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A father and daughter are planning to open a raft of cookie shops, just weeks after rising sales of their bestselling bakes led to the opening of their first bricks-and-mortar business.

Music industry entrepreneur Kieron Donoghue already runs his own firm, Humble Angel Records, and has worked with his daughter Macy, a keen baker, to launch Cookie Freaks.

Ms Donoghue left school after completing her A Levels in 2019 and wanted to launch her own venture, so the pair spent months perfecting a cookie recipe, inspired by their many trips to the US.

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Cookie Freaks’ first foray into retail was at Tynemouth Market, where they began to build a loyal customer base, but were forced to pivot in the pandemic by launching deliveries.

Growing sales led to the search for a permanent base, and the business recently opened in Enterprise House, on Kingsway North in the Team Valley, giving them room to bake and sell the treats.

Their handmade giant and stuffed cookies, cookie sandwiches, slabs, and best-selling cookie pies have proved to be a huge hit, thanks in part to a loyal following on social media.

Mr Donoghue said: “Macy and I have been frequent visitors to the US over the last few years and we had seen the popularity of giant cookies over there so we thought we’d bring that concept to the º£½ÇÊÓƵ with our own twist and launch a cookie business.