Baker Justin Sparaga Is a Smart Cookie

Justin Sparaga’s Cookie business started in fifth grade as part of Washington Elementary School’s TREP$ program (short for enTREPreneur$), which empowers students through hands-on, project-based entrepreneurship education. But it wasn’t until seventh grade, when the Short Hills resident took a financial literacy class at Morristown Beard School, that his “business brain” really started to tick.

By eighth grade, Sparaga was baking cookies and bringing them to school, where friends became his unofficial taste testers and biggest supporters. “Friends said I should start a business,” he recalls. “I quickly realized this was a passion that could fund my love for going to concerts.” And just like that, Justin’s Baked Cookies was born.

A Winning Recipe

Sparaga’s signature Nutella Sea Salt cookie is a local favorite, and customers routinely swing by his house to pick up orders. His menu delivers serious cookie credentials: Classic Chocolate Chip, S’mores Crunch, Lotus Biscoff, and the trendy Dubai Chocolate. You can find your favorites at @justinsbakedcookies on Instagram.

“I get inspiration by scrolling through social media and looking at my favorite cookie brands,” says Sparaga, who is now in ninth grade. He cites Baked SoCal in Los Angeles, Ash’s Bake Shop in Orlando, and local favorite Liv Breads as his creative muses.

Balancing homework with artisan baking, Sparaga has mastered the art of time blocking. He bakes primarily on Sundays, focuses on schoolwork throughout the week, and enjoys his social life on Fridays and Saturdays.

He’s already thinking well beyond his kitchen counter. “I see Justin’s Baked Cookies as a cookie empire,” he says. “I would love to have an original location in the Millburn-Short Hills area, along with locations in the city.”

Sparaga’s vision is big, and his cookie empire is already rising. Currently, he’s testing a “subscribe and save” monthly membership for local families, and he’s even considering cookie birthday parties for kids. But for now, it’s one batch at a time.

SIDEBAR:

Justin Sparaga’s Insider Baking Tip:

“I use cake flour in my cookies, which is very rare. This creates a softer and more tender texture.”

Photograph courtesy of Justin Sparaga