How sweet it is: Dentist’s side hustle is selling macarons

Stephanie Tran, dentist by day, macaron baker by night, whipped up her first batch during the pandemic. Jin S. Lee

Stephanie Tran’s day job is keeping pearly whites squeaky clean — but her side hustle is for those with a sweet tooth.

The New Jersey dentist began baking macarons at the start of the pandemic, and turned her hobby into a business.

She launched her company, Steph’s Macarons, in July 2020, and peddles her creative creations for $3 for classic rounds and $4.50 for her signature character cookies.

Patients “are either surprised, impressed or they think it’s funny,” said Tran, 27, whose creations will be in pop-up shops throughout the Garden State next month.

“No one thinks it’s unethical; they think it’s cool. I think people want to see their dentist as a human who has interests, that they’re not just in their white coat with a needle in their hand.”

The Fort Worth, Texas native uses the slogan “Only causing problems I can solve” and said that when it comes to cavities, it’s about timing, not portion control.

The Fort Worth, Texas native moved to New Jersey for her dental residency.

Oscar Garcia

“You can get cavities from cookies, but it’s really more about the frequency at which you’re eating sugary foods, not the quantity,” said Tran, who’s spoken to her boss at Oakland Premier Dental in Oakland, N.J. about adding her macarons to patients’ goodie bags.

“You are more likely to get cavities if you’re snacking on one macaron every 30 minutes rather than eating an entire dozen all in one sitting. So it’s okay to binge … Just make sure you brush and floss before you go to bed.”

Tran always had a “baking bucket list,” so when her dental school shut down during the pandemic, she tried her hand at macarons.

The 27-year-old spends an average of four hours per night baking in her home kitchen in Hackensack.

Jin S. Lee

She whipped up her first batch in March 2020, while quarantining at her parents’ house and things took off after a friend complimented her confections.

Tran, whose first customers were her dental school classmates, set her macaroons apart with flavors like crème brûlée, s’mores and birthday cake.

“Macaron boxes sold in the supermarket have weird flavors that nobody wants, like apricot and cherry,” she told The Post.

Tran makes macarons inspired by characters like Cookie Monster, which she sells for $4.50 each.

Chris Zranchev

When she moved to Hackensack, N.J. for her residency, her business grew due to a “more sophisticated” clientele.

“I thought I did well, but realized, ‘It’s so much better in New Jersey because people here know what a macaron is,’” she explained. “They wouldn’t question why they were so expensive.”

Tran — who spends an average of four hours a night in the kitchen and hopes to open a storefront — speculated on the recipe for her success.

Her creative creations come in flavors like crème brûlée, s’mores, birthday cake and cookies and cream.

Jin S. Lee

“Macarons generally all taste the same; you have to read the flavor to know what it is,” she said.

“My goal with mine is you should be able to close your eyes, bite into it and know.”