Taste Buds Bakery opens 1st store in Cupey with a fresh take on cookies
The Puerto Rican dessert brand brings its oversized cookies to a permanent location with $100,000 investment.
Taste Buds Bakery, a Puerto Rican dessert brand known for its 6-ounce Chunky Bulky Cookies and cookie-based treats, has opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Cupey.
The 874-square-foot store, located at the Inter Metro Student Residence, represents an investment of approximately $100,000 by founder and culinary entrepreneur Lyanne Muñiz-Rivera.
“What started as an idea in 2015 became a real dream amid the pandemic,” said Muñiz, who officially launched the business in April 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown.
After being laid off from one of her two jobs, the former Department of Education teacher with a background in culinary management pursued her passion full time.
Taste Buds gained a loyal following online for its oversized cookies with crispy edges and soft centers — “crafted to be shared, not hoarded,” Muñiz said.
The company expanded via social media, then launched an online store in June 2021 to serve customers in Puerto Rico and the mainland U.S.
The Cupey storefront offers an interactive experience where customers can build their own cookies from a variety of doughs and toppings, baked on-site.
The menu includes QuesiCookies (a cookie-“quesito” hybrid), cookie pies, cinnamon rolls and personalized cookie cakes. The shop also serves ice cream made from cookie milk and a coffee menu designed to pair with the desserts.
Taste Buds Bakery now employs four people — two full time and two part time — and provides catering for corporate events, weddings and fundraisers.
With six permanent cookie flavors and eight rotating seasonal varieties, the brand continues to grow, reinforcing Muñiz’s philosophy that “cookies — when made with heart — are meant to be shared.”
