Caroline’s Cookies—the Lafayette-born concept that brought wrap-around lines of fans to the grand opening of its first Baton Rouge bakery less than a year ago—opens its second Capital Region location today, Friday, Nov. 15, at 11 a.m.
Situated in the former CounterspaceBR on Jefferson Highway, the new Caroline’s Cookies is awash in the brand’s signature lavender. Cookie icons dot the walls. A few sleek tables and a plush purple booth welcome patrons to sit down to enjoy one of 23-year-old owner Caroline Merryman’s sizable cookie creations.
The words “Thick & Gooey,” Caroline’s Cookies’ calling cards, are lit up on the wall in neon.
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Merryman, who founded the concept in 2020 out of her parent’s kitchen, says the new Jefferson location has been in the works for about three months. She received approval to open on Wednesday and her staff just finished putting up the logo sign on Thursday morning. The process was made easier since the space was previously being used as a bakery.
A couple of months ago, Merryman says she received a direct message from the landlord of the space via Facebook Messenger, letting her know that it would be opening up following CounterspaceBR’s closure.
“At first I was like, ‘No way’,” Merryman says.
Given that her Perkins Rowe location had only opened last December, Merryman thought it was too soon to launch another Caroline’s Cookies in Baton Rouge. But after taking the advice of her business partner, Merryman decided to look at the space.
“I had that same gut feeling that I had with our other locations … I knew with how big Baton Rouge is that we could reach a new group of customers,” she says.
The new location will operate a little differently than the Perkins Rowe location.
The Jefferson bakery will be open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.—an hour earlier than at Perkins Rowe and an additional day on Tuesday. Merryman will also rent out the space for small gatherings or birthday parties during the weekend. Fans of Caroline’s Cookies can also purchase merchandise, which will be added in the coming months. Currently, the shop offers two sweatshirt options and a baby onesie. In the future, Merryman would like to have T-shirts, mugs, pins and more.
“Stay tuned for more merch on the horizon,” she says.
The cookies, however, will stay the same. Caroline’s Cookies has four staple flavors: Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Chip, Vanilla Sprinkle and Circus Cookie. Seasonal flavors rotate by month, featuring two throwback flavors and two new flavors. For November, sweet treat connoisseurs can expect throwback flavors of Banana Bread and Turtle, in addition to two new flavors, Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl and Apple Spice.
“We really just try to bring people in our doors and keep them excited with new flavors,” Merryman says.
Today, with three locations now under her belt, Merryman says she also always tries to “remember (her) why.”
She says she often thinks of her passion for baking and why she started this business when she feels bogged down. She says her grandfather taught her to build a good team and treat them well, and she tries to implement that into her own business.
“This isn’t just Caroline’s Cookies, this is all of my employees that have gotten me here,” Merryman says.
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“Thank you to Baton Rouge,” she continues. “I didn’t think we’d be opening another location this soon or even ever… I want to say thank you to everybody who supports us in any way.”
Caroline’s Cookies will host its grand opening today from 11 a.m. until sellout. The grand opening menu will include Chocolate Chip, Cookies & Cream, Circus, Vanilla Sprinkle, Wedding Cake, Brownie Sandwich, Strawberry Poptart, Blueberry Lemon, Oreo Swirl and Toffee Cake.
The new location is at 7575 Jefferson Highway, Unit D. Follow the cookie shop on Instagram to keep up with the monthly specials and business hours.