The Baked Bear brings ice cream sandwiches and warm cookies to Asbury Park

There's a new ice cream shop this summer in Asbury Park — and they have more than just cones.

The Baked Bear opened its second location April 13 on Asbury Park's busy Cookman Avenue. The first New Jersey location, a boardwalk spot in Long Branch's Pier Village, opened in May 2021.

The shop specializes in build-your-own ice cream sandwiches with homemade ice cream flavors sandwiched between fresh baked cookies.

"The best sellers are the classic chip-wich with chocolate chip and vanilla ice cream ... or our gooey butter cake, a yellow cake based cookie with cream cheese dipped in powdered sugar," said owner Tyler Hess. "The best two ice cream flavors to pair it with are blackberry crumble or almond brittle cake."

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Other homemade flavors are cookies and cream, and Bear Batter, a blue cake batter-based ice cream with brownies and sprinkles. While sandwiches are the shop's specialty, you can also order cones.

"I like to use the analogy that it's Chipotle for dessert," Hess said. "At Chipotle, you pick your base of tortilla or a bowl. For us it's cookies, brownies or whatever baked good you select. At Chipotle, you pick your meat. Here you pick your ice cream.

"And for toppings, which would be guac or sour cream at Chipotle," he continued, "here it's sprinkles, brownie bits, chocolate chips or M&Ms ..."

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The shop also has a special device, similar to a panini press, that can warm up the cookies, without melting the ice cream sandwiched between.

The new location isn't all that's new for The Baked Bear. Both shops will be releasing new menu items, like stuffed cookies filled with fudge, cookie butter and more. Starting in May, there will be two cookies of the month, instead of one (April's flavor is Cinnamon Toast Crunch).

The Pier Village shop in Long Branch was one of the first on the East Coast for the franchise, which now has over 30 locations in 10 states.

"The concept started in San Diego [in 2013]," Hess said. "Out of college, I was stationed in the Navy there, and I met the creator and now CEO Rob Robbins."

Hess, who lives in the Shark River Hills section of Neptune with his wife, has always wanted to come to Asbury Park.

"We're on the boardwalk in Pier Village, so the inspiration to go on Cookman, versus the boardwalk in Asbury, was to capture a little less seasonality. The boardwalk is so seasonal, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we go gang busters during that time — but the rest of the year is very slow."

The Asbury location is 500 square feet larger than Long Branch's Baked Bear.

"We have a significantly larger dining room," he said. "It will allow us, in the colder months, to accommodate birthday parties ... I think I could have an upwards of 50 people here."

Go: 614 Cookman Ave., Asbury Park; asburypark@thebakedbear.com, thebakedbear.com.

Dan Radel contributed to this story.

Gabriela L. Laracca joined the USA Today Network New Jersey in 2021 and eagerly brings her passion for cuisine and culture to our readers. Send restaurant tips to glaracca@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: The Baked Bear ice cream shop comes to Asbury Park