I am with you on this.
Even if done for fun/learning, it can teach how the details of auth work to better appreciate and understand how other systems work and what to look out for.
I prefer to use existing things if possible, but if it was getting unreasonable to get it how it was needed, it wouldn't be off the table.
It is hard for serious use-cases. That does not mean you should not do it, but know what tradeoff you are doing in the build-vs-buy equation. Know that this part of your system probably requires more testing, review and expertise than your core product.
And the cookies are not difficult on a technical level, you just have to spend time understanding the threat models and mapping those models correctly onto your own app.
Then customers come and ask for SSO, SAML, OIDC, their niche auth protocol, 2FA, Pass phrases, etc...
And now your auth is a mess and a dedicated job to maintain and evolve.