Justine Boone has always had a love of art. From an early age, she loved to draw. She was an avid art student with a unique flair for creativity.
After she was married, she discovered a love of a different kind of art—cake design and decorating—which lent itself well to her artistic skills.
“When I first moved to New Jersey, I didn’t know anyone, so I thought it would be fun to take cake decorating classes,” she says. I began creating cakes and cupcakes for parties and catered events as a side business. But then, I discovered cookies—and loved that even more.” Justine soon discovered that the specialized design required for creating beautiful, decorative sugar cookies fit her artistic talents perfectly.
After having her three children, she took her business to the next level by transitioning to a full-time model and renting commercial kitchens in which to bake. “My business really took off during the pandemic,” says Justine. “I did a lot of corporate work, making cookies for various drive-through events and corporate gifts. Business grew quickly through referrals and I realized it was time to take that big leap and open a retail space.”
Justine found a warm and friendly space at 26 Chestnut Street in Ridgewood, taking it over from a small tea purveyor. She still carries the prior shop’s specialty loose-leaf teas and drinks because of their popularity in the community. She opened Treat Me Sweet Cookies in October of 2022, and business was non-stop throughout last year’s holiday season.
Treat Me Sweet offers stuffed cookies in a variety of flavors. If you’ve never had a stuffed cookie before, this is the place to discover the large, cake-like cookies loaded with delicious flavors like Nutella, Oreo, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and lemon blueberry, to name a few. Guaranteed to be the hit of any party, catered event, or post-Sunday-dinner treat, Justine also develops seasonal holiday flavors. If you are hosting a gathering this year, ask her about her cookie charcuteries and cake shooters!
For those who need to get their message “out there” and want a unique way to brand their business, her sugar cookies are professionally decorated to get a business message, branding, or logo directly into the hands (and mouths) of the desired audience. Some of Justine’s esteemed corporate clients include Spin Master (think: Marvel and Paw Patrol), CeraVe, Cetaphil, Chapstick, HBO, and Valley Hospital.
Justine’s cookie creations are more than meets the eye—they are not only beautiful but delicious, too. All of her products are baked from scratch with wholesome ingredients, fresh butter, and no preservatives or corn syrup. Justine states, “We’ve mastered the process of using whole ingredients in our stuffed cookies, like crushed blueberries, real lemons, and peanut butter cups. Everyone comments that our cookies taste as good as they look!”
Justine shares the fun of cookie culture by hosting birthday parties, decorating workshops, and cake-pop-making classes in the store, and she recently wrapped up her inaugural summer Baking Camp for kids aged 9-14.
Treat Me Sweet takes orders for custom holiday gift selections and can ship anywhere in the United States—it’s also a great place to stop for a sweet treat during your holiday shopping trips in Ridgewood.
"Everyone comments that our cookies taste as good as they look!”
