Behind the icing and colour is a story of curiosity, discipline and a refusal to be boxed into one identity.
Nadia Serene Morton did not plan to become a cookie artist. Growing up, she watched her mother cook, bake and decorate, but never imagined she would do the same.
Art, however, had always been part of her life. As a child, whenever she lacked proper materials, she would draw on anything she could find.
One day, her mother was about to throw away leftover cookies and icing. Out of boredom, Nadia decided to experiment. What she discovered surprised her.
“It was like painting, just with a twist,” she told The Mirror in an interview in Accra last weekend.
That experiment marked the beginning of Nadia’s Cookies.
Love for art
Her artistic instincts were shaped early. One of her earliest memories is of sketching with pencil and paper as a child, passing the time while waiting for her father at his workplace.
Later, an aunt encouraged the children in the family to paint, even if proper brushes were unavailable. That’s when she began giving it more time and quickly stood out for her attention to detail.
“I’m a perfectionist. If I do something once, the next time I want it to be better,” she said.
This urge for perfection pushed her work beyond simple designs. Her first major cookie — a peacock with meticulously piped feathers — showed how far she was willing to go.
She went on to create many intricate designs across different themes for her growing customer base.
Faces, however, remain the hardest. “With objects, the edges are clear, but with faces, one small mistake can change everything.” She admitted.
Juggling arts and school
Despite her talent, Nadia eventually paused her art. Academic pressure grew, and comments about art being “a waste of time” slowly took the joy out of creating. Painting became something she felt she had to do, not something she wanted to do.
Today, Nadia is a biological engineering student at the Ashesi University — a path many assume sits worlds apart from art. Yet, for her, the connection is obvious.
“In labs, things like pipetting are easy for me. I’m used to working with very fine details.”
From colour changes in experiments to building structures in her earlier mechanical engineering courses, Nadia sees engineering as simply another medium — a different canvas.
“Arts and crafts taught me cutting, glueing, and filing. Now it’s just different materials,” she added.
She admitted that balancing school and business was demanding. There are days she has to sacrifice school or limit social activities so she can give her best to her schoolwork and side hustle.
Making the unique cookie designs requires planning and long hours of work. Custom orders can take up to six hours of detailed work, excluding drying time.
Over time, she has learned to give herself some grace and not worry about imperfections, as customers often don’t notice what the artist sees as imperfect.
Looking ahead, Nadia envisions growth for Nadia’s Cookies — a balance between highly detailed signature pieces and simpler designs that make her work more accessible, without losing its personal touch.
For now, she continues to juggle science and art, proving that creativity does not disappear when one chooses a technical path. Sometimes, it simply finds a sweeter form.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
