By Elizabeth Bonner Czapski
Flourishing Atlanta cookie company Susansnaps, run by Laura Stachler and her daughter, Susan, bakes up to 10,000 cookies a day in five imaginative flavors. They reach customers through their charming storefront, nationwide delivery service, and new book, The Cookie Cure. “Susansnaps are a labor of love,” says Susan, whose battle with cancer inspired the venture. “We certainly didn’t start out thinking we’d have a gingersnap business.”
The business was born in 2005, when 22-year-old Susan was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, the same cancer that claimed the life of her aunt and namesake, Susan Carver. Laura was desperate for a way to ease the pain of chemo, and after growing up in the restaurant industry and working as a local caterer, baking was a natural idea. “Ginger is a stomach soother, and cookies have a way of making people happy, so I worked on perfecting a gingersnap recipe,” Laura says.
In the beginning, they sold only the original recipe, but have since expanded the line to include Citrussnaps, Cocoasnaps, Alohasnaps, and Pnuttysnaps—all baked fresh daily and topped off with hand-sprinkled sugar. Since its start, Susansnaps has gone on to touch lives with both its taste-tempting confections and moving story. Laura and Susan’s most recent venture has been putting that story into words with their memoir, The Cookie Cure, released this year. “It took years to find the right words to share our cancer-to-cookies story, and we are thrilled to have the words on paper,” says Susan. “Our story is about how just when you think you can’t, you can.”
Both women say their favorite part about their job is getting to work together to spread their mission. In honor of their sister and aunt, they created the Susan Carver Foundation to provide cancer patients with their cookies and dedicate a percentage of sales to cancer research. “Anyone can have a gingersnap, but a Susansnap is truly one of a kind,” Laura says. “It’s a delicious cookie that also carries a story of hope.”
For information, visit susansnaps.com.
Enter below for a chance to win a copy of The Cookie Cure and an assortment of Susansnaps cookies! One winner will be randomly selected. Good luck! Please note the giveaway is only open to U.S. residents.
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