By Carla Felton

Snap Happy: Ginger Cookie Soothes in More Ways Than One

After her sister died from Hodgkin’s disease and both her daughter and husband endured chemotherapy for cancer, Laura Stachler needed something to smile about. A year ago, she and her daughter, Susan, formed a company that gets smiles all around; Susansnaps, a gingersnap cookie that is enthusiastically snapped up by all who taste them, has also changed the lives of Laura, Susan, and numerous others.

Susansnaps is a division of Laura’s Divine Desserts, a gourmet gift company run by Laura that previously focused on cake creations. Last year, she noticed that her gingersnap cookies, which she considered a small part of her company, were selling better than anything else. At the same time, she was looking for something uplifting to give hope to others coping with cancer. Between Susan and Laura, Susansnaps was created.

“We wanted to put a smile back on people’s faces,” Susan says. “It’s fun to get a package when you are sick.” “Ginger is good for curing nausea and soothes the stomach,” Laura said. “It’s difficult to know what to give someone who is going through something so difficult, but everyone likes food.”

The Stachlers donate a portion of all proceeds to cancer research to battle the disease that Laura’s sister, Susan’s namesake, died of. “It makes me feel good to know we are doing something good in her (Laura’s sister, Susan’s) honor,” Laura says.

With her degree in communications and marketing from Auburn University, Susan, now 25, took charge of the product packaging while Laura streamlined the baking. The cookies are all homemade with a special blend of spices and sealed to last months without any preservatives. Susan created six packaging designs, all available in bakery bags, gift boxes or tins, depending on the quantity of cookies. Classic Laura dressed in black and white polka dots; Breast Cancer Betty, in a pink hat representing breast cancer; and Sally Sailor reminds customers of ginger’s stomach-soothing quality. Pregnant Polly and Holiday Betty are self explanatory, and in her white dress, Nurse Ginger focuses her efforts on healing.

“People need something uplifting,” Susan says. “I’m a chocolate person, and when my mom started making gingersnaps, I didn’t think I’d like them, but they are addicting!” Susansnaps are sold in gift shops and coffeehouses and shipped nationwide through the Susansnaps website. Ranging from $8.95 to $19.95, the cookies are available locally at Dolce in Sandy Springs, the Swan House and Piece of Cake in Buckhead, and Nordstrom in Phipps Plaza.