Handcrafted cookies made the old-fashioned way on Maui

MAUI, Hawaii -- When the smell of sugar wafts through the air along Baldwin Avenue in Makawao, Maui, it means one thing: The Maui Cookie Lady is hard at work.

ABC7's Drew Tuma spent time tasting the world-famous cookies with the Maui Cookie Lady herself, Mitzi Toro, at her cookie shop on Maui. He even tried a new cookie, which is a collaboration with Maui Wines. The dark chocolate cookie, filled with a molten truffle center and topped with a blood orange reduction, had Drew wide-eyed and saying, "Oh my God! It's dense, it's moist, it's chocolate-filled. The wine flavor is not overpowering; the hint is there. This is delicious!"

Toro has been baking since she was in high school and launched The Maui Cookie Lady over a decade ago, but her business started in an unexpected way. After her father passed away, Toro wanted to thank the nurses who took care of him. She baked and sold cookies at a farmers market and gave all the money she made to the nurses, "That was going to be it and then 12 years later, were still going," she said.

What started as a fundraiser turned into a full-blown business with The Maui Cookie Lady being featured on Food Network, Good Morning America, and in O Magazine.

Now, Toro and her team of three chefs bake six days a week and ship cookies nationwide, but she stays true to her roots by supporting her neighbors, "It's so important for me to not only be in this community, but help the community any way I can. We have a lot of amazing people in town and everybody has been so gracious."

To order cookies online visit The Maui Cookie Lady website.