Food News

Mama Kelce’s cookie recipe mugs raise money to pay off school lunch debt

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV/Gray News) – What started as selling a Mama Kelce-themed mug to the one and only Donna Kelce herself has taken off into a successful fundraiser for schoolkids.

Kelce, the mother of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, partnered with a small Kansas business called Annie’s Barn. Her personal cookie recipe is being printed on mugs to raise money to pay off school lunch debt for students at Pawnee Elementary School in Overland Park and two other elementary schools in Olathe.

That means you can bring a taste of the Kelce household to your home while making a difference for students who can’t afford lunch, KCTV reports.

Taylor Swift, right, walks with Donna Kelce on the field after the AFC Championship NFL...
Taylor Swift, right, walks with Donna Kelce on the field after the AFC Championship NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)(AP)

For Annie’s Barn, the mugs are a hit. Owner Annie Stowe donates $5 for each one sold to pay off school debt for students across Johnson County in a fundraiser called “Out of the Red Friday.”

“When the Chiefs do well, I do well, and this is my little way to give back,” Stowe said. “So, we were able to go directly to some schools and… help them pay off their January debts.”

In the last few days, Annie’s Barn has sold more than 800 mugs, raising more than $4,000 for students, according to their Facebook page.

“The numbers are pretty shocking for us. We’re small-town, like I’m working out of my basement, my garage,” said Stowe in a Facebook video ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl game.

Each mug costs $19. On it, you can read the whole recipe and directions Kelce uses to bake cookies just like it does at home.

“It’s got white chocolate chips in it, so for me, that’s a starter for sure,” customer Raylene Richards said. “It’s got pecans, too. Besides if Mama Kelce made it, it’s got to be good, right?”

Even if you don't want to buy the Mama Kelce cookie mug, Annie's Barn still accepts general...
Even if you don’t want to buy the Mama Kelce cookie mug, Annie’s Barn still accepts general donations on their website to payoff school lunch debt for kids.(KCTV5)

Stowe has tried the recipe herself.

“The cookies are going to be flat, so they’re more like toffee cookies,” she said. “So, you need to know that because the first time I made them, they came out really flat. I wrote to her and said, ‘I think I messed this up.’ She said, ‘No they’re flat.’ So, everybody I know that’s made them have had a really good reaction.”

Stowe said on Facebook that she asked Kelce if she wanted to collaborate in October. The famous football mom had previously bought a Mama Kelce-themed mug from Annie’s Barn as a Christmas gift.

“Thank you so much for everything you, your sons and your family have done for Kansas City,” Stowe said in a message directly to Kelce.

You can also buy the mug in a bundle with a Mama Kelce’s cookie candle for $44.

For those who don’t need a mug but want to help pay off kids’ school lunch debt, Annie’s Barn accepts donations on their website.