Houston Mom Turns Her Pandemic Baking Into a New Cookie Shop — Milk Mustache Brings Big Cookies to Tanglewood

Like many of us, mother of four Tracy Jones took to her kitchen during the COVID-19 pandemic. But instead of making sourdough or banana bread, her focus was cookies — the fresh-from-the-oven home-baked sort. A novice baker with a generous spirit and, one might assume, an outsized sweet tooth, Jones began baking cookies as simply a means of distraction, passing along her sweet treats to family, friends, doctors, nurses and teachers.

They raved, of course, and likely asked where they could buy more which led the enterprising mama to spawn an entrepreneurial venture of her very own with the birth of Milk Mustache in October 2020.

For the last couple of years, Jones baked her small batch, all-natural cookies, prepared without preservatives, in her Cypress area cookie factory, sending her mighty cookies — each weighing in at six ounces (and two inches thick) apiece — all around the country. But now, Jones is going the bricks-and-mortar route, opening her very first Milk Mustache cookie shop in Houston.

Poised in the Tanglewood area, you can stroll into a 925 square-foot, coral-colored cookie jar of sorts, and find a dozen different cookie flavors. Be tempted to try the sea salt caramel pecan, red velvet filled with a cream cheese filling, or Nutella dream. There’s a mighty chocolate chip cookie filled with chunks of soft, melting chocolate, also available in a smaller “mini” version, too.

And coming soon to this first Milk Mustache cookie shop? A cookie dough bar with six different flavors, sold by the scoop or the pint. With 10 kinds of optional toppings too.

To me, Jones’ cookies look and taste like a cross between New York City’s famed Levain Bakery cookies and Mrs. Fields, the once prevalent kiosk in every mall whose generously sized cookies were served warm too. These Milk Mustache cookies are crunchy on the exterior and soft and gooey inside.

Although Jones keeps mum about the ingredients she uses, she insists on only the best. Here single cookies command a price of $5.50, a four pack runs $18.50, a six pack costs $27.50 and a dozen rings in at $49.50. If you opt for her mini chocolate chip (a nice size cookie nonetheless), a dozen is $19.80.

“I am thrilled to be opening Milk Mustache’s first storefront location,” Jones says in a statement. “After opening the cookie factory in 2020, I knew I wanted the next step to be a beautiful, inviting cookie shop people would look forward to visiting, and Tanglewood was a perfect fit.

“I started baking cookies as a way to bring joy to those around me, and it has been so incredible to see Milk Mustache grow into what it is today.”

Milk Mustache will make its brick-and-mortar debut with a grand opening fete from 12 to 5 pm on Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 3, with proceeds benefiting Alzheimer’s Association of Houston and Southeast Texas on the 2nd and Houston Children’s Charity on the 3rd. To celebrate, Milk Mustache will give away one free chocolate chip mini cookie to the first 100 guests on both days. Plus, there will be a raffle for a free 12-pack box of cookies every hour.

Milk Mustache is located at 1864 Fountainview Road. It is now open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 am to 8 pm.