Looking for freshly baked homestyle cookies in both classic and inventive flavors (even if you’re a gluten-free cookie lover)? Then check out Boerne’s Opal & Onyx.
Story by Iris Gonzalez
From chocolate chip to sugar, seasonal flavors like gingerbread to freshly reimagined treats such as the s’mores cookie, Opal & Onyx offers a rotating weekly menu that’s baked daily on-site.
In a pandemic-induced pivot, Hilary Allen launched her Boerne cookie bakery in the fall of 2021. This came after she started a career as a cottage baker during 2020.
Previously, Allen worked in human resources for six years after graduating with a degree in geology. In 2019, Allen was settling into a new HR job and home in Boerne when Covid-19 hit.
And, like so many Americans, she soon found herself out of a job.
“We stopped hiring during the lockdown,” Allen said. “Once we realized the pandemic wasn’t ending anytime soon, my company had to cut its staff, and that included me as the newbie.”
The road to entrepreneurship
A lifelong cook, Allen soon found herself experimenting with recipes while baking delicious treats for family and friends. After making hugely popular ice cream cookie sandwiches for her mother’s birthday, Allen’s husband, Trey Deville, encouraged her to go into business as a baker.
So, as many of us were adjusting to life at home during the 2020 lockdowns, Allen was busy researching and developing many cookie recipes, including gluten-free versions. Before long, orders for freshly baked cookies had Allen delivering cookies across the Hill Country.
“The pandemic has been this weird opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, try something new, and work for myself,” she said.
After a year-plus of deliveries and market days, the cookie operation had outgrown Allen’s home. She discovered a storefront on the I-10 frontage road. Since September 2021, the strip center has been home to Opal & Onyx.
But what’s in the name?
“Opal and onyx are minerals you’d find in Texas,” Allen said.
Opal & Onyx: Classic cookies
The cookie recipes on which Allen relies are based on precious gems, too, albeit of the cookbook variety.
“I love sweets, and I just wanted to focus on making homemade gourmet treats with the elevated flavors from classic cookies,” she said.
Business is good. Trey quit his job as a bartender to work on the rapidly growing small business. With only “the two of us working at the shop now, we’re looking to hire some help,” she said.
The standard cookie flavors always available are cookies and cream, sugar, and chocolate chip. Rotating seasonal flavors add an element of surprise, like the ever-popular white chocolate Pistachio Peridot cookie named after a green gemstone.
Gluten-free customers especially appreciate how Allen’s recipes deliver a tender and flavorful cookie free of any structural gluten. Varieties include gluten-free versions of classics like chocolate chip and original recipes such as her lemon Sandie rolled in sugar and chopped almonds.
Building skills, growing community
Thanks to Allen’s science education, master’s degree in business, and HR work experience, she had the skills to start this new business. Allen continues to support science and technology education (STEM) by supplying customers with piles of various science books, especially for younger readers.
“We keep science books in the store for the kids who come visit us in the afterschool rush,” Allen said. “They’ll get excited over a dinosaur book and start talking about what they’re reading as they enjoy a cookie. We want to inspire a love of science in the cookie lovers who visit us. In the future, we’d like to hold science-based baking classes for kids.”
The Opal & Onyx owners are also big on giving back to the community. Allen runs a monthly “Change for Change” campaign, donating change and tips to a different local nonprofit organization. Past recipients have included the Hill Country Animal League, the Transformation House for battered women and their children, and the Hill Country Pregnancy Care Center.
“We asked our customers for the nonprofits they love and made a list of the ones to support,” Allen said.
Opal & Onyx sells freshly baked cookies every day until the items sell out, which happens regularly on busy Saturdays.
“The longest a cookie is in our display case is half a day,” Allen said. “What we offer are comfort sweets, because as we all know, a cookie gives you moments of happiness.”
Iris Gonzalez is a journalist who covers technology, cybersecurity, and bioscience innovation in San Antonio’s startup community at Startups San Antonio. You can also check out her writing on food, travel, and culture at IrisGonzalez.com.
