There’s nothing sweeter than a dose of childhood nostalgia baked into a freshly made cookie—and that’s exactly what Love Cookies had in mind with its small-batch bakery, which crafts delicious and inventive treats inspired by Asian childhood classics.
With flavors like mango pomelo cheesefoam and White Rabbit candy milk tea, these sweet and gooey handmade cookies are hard to resist. Whether customers are tapping into cherished memories or discovering the flavors for the first time, the Elmhurst-based brand brings a fresh and exciting dessert experience to the borough.
“I quit corporate about six months ago, and that’s when I started,” said Love Cookies Founder, Katlyn Chan. “It started doing pretty well within the first couple of months, so I was like, why not just do this full time? It’s what I like; I like baking, and I like coming up with new ideas. When I think of all these cookies, I want to be so absurd that people are like, ‘Are you sure that’s gonna work?’ And then make it into a cookie that tastes amazing.”
Prior to starting her own cookie brand, Chan worked in a corporate career but had dreams of a work-life that involved tapping into her creativity and connecting with her community in a fun and meaningful way. The Queens resident sells her goods online and regularly participates in pop-up shops throughout the borough, including Elmhurst and areas in Western Queens. She’s also done some in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but feels overall that she’d mainly like to connect with people and businesses in her home borough.
Presently, Chan prepares and makes the cookies on her own, including coming up with the flavors and names, and building her brand through social media and pop-up shops in the neighborhood. Some of the most popular treats are the mango pomelo cheesefoam and black sesame matcha; however, the baker is presently in the process of creating a boba series, based on popular bubble tea flavors, as well as a hojicha strawberry mochi cookie and a White Rabbit candy cookie, based on the iconic cultural brand. While there are definitely flavors that are favorites, Chan enjoys coming up with new and exciting flavors to thrill her customers with.
“Mango pomelo cheesefoam is definitely my biggest seller right now, given that it’s summertime and it’s a refreshing fruit,” said Chan. “One of my new flavors is White Rabbit candy milk tea. It’s a signature candy; every Asian will know what the candy is. I just wanted to bring a sense of nostalgia, but elevate it in a way and deliver it through a milk tea cookie.”
When customers order their cookies online, Chan makes batches fresh and uses the Hotplate app to schedule food drops for customers to receive their order. One of the great parts about regularly having pop-ups is that it provides Chan with a more personalized opportunity to meet and chat with existing and new customers. Some local spaces she’s had them so far have been Off Grids Common in Bayside and Master Panda in Long Island City, in addition to places in Williamsburg and Manhattan.
“I’ve been doing pop-ups because it’s a good way to get my name out there, but also it’s a good way to meet my customers, and I feel like it’s a better connection,” said Chan.
She envisions opening her own cafe down the line, which would allow her to bake more batches, create, and connect with the community.
“I always thought this was just going to be a hobby, but my whole mindset was, if I don’t do it now, I’m never going to do it,” said Chan. “And my huge thing about the cookies is that I want it to sound as cool as it tastes, so every element that I put into the name should also be what you taste; I don’t want it to be some gimmicky idea.”
To order from Love Cookies or learn about the next pop-up event, go to @lovecookies.nyc
