I’m Aleo, the owner and baker behind I Made Extra.

I was raised in a seven-person household where cooking was never small. Meals were prepared in large pans, batches meant to stretch across our bigger-than-average family. And some aspects of that way of cooking stayed with me.

When I moved out, I continued the habit of cooking for a crowd, always having far more than I could finish in one sitting. My fridge was often piled high with leftovers that I grew tired of eating. It was hard to get out of the habit of making too much. For a while, it just meant I always had extra sitting around, but over time, it became an asset because I always had something to share. With friends, with neighbors, with whoever needed it.

Now, I make small-batch baked goods rooted in the classics: cookies with crisp edges and soft centers, obnoxiously fudgy brownies with crackly tops, and biscuits built on butter and patience. Familiar at their core, but made with more intention, more care, and attention to the details that actually matter.

Everything is made with real butter, real chocolate, and techniques that take time. No shortcuts, no unnecessary extras—just baked goods done the way they’re supposed to be.

What started as having more than enough became something else: a way to connect, to offer, to show up with something good in hand.

I make extra so you can share it.

Or hide it away in your nightstand away from you partner and kids (we won’t judge).