With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting livelihoods of all kinds, many people have decided to innovate with their existing line of work, to expand online, or to start up small businesses themselves. To support these businesses, CHiNOY TV posted online where they can namedrop their ventures for a chance to be featured.
Today’s entry hits the sweet spot: cookies! These five cookie businesses feature a diverse array of flavors, which are perfect for those who wish to try out different kinds of sweets. As the Cookie Monster once said, “Home is where the heart is. The heart is where the cookie is.”
FLOUR HOUR
With the pandemic affecting her line of work as a model and actress, Amara Ui started up Flour Hour, which stemmed from her love for baking and sweets. In a short period of time, she saw demand pick up from satisfied customers. “I just want to be able to let other people taste my baked goods at an affordable price…This pandemic has affected the people so much, so being able to serve something affordable and at the same time good quality food really means a lot to me,” she expressed.
WHAT TO TRY: Ui recommends her best-sellers: the Classic Chocolate Chip, which has Belgian Chocolate chunks; the Dark Chocolate Fudge, which, true to its name, contains rich and fudgey dark chocolate with Dark Belgian Chocolate chunks; and the Classic Chocolate Mallow, which adds marshmallow goodness to Flour Hour’s signature chocolate chip.
To check out more of their products and pricelists, check out their Facebook page here!
MILK + BUTTER
During the pandemic, founders and cousins Meryl Tuvilla, and Jenissa and Janelle Midel wanted to start up their own business, but had no idea on where to start. They got the idea of pursuing pastries from their weekly Sunday baking lessons from their parents and relatives. “We wanted to bring something extraordinary to the market. While scrolling on our Instagram feed, we encountered a product that was out of the ordinary which is called ‘Brookies.’ We felt that this product is worth introducing in the Philippine market by using premium quality ingredients,” they said.
WHAT TO TRY: As said before, try their newly-introduced Brookies (a portmanteau of brownies and cookies), which are made with premium dark chocolate that brings out their rich cocoa flavor and is perfect suited with your afternoon coffee. “The right amount of sweetness of our brookies will help satisfy your cravings with your first bite,” said the owners. Aside from their Brookies, they also serve their soft and moist Banana Carrot Walnut Loaf, an idea snack for merienda.
To check out more of their products and pricelists, check out their Facebook page here!
SUNONE BITES
Founded in the middle of the pandemic, the sister owners started Sun One Bites as a pastime for the siblings. The business currently focuses on an assortment of cookies, but they plan on expanding to other baked goods in the future.
WHAT TO TRY: Try out their own version of Brookies with Walnuts, which has gooey chocolate chips and walnuts in a moist, rich chocolate cookie. Their Classic NYC Chocolate Chip cookies are, like its namesake, your classic chocolate chip but bigger, gooey and flavorful. Cookies come in different sizes that the customer can order in.
To check out more of their products and pricelists, check out their Facebook page here!
DOUGH SHALL BAKE
Owner Nicole See discovered she loved baking when she was fresh out of college in 2015, and she baked to kill time and destress. She convinced her brother to see her cookies to his classmates and friends, which was an unexpected hit for her. “What inspired me really to make this into a mini-business is the feeling when our family bond over the goodies. It’s a happy feeling that can only be experienced and can’t be explained. I’d love to let more people experience that,” she explained. Initially selling under the name Cookies by Nicole, she relaunched the business as Dough Shall Bake this year.
WHAT TO TRY: Check out their bestseller, Oreo Cheesecake Cookies, which are flavorful, chewy, and moist cookies that are infused with high-quality cream cheese and chunks of Oreo! Introduced this year are their Choco Walnut Oatmeal Cookies, which are butter-based cookies that feature crispy edges, chewy centers, and are packed with chunks of dark chocolate, toasted walnuts, and whole rolled oats.
To check out more of their products and pricelists, check out their Facebook page here!
WKND! BAKERY
“WKND! Bakery is the birth child of my addiction to anything sweet and my passion in discovering how to create them,” said founder Pauline Tan, who founded the venture by selling to family and friends back in 2016. In January 2018, she took a big leap and created a new home for her baked goods on Instagram. From cookies to sourdough goods, as well as her take on Milk Bar’s famous Crack Pie, WKND! Bakery is where people can definitely find that homemade, handmade baked good goodness that they can share with loved ones and friends. “At the end of each day, I bake not just to bring people together, but to help create moments, memories that they can go back to every time they come together,” she says.
WHAT TO TRY: Tan recommends Mamma Mia! in White, which is a hefty, chewy, generously packed white chocolate chip cookie (sprinkled with sea salt for that extra flavor!) that will definitely make you say “Mamma Mia!” as you bite into its 70g goodness. For those who want their sweetness turned down a bit, the Mamma Mia! comes in semi-sweet as well. WKND’s Chocolate Chip Cookie is not your basic chocolate chip cookie一it’s sourdough-infused to give you that soft, scone-like texture and is unapologetically filled with chocolate chips. The best part? It retains that texture in room temp and even when stored in the fridge. Lastly, their Crack Pie Cookie has both the crunchy and chewy feel as this Crack Pie-inspired cookie is bound to take you on a ride as you make your way from its crunchy edges to its chewy center. With its perfect balance of sweet and salty all throughout the experience, don’t be surprised if you get addicted!
To check out more of their products and pricelists, check out their Facebook page here!
For more lists spotlighting small businesses in the midst of the pandemic, keep an eye out for CHiNOY TV’s social media pages and website for more recommendations!
