Liger’s photo
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Freshly baked and locally made, Liger’s mixes flavor and flair to claim the title of Miami’s coolest cookie brand.
Before taking social media by storm, Liger’s was just Julian Cousins’ dream of finding the perfect chocolate chip cookie he had during a business trip in October 2019. As a professional photographer, Cousins found himself in Vancouver for a Bon Appétit photo shoot in a small town called Kelowna. “It was like this little town on the river, just full of wineries,” he recalls for New Times. “I drove in, stayed a night, did the shoot, but then on the drive back, I stopped at a bakery and bought this cookie. Maybe it was the full experience of the really good cookie and the scenic drive with mountains, but when I came back, I couldn’t find a cookie that tasted that good.”
Today, he believes Miami has many more options for delicious cookies, but back in 2019, he couldn’t find the one for him. While all of his foodie experience was done through a camera lens, Cousins was determined to bake the cookie he had abroad.
Liger’s photo
From Skate Shop to Local Sensation
He tells New Times, this was an “out of nowhere” experience. He never had a passion for baking, and finding this perfect recipe was a first. Living across a skate shop, he developed a routine where he would try a new batch and share the rest with his friends at the shop. One day, he arrived at the skate shop, and one of his friends asked, “Where are those Liger’s cookies?” “Liger’s” comes from a fond childhood memory, which then became his nickname.
Cousins tells New Times that, in that moment, he found his brand’s name. “They kind of motivated me to keep baking,” says Cousins. “From five people trying it on day one, eventually 20 people had the cookies. Eventually, I drove down to Miami and gave out cookies to my friends, just sliding them through the cracked window, but I took a picture of everyone who had the cookies and posted it. For some reason, people in Miami started asking where they could buy them.”
With his first actual sale, he began to develop his business slowly. After connecting with cookie expert Kathleen King, founder of Tate’s Bake Shop (if you know, you know), he decided to treat his own brand with the same professionalism he would a client. Cousins let his creative mind get to work building out the brand concept and shooting his own cookies like he would a Bon Appétit photo shoot, all while developing his social media presence in a unique voice appealing to his audience; Liger’s was then official.
Liger’s photo
Cookies à la Canada: Basically, These Are Damn Good
The Liger’s brand that Miami knows and loves today has two core flavors: original chocolate chip and lemon. “I set out to do Liger’s so that people could experience what I experienced in Canada, which was just a really good chocolate chip cookie,” says Cousins. “The only difference between mine and the one you get at a supermarket is that there are no extra ingredients, preservatives, no seed oils, no bad ingredients, so it tastes familiar, but you’re just tasting the straight ingredients.”
The quality of his cookies didn’t go unnoticed, and from his own kitchen, Cousins grew Liger’s into a hot Miami business. The brand expanded from small batches to being in some of Miami’s most popular spots, including Caracas Bakery, Coconut Grove’s Navi coffee shop, Miami Slice in downtown, and, most recently, supplying his cookies to the newest handrollbar, Pari Pari, for a special dessert. Cousins also partnered with brands for special collabs, the nationally known Rocky’s Matcha during Art Basel, where he baked a Japanese Neapolitan cookie made with plain, organic strawberry, and of course, Rocky’s Matcha.
On Liger’s website, the dozen cookies cost $36, and the stores across town sell four packs or single cookies. The cookie dough pack is also sold online and at Grove Grocer in the Grove. The website also ships nationally and sells a selection of merchandise designed by Cousins. For delivery and order information, click here.
Liger’s. Delivery across Miami; ligerscookies.com.
