// SWEET SUCCESS

Cindy Kruse satisfies every

CINDY RUSE SATISFIES EVERY SWEET TOOTH WITH 30 COOKIE VARIETIES TO CHOOSE FROM AT HER NEWLY MINTED ARTISANAL SHOP (MIAMI’S FIRST!) IN LITTLE RIVER.

The art of the perfect cookie is serious business—just ask Cindy Kruse, who recently opened her Cindy Lou’s Cookies storefront in Little River. Mastering a balance of flavor, texture, and temperature has been her life’s work since graduating from Boston University’s Hotel & Restaurant Management program and joining the pastry kitchen at the Culinary Institute of America. She’s worked with some of the best in the business, including Emeril Lagasse, Jean-georges Vongerichten, and the late Charlie Trotter. “You never look at food again in the same way. In the end, being a chef is not just what you did, it’s who you were,” she says of her experiences.

It was in 2006 that Kruse’s former boss in Las Vegas, businessman Don Soffer, asked her if she wanted to move to Miami to help in the renovation of a hotel he’d just bought—the Fontainebleau

Miami Beach. The rest is history.

Today, Kruse’s work revolves around her shop, custom orders for pies and cakes, and being part of Miami’s expanding artisanal community. While most of Miami is familiar with the pastries Kruse has been making for Panther Coffee, it’s her cookies that capture her vivacious and warm personality.

The classic chocolate chip might be the most popular, but it’s the coconut chocolate chip (with pecans) that embodies cookie supremacy. “[It’s] sweet and salty, crispy on the outside and chewy in the center, comforting, chocolatey, and delicious!” Kruse says. Her creativity goes beyond the usual set of flavors, with a rotating menu featuring offerings like the Quesito—a sugar cookie filled with cream cheese frosting and rolled in sanding sugar. As Kruse cheerfully puts it, “[I’m] just trying to make this world a better place, one cookie at a time.” 7320 NE 2nd Ave., Miami, 305-456-8585; cindylouscookies.com

“[I’M] JUST TRYING TO MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE, ONE COOKIE AT A TIME.”

—CINDY KRUSE

Cindy Lou’s assortment of Delicious-brownie Crunch, vegan banana bread, Red Velvet cookie, Coconut Chocolate Chip cookie, and Nutella Meringues is picture-perfect.

Childhood dreams come true with Cindy Lou’s milk and cookies combo.

Cofounders and life partners Cindy Lou and Eric Paige happily get their hands dirty at work.

Blueberry scones fresh out of the oven satisfy any sweet tooth.