Thomas Tarrant lost his job during the start of the Covid crisis. He decided to open his own business, bringing handmade fresh baked cookies with unique and interesting flavors to your doorstep. I discovered his business and the story behind it after the Gainesville Sun did a feature on him: https://www.gainesville.com/business/20200416/sweet-turn-gainesville-man-loses-job-starts-cookie-biz
Being spotlighted by the local newspaper was a boon for his business and cookie orders started to come in. I placed my first one immediately for a dozen cookies. Thomas was friendly with great communication when I contacted him with a few questions. He arrived the next day, donning mask and gloves, and delivered my cookies to the front door. The process was entirely contactless. You purchase and pay for your cookie order via his website and schedule your cookie delivery based on the available days and time slots he has listed on the website: https://www.brothercookie.com/ If you wish to leave a tip, there is not a way to do this online. We live in a single family home and left a note for him with tip on the doorstep around the expected arrival time.
My first order was a sampling of a variety of flavors: S'mores, Orange Cardamom, Lemon White Chocolate, Brown Butter, Iced Carrot Cake, Mint Chocolate Chip and Rosemary Balsamic Fig. Each cookie was delicious and there was not one I didn't like. My top favorite was the Rosemary Balsamic Fig. The rosemary is perfectlly balanced, the texture of the cookie is a soul satisfying soft and gooey combo and there are pieces of figs throughout.
I subsequently ordered a half dozen of just the Rosemary Balsamic Fig as they've become one of my favorite treats to have around. The cookies freeze perfectly for at least a few months, if you can make them last that long. The Iced Carrot Cake cookie was a bit taller and more fluffy with an almost cakey texture and it was perfectly spiced. The Lemon White Chocolate was my second favorite featuring a bold lemon flavor and a heavenly soft texture. All of the cookies I tried had a bold generous flavor, they were not bland at all or just a cookie base with some mild flavors tossed in. The texture of each was slightly different based on the flavor, but all were cooked thoroguhly, very soft on the inside a the perfect amount of firmness on the outside. Some cookies are a bit softer, thinner and gooier and some, like the Carrot Cake, Orange Cardamom and Mint Chocolate Chip are a bit taller and fluffier. Regardless of the thickness of the cookie, each cookie is a very large 6 ounces of dough and approximately 5 inches across.
Check out these enthusiastic reviews on Yelp (I am not sure why the page says these reviews are "not recommended". It seems to be a glitch with the star rating system but all the reviews left are very positive): https://www.yelp.com/not_recommended_reviews/brother-cookie-gainesville. There are more effusive reviews on the Brother Cookie Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/brothercookie/reviews/?ref=page_internal
Thomas offers specials for first time orders so check out his Facebook page or website to see what is on offer.
I'm a huge fan of Brother Cookie and highly recommend this local business. I hope to see the business continue to grow. From customer service to originality to the product itself, Brother Cookie is a rare gem and you can't help but recognize the passion and integrity Thomas puts into it.
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