Brighten Your Day

This Mom’s Cookie Business Is Changing Lives For Adults With Autism

August 29, 2025

A mom in New Jersey is proving that something as simple as a cookie can change lives.

When Kelly Castro’s young son Carson was diagnosed with autism, she quickly realized how limited job opportunities are for adults on the spectrum. Studies show unemployment rates for autistic adults hover around 85%.

That reality hit home for Castro when Carson was just six years old.

@carsonscookiedough

“I was at an autism retreat,” she recalled. “I’d spoke to all these other parents of adults with autism and they’re sharing how scary it is with an over 80% unemployment rate, so I found myself worrying what would my son do – even though he was only 6 years old at the time.”

That moment planted a seed. Inspired by her son’s love of baking cookies, and encouraged by other parents who had built businesses to employ differently abled adults, Castro and her husband decided to launch Carson’s Cookie Dough. What started as selling raw cookie dough during the pandemic has now grown into a bustling bakery, shipping cookies nationwide and serving as a training ground for young adults with disabilities.

The shop doesn’t just make cookies—it makes opportunities. Students learn everything from mixing ingredients and running the register to interacting with customers. Clear, step-by-step instructions help build confidence, and the goal isn’t for them to stay forever. Instead, Castro hopes the experience gives them the skills and courage to move on to other jobs where they can pursue their dreams.

“I don’t want adults with disabilities to work here and adults without disabilities to work everywhere else,” she explained. “I want them to start here, get some confidence, and then go and use the skills and the competency at a job somewhere else where their real dream is.”

Alongside cookies, Castro also showcases products from other businesses that share her mission of inclusion, from candles and body lotions to popcorn, coffee, honey, and even socks. She calls this section Just a Taste, a nod to the creativity and capability of the people behind each item.

The response has been overwhelming. When the Castros needed to purchase bakery equipment, they raised $52,000 in just 30 days through a Kickstarter campaign. Customers keep coming back—not just for the chocolate chip, sprinkle sugar, and molasses cookies, but for the heart behind every batch.

@carsonscookiedough

For Castro, a former corporate finance professional, the business is both deeply personal and deeply purposeful.

“Everything kind of fell into space and it felt very meant to be,” she said. “Fair Lawn has been so welcoming, so encouraging and so supportive of the mission … It’s been a wonderful gift because the public can come in and engage with these adults and see how amazing and capable they are.”

Looking ahead, her dream is to keep expanding, to employ more young adults like Carson one day, and to show other employers just how valuable these individuals are.

“These are very much an untapped resource and they’re very capable adults, and they are, honest to God, the best coworkers you’ll ever have,” she said.