Bake-Along Book by YouTube Star Missy Lanning Breaks Kickstarter Goal in 4 Hours, Raises $20K in 2 Weeks

The book’s success marks the launch of the Lannings’ new publishing house, focused on creating interactive stories that bring families together in the kitchen.

Nashville, TN — July 19, 2025

For Missy Lanning, family time often means flour on the floor, kids racing through the halls, and the smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies in the air. But this summer, it also meant launching her first picture book, which raised over $20,000 on Kickstarter in its first two weeks, capturing hearts far beyond their Tennessee farmhouse.

The book, Once Upon a Chocolate Chip Cookie, isn’t your typical bedtime story. It’s a bake-along adventure where each page leads you through the steps of making a real batch of cookies—measuring, mixing, and bonding one ingredient at a time.

“We wanted to create something that wasn’t just read. It was experienced,” says Missy, a mother of four and the heart behind the project. “It’s interactive, it’s heartfelt, and it’s designed to bring families together.”

The story is inspired by Missy’s childhood nickname, “Cookie,” given to her by her grandma during their early days baking together. Somehow, the name stuck because she’s been perfecting her chocolate chip cookie recipe ever since. Now a mom of four living in Tennessee with her husband Bryan, Missy turned that recipe into a children’s book that follows four different families in four different kitchens, all baking the same sweet batch. Unsure if the idea would resonate, they launched it on Kickstarter to test the waters. The DIY spirit clearly struck a chord.

Within just 4 hours of launching, their Kickstarter campaign met its funding goal. Two weeks in, it has raised over $20,000 and drawn support from families, teachers, and bakers across the country. It showed them just how much families are craving simple ways to connect, and how something as small as a cookie can bring people together.

But the Lannings say it’s not just about numbers. It’s about creating a moment, however brief, where parents and kids can laugh, spill sugar, and make something together.

“Sometimes I think the best thing you can do as a parent is just be present,” Missy adds. “That’s really what this book is about.”

The couple is also laying the foundation to release more titles under their new publishing brand, Bake-Along Books™. Each book combines a heartwarming story with real recipe steps woven into the illustrations—turning story time into a hands-on, memory-making experience the whole family can enjoy.

It’s a natural next step for Missy, whose story didn’t start in the kitchen, but in the pages of a blog. Long before she was writing children’s books, she was writing about becoming a mom.

In 2012, Missy launched a blog called Bumps Along the Way to document her journey through infertility and loss. Her raw honesty and heartfelt storytelling struck a chord with women everywhere—so much so that one of her early posts went viral overnight, drawing hundreds of thousands of readers to a humble Blogspot page. The outpouring of support sparked something bigger.

Soon after, she and her husband Bryan began sharing their daily life on YouTube. What started as a small corner of the internet quickly snowballed into something massive. Daily Bumps, their family vlog channel, skyrocketed to millions of subscribers and over 4 billion views, making them one of the most-watched families on YouTube at the time. Through it all, Missy remained the heart of the channel—balancing life as a mother, creator, and homemaker with warmth and grace.

Her loyal audience watched her grow through every season: welcoming her boys Ollie and Finn, building a home, traveling the world, and eventually moving across the country. Along the way, she added two more babies to the mix (plus a bunch of farm animals) and always kept baking something sweet in the kitchen.

That’s why Once Upon a Chocolate Chip Cookie is more than just a book for her—it’s personal. After years of dreaming of motherhood, Missy cherishes every moment she gets to spend with her kids. Creating a story that brings families together in the kitchen, away from screens and into shared memories, felt like the most natural next chapter in her journey. It’s a love letter to the life she once prayed for—and the simple, magical moments she now gets to live every day.

The Kickstarter runs through August 8, 2025. To learn more or support the book, visit the Once Upon a Chocolate Chip Cookie Kickstarter.

 Bake-Along Books™ is the new publishing brand from Missy & Bryan Lanning.

Backers can choose from:

• A signed hardcover copy of the book

• A replica cookie necklace worn by Missy in real-life and in the book

• Matching mommy and me aprons designed by Missy

• A custom thank-you video message

In a world full of distractions, Once Upon a Chocolate Chip Cookie offers something refreshingly simple: a story, a recipe, and a reminder that childhood is fleeting — but the memories you make can last forever.

The Kickstarter runs through August 8, 2025. To learn more or support the book, visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/missylanning/once-upon-a-chocolate-chip-cookie