Stand Up To Cancer
/in Snapthoughts/by SusanWho’s tuning in with us tonight for Stand Up To Cancer? My Aunt Susan didn’t make it, but this Susan did. I stand up for Aunt Sue. And, Susansnaps stands up for all cancer patients & survivors. As we say, “Cancer is Not Okay!”
Susansnaps with Simply Sweet Brie
/in Recipes/by SusanWhat a better way to finish a meal than with a unique desert…we’ve used this one and received great reviews!
Susansnaps with Simply Sweet Brie
- 1 lb. Brie Cheese
- 1 cups pecans, chopped
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. cognac (optional)
- Susansnaps
Remove top rind from cheese. Place brie on an oven proof serving plate. Cover the top with pecans. Pat brown sugar on top and then drizzle with cognac. Heat at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve immediately with Susansnaps!
So easy and delicious!
Sensational Banana Crème Pie Deluxe
/in Recipes/by SusanHere’s one of our favorites! It’s super deluxe with Susansnap Smashies pie crust!
Sensational Banana Crème Pie Deluxe
•1 cup sugar
•1/4 cup cornstarch
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•2 cup milk
•3 egg yolks
•1 teaspoon vanilla
•3 sliced bananas
•1 Susansnaps Smashies pie crust (bake as directed)
Filling:
In medium sauce pan, stir sugar, cornstarch, and salt; add milk and egg yolks, stir until blended. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, and boils; cook one minute. Remove from heat add vanilla and cool slightly. Arrange bananas in Susansnaps Smashies pie crust. Pour custard over.
Topping:
1 cup whipping cream and 1 cup toasted coconut
Whip cream at medium speed until soft peaks form. Cover pie filling with whipped cream. Top with toasted coconut.
HINT – Toasted Coconut
Spread coconut in a shallow baking pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until lightly brown. Watch carefully… stirring once or twice!
Enjoy this sensational Susansnaps Smashies Banana Crème Pie Deluxe!!!
The Costco Connection
/in Media/by Susanby Shana McNally
Cookies Made With Love
IN 2004 THINGS looked grim for the Stachler family. Dad Ken and daughter Susan underwent back-to-back chemo for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease, respectively.
Mother Laura was distraught until she learned that ginger helps cancer patients fight nausea. Having grown up in the restaurant industry, baking was something she knew and could do for her loved ones.
Enter Susansnaps, a gourmet cookie company co-owned by Laura and Susan and named after Laura’s sister Susan Carver Smith who succumbed to Hodgkin’s at 28.
“What was once just a small idea has now turned into a thriving company, and it started with some flour, sugar, eggs, and spices from the Perimeter [Georgia] Costco,” says Susan, who handles marketing and packaging and, like her dad, is doing OK.
The Atlanta-based commpany produces up to 10,000 of the chewy/crunchy cookies a day. A portion of the sales goes to the non-profit Susan Carver Foundation, which Laura established to support cancer research and cancer patients. “I’ve always wanted to give back, but never did I think I would be raising money for a cause I benefit from,” says Susan. -Shana McNally
Southern Lady Magazine (2010)
/in Media/by SusanBy Kathleen J. Whaley
Snappy Days: After facing the same illness in back-to-back generations, a Georgia mother and daughter set their course to “give a snap…see a smile.”
True-life steel magnolias Laura Stachler and Susan Carver Robbins exemplify the character of many Southern women: Through good times and bad, do what you can, and do it well. In their recently opened storefront on the outskirts of Atlanta, the mother-daughter duo work side-by-side to make their signature gingersnaps. Each day they bake 8,000 cookies, place them in chic packaging, and prepare them for shipping across the country. “It’s like poetry in motion,” says Laura, who pauses from cutting Christmas ribbons long enough to exchange grins with daughter Susan.
“People love the product and the packaging,” Laura continues, “but what they really respond to is the story.” The story starts with Laura’s sister and Susan’s namesake, Susan Carver Smith, who passed away from Hodgkin’s disease at age 28. Nearly three decades later, just before graduating from Auburn University, the younger Susan was also diagnosed with Hodgkin’s. Over the next few months, Laura-whose husband required treatments for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma around the same time- sat by through numerous rounds of chemotherapy.
In hopes of lifting her family’s spirits and helping in a tangible way, Laura, a professional baker, used her talents to develop the ultimate gingersnap. The ginger served as a natural stomach soother to her husband and daughter, while flavorful, dark molasses imparted an irresistible taste. Featuring just the right combination of spice and crunch, the snaps soon garnered attention beyond the close-knit Stachler family. “It slowly unfolded,” says Susan, who put her doodling skills to work and began designing logos for the packaging. “At first, we thought, ‘We’ll do this for 6 months, and then I’ll get a real job.'”
