapult businesses into success. One example is Spanx, the women’s shapewear company. Spanx was featured on Oprah’s list in the year 2000 and now, 22 years later, the company is valued at $1.2 billion.