Find Your Sweet Spot at Kirshenbaum Baking Co.

The story of Kirshenbaum Baking Co. starts with cookies. During the pandemic, Uyen Kirshenbaum, a French-trained pastry chef, and her husband, Jeff Kirshenbaum, who worked in restaurant operations, found themselves furloughed from their jobs. “I was home and had time on my hands, so I started shipping cookies to friends and family,” Uyen says. “Suddenly we were shipping hundreds of cookies nationwide each week and had this little business.”

When it came time to return to their restaurant jobs, Uyen and Jeff decided to make some changes. Pre-pandemic, they barely saw each other—she worked days and he worked nights—and it seemed like a good time to build on the success of their cookie business. 

When, in 2022, the opportunity came to buy a brick-and-mortar shop in Westfield, New Jersey, they went all in. Then they opened their Morristown location 

in 2024. “I’m the baker and Jeff is the brains,” Uyes jokes. “He does everything that’s needed so the shop can actually run. He organizes and makes the Excel spreadsheets needed to keep everything going.”

Today, Kirshenbaum Baking Co., or KBC for short, offers much more than cookies, although those remain a mainstay. One kind in particular, dubbed “Jeff’s Cookie,” is a customer favorite. Uyen concocted the recipe back when she and Jeff, who can’t have dairy, were first dating. “They’re a really delicious, chewy dark chocolate flourless brownie-like cookie,” Uyen says. “Everyone is always amazed that they don’t have gluten or dairy.”

Beyond Cookies

In addition to cookies, Uyen draws on her French culinary training to make fluffy, artisanal croissants that will make you think you’re in Paris. “They’re so beautiful and you can see all the layers of dough,” she says. 

There are also pies and cakes sold by the slice, or available whole if you order ahead, and lots and lots of house-made savory options. This being New Jersey, Taylor Ham makes the menu, although at KBC it’s paired with bechamel cheese and sandwiched between layers of flaky pie dough. One of Uyen’s other favorites is the Shakshuka Focaccia, made with a red bell pepper sauce, a poached egg, and homemade focaccia. 

Another hugely popular item, Uyen shares, is the breakfast burrito, made with scrambled eggs, pico de gallo, cheddar cheese and avocado. “We heat it up and it’s all warm and gooey. It’s a great quick, go-to breakfast with coffee,” she says. 

Speaking of coffee, “We take it very seriously—just as seriously as we take our pastries,” Uyen says. “Coffee here is not a secondary thought.” KBC uses fresh-ground beans from New Jersey-based roaster Offshore Coffee Co. in everything from flat whites and cappuccinos to rotating specials like toasted coconut lattes, made using homemade syrup. 

Everything at KBC is handmade, using premium ingredients like European-style butter with 82 percent butter fat. The sourdough is hand-rolled by KBC’s bread expert, and all the cakes are decorated to customer specifications. But more than being handmade, says Uyen, “We keep everything very clean. There are no preservatives, no additives, no dough conditioners. Our pastries are made to eat the same day they are made.”

The choice to use higher-end ingredients is at least partially informed by Uyen’s French pastry training. “I’ve evolved as a chef and have my own kind of style now, but foundationally it’s all very French-based,” she says.

WHERE TO PARK

It’s no secret that the construction of the new courthouse has made parking a bit of a situation for many Morristown businesses, KBC included. “It was just thrown at us,” says Uyen, “but we’ve been able to talk with the town, and the community has been awesome. We have really felt support from the people of Morristown.” As of publication, here are the easiest ways to get your KBC fix:

• 5-minute parking curbside for pick up 

• 30-minute free parking in any unreserved spot at Ann-Bank Garage (41 Bank St.)

• 1-hour parking (validated by KBC) at Ann-Bank Garage for customers who want to linger a bit longer