Several years, three flavors, and a storefront later, the cookies that Laura named “Susansnaps” in memory of her sister and in honor of her daughter keep the pair plenty busy with real jobs- plus they’re making a real difference. A portion of all Susansnaps’ sales benefit The Susan Carver Foundation, which supports cancer research, specifically genetic studies. The Foundation places equal importance on cancer patient gifts and donates gingersnap gift bags to those undergoing treatment during the holidays. Susan, now a 6-year survivor, is quick to acknowledge that cookies won’t save the world. But she and mom Laura still pursue their mission with comparable fervor. As Susan knows firsthand, “It’s good to make people smile.”
Snappy Days
/in Happenings/by SusanSouthern Lady Magazine
By Kathleen J. Whaley
November / December 2010 Issue
After facing the same illness in back-to-back generations, a Georgia mother and daughter set their course to “give a snap…see a smile.”
True-life steel magnolias Laura Stachler and Susan Carver Robbins exemplify the character of many Southern women: Through good times and bad, do what you can, and do it well. In their recently opened storefront on the outskirts of Atlanta, the mother-daughter duo work side-by-side to make their signature gingersnaps. Each day they bake 8,000 cookies, place them in chic packaging, and prepare them for shipping across the country. “It’s like poetry in motion,” says Laura, who pauses from cutting Christmas ribbons long enough to exchange grins with daughter Susan.
“People love the product and the packaging,” Laura continues, “but what they really respond to is the story.” The story starts with Laura’s sister and Susan’s namesake, Susan Carver Smith, who passed away from Hodgkin’s disease at age 28. Nearly three decades later, just before graduating from Auburn University, the younger Susan was also diagnosed with Hodgkin’s. Over the next few months, Laura-whose husband required treatments for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma around the same time- sat by through numerous rounds of chemotherapy.
In hopes of lifting her family’s spirits and helping in a tangible way, Laura, a professional baker, used her talents to develop the ultimate gingersnap. The ginger served as a natural stomach soother to her husband and daughter, while flavorful, dark molasses imparted an irresistible taste. Featuring just the right combination of spice and crunch, the snaps soon garnered attention beyond the close-knit Stachler family. “It slowly unfolded,” says Susan, who put her doodling skills to work and began designing logos for the packaging. “At first, we thought, ‘We’ll do this for 6 months, and then I’ll get a real job.'”
Several years, three flavors, and a storefront later, the cookies that Laura named “Susansnaps” in memory of her sister and in honor of her daughter keep the pair plenty busy with real jobs- plus they’re making a real difference. A portion of all Susansnaps’ sales benefit The Susan Carver Foundation, which supports cancer research, specifically genetic studies. The Foundation places equal importance on cancer patient gifts and donates gingersnap gift bags to those undergoing treatment during the holidays. Susan, now a 6-year survivor, is quick to acknowledge that cookies won’t save the world. But she and mom Laura still pursue their mission with comparable fervor. As Susan knows firsthand, “It’s good to make people smile.”
The Osgood File (2010)
/in Media/by SusanCharles Osgood, Reporting by Mark Strassmann, CBS News Correspondent
The Osgood File. This is Charles Osgood.
There’s a secret ingredient in Susansnaps – the gourmet ginger snaps Laura Stachler started baking at home seven years ago.
Today, they bake and ship as many as 10,000 cookies a day. About the Stachlers, the cookies and the secret ingredient – after this…
((( SPOT )))
It was not a happy time for the Stachler family. Our CBS News colleague Mark Strassmann has the story.
Voice – Mark Strassmann, CBS News Correspondent
“Seven years ago, Laura’s husband Ken had cancer. Their daughter Susan – then, a college senior – was also diagnosed with cancer, the same cancer her Aunt Susan had died from years earlier.”
Voice – Susan Stachler
“And there I was, going home to do chemo and radiation. It was definitely not the easiest thing to take in…”
Voice – Mark Strassmann
“Susan and her father even went through cancer treatment together.”
Voice – Laura Stachler
“…’This is my husband – now, it’s my child’ — that was the only time, that was the only time I said: ‘It’s too much. I can’t do it…'”
Voice – Mark Strassmann
“Rather than feel helpless, Laura baked ginger snaps. Ginger’s known to soothe upset stomachs, often a side effect during chemotherapy.”
Now, Susan herself makes special deliveries to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta – where she made her recovery.
Voice of Susan Stachler, at the hospital
“Treat to enjoy this afternoon…”
Voice – Mark Strassmann
“And they bring comfort and hope.”
Voice of a Patient
“Thank you very much, very sweet…”
Voice of Dave Fronk, another patient
“The ability to come talk to them and share with them – to know that it’s going to be OK.”
Voice – Mark Strassmann
“Susan’s now 29 and cancer-free.”
