The Brisbane cookie business that’s become a global TikTok sensation

A Brisbane bakery is attracting customers from around the world after going viral on social media, as it taps into the booming trend of selling boujee versions of grandma’s favourites.

Artisan biscuit businesses are booming across Queensland, selling boujee versions of grandma’s favourites filled with everything from Biscoff to Belgian chocolate and cheesecake.

Brooki Bakehouse in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley opened in May last year and has customers coming from around the world to try their signature cookies made famous on TikTok.

“About 20 people a day come in off TikTok and nearly all of them aren’t from Brisbane,” Brooki Bakehouse owner Brooke Saward said.

“(There’s) lots of people from Sydney. I’ve had people from Manchester (in the UK) – their friends have sent them our TikTok and so they came in; lots of people from Singapore and Malaysia – it’s so wild.”

Brooke Saward at Brooki Bakehouse in Fortitude Valley with her best-selling NYC cookies and Lotus Biscoff cookies. Picture: Steve Pohlner

The store even began shipping their cookies across Australia to meet the national demand sparked by their social media fame.

“I think since the pandemic there’s definitely this really revived interest in baking and home-baked goods but now that we’re all back at work, we’ve got this love for and nostalgia for home-baked goods but we don’t have time to make them for ourselves so people are willing to pay,” Ms Saward said, with her large cookies selling for $6.50 each.

On the Gold Coast, mates Max Statham and Aiden Williamson started their biscuit business, The Milkman’s Cookies, with a simple market stall in November 2020 and are now sending orders across Australia and supplying cafes and corporates from Brisbane to the Gold Coast.

“We started with about 240 cookies and sold out in two hours and the demand hasn’t dropped since,” said Mr Statham, with their Nutella chocolate versions and Lindt ball-stuffed cookies among their most popular.

Meanwhile, Treats & Co in Wellington Point, east of Brisbane, attracted queues down the street when it launched mid last year, with its over-the-top baked creations filled with everything from Milo cheesecake to peanut butter and Oreos.

A cookie creation from Treats & Co in Wellington Point.

“I think people are coming out of Covid looking for a bit more enjoyment,” owner David Roby said.

“It’s a bit of a treat where you can go out and find these hectic items and spend the afternoon or night time with your friends eating these things like an outing.”