Voice – Laura Stachler
“People don’t expect cancer to look like Susan – so that in itself reminds them that ‘If this young girl can do it, then I can, too…'”
Today, says Strassman…
Voice – Mark Strassmann
“Their ginger snaps are aptly called ‘Susansnaps’ – honoring one Susan’s recovery and another Susan’s memory.”
Voice – Susan Stachler, saying to her mother Laura…
“She’d be very proud of you – very, very proud of my mom.”
Voice – Mark Strassmann
“Proud of every Susansnaps’ secret ingredient: kindness.”
Clip Montage
“You can enjoy them… / Thank you so much… / Thinking about you…”
The Osgood File. Charles Osgood on the CBS Radio Network.
The Osgood File. December 1st, 2010.
Auburn Magazine
/in Media/by SusanBy Michael Hansberry
Snaps for Cookies
When life hands some people lemons, they make lemonade. When Susan Stachler Robbins (’04 Graduate) was handed a cancer diagnosis, she made cookies.
Robbins, who began treatment for Hodgkin’s disease the year she graduated from Auburn university, was young, vivacious, and determined not to become a victim.
Initially, the Georgia native dismissed the lump in her neck as a swollen thyroid. Finally, she underwent some tests and received the awful news – she had the same form of cancer that had claimed the life of her aunt, Susan Carver Smith, nearly 30 years before. “Larry the Lump”, as she called it, was a malignant tumor.
Robbins’ father had been battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for a decade – still, Robbins was surprised by her own diagnosis. “I couldn’t comprehend that I had this deadly disease inside of me,” she says.
She endured months of chemotherapy, at times along side her father. Eventually a new business was born out of the family’s medical ordeal – Susansnaps, an Atlanta-based cookie company.
Robbins’ mother, Laura Stachler, says the idea arose when the family began bringing homemade gingersnaps to the chemotherapy center. “Susan would take her IV pole and walk around giving out cookies to the other patients,” says Stachler.
“Of course, you could imagine most of the other patients were 60, 70, 85 years old, and here was this young ray of light going around cheering everyone up.”
After Robbins’ successful caner treatment, she and her mother kept making cookies. the duo’s signature product, marketed as the “ultimate gingersnap,” is made from a family recipe that combines ginger, molasses, other ingredients in a tangy blend. The cookies have been featured as food guru Rachel Ray’s “Snack of the Day” and were spotlighted in Savannah cook Paula Deen’s Christmas magazine last year. Stachler was a finalist in Martha Stewart’s “Dreamers into Doers” contest, which honors women entrepreneurs.
Robbins also created the Susan Carver Foundation, which offers bags of gingersnaps to cancer patients in exchange for donations; 10 percent of Susansnaps’ profits benefit cancer research. the company produces about 8,000 cookies per day.
“You have to laugh things off,” Robbins says of her cancer-to-cookies journey. “If you don’t laugh, the other option is to cry, and I didn’t want to do that.”
Sandy Springs Neighbor
/in Media/by SusanBakery to Host Fundraiser for Cancer Patients
Susansnaps, the area’s only gourmet gingersnap cookie company, will host Sweets for Smiles, a fundraiser for cancer patients, Friday and Saturday at its store in Sandy Springs.
All proceeds from the sale of Susansnap Spice Cake Slices ($4) and gingersnap Snack Packs ($5.50) will be donated to the Susan Carver Foundation, which provides funds for cancer research. For every $2 raised, a bag of gingersnaps will be given to cancer patients going through treatment during the Christmas holidays. Ginger is a natural stomach soother.
The store is located at 229 Hilderbrand Drive, and hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Year-round, 10 percent of the store’s proceeds are donated to cancer patients.
Susan Robbins, who was named after her aunt, Susan Carver, who died in 1977 from Hodgkin’s disease, had the same cancer but has been free of the disease for five years. She and her mother, Laura Stachler, own Susansnaps, which was started as a home business in 2005. It was inspired by Ms. Stachler’s joy of cooking and an effort to give her daughter soothing cookies while going through cancer treatments. The store opened in December, and this is Susansnaps’ first fundraiser since opening the store.
“We felt like we saw a need,” Ms. Stachler said. “A lot of people don’t know what to do or what to give. … It’s a lovely way to remember people and it’s an easy way for the whole community to give back. Just with $2 we’re trying to help these patients. … We’re not trying to save the world, but we know this one small gesture will help these patients.”
Ms. Robbins added, “[Cancer patients] actually really just love getting something fun for five minutes that takes time away from something serious. We do share our story on the packaging and it’s unbelievably nice that patients call us, e-mail us or even come by the store to say thank you for bringing them gifts. They also know they’re not forgotten at such a difficult time.”
She also said cancer patients were grateful when she and her mother have delivered them cookies in the past.
“A good cookie makes everybody a little bit happy,” Ms. Robbins said. “When we walked into the cancer centers last year, people’s faces instantly lit up.”