Laceys Cookies are sold at retailers across the U.S., including Whole Foods Market, Costco, World Market, and other outposts. However, before the range of premium, ultra-thin cookies was a nationwide name, the Desserts On Us-owned brand started by offering treats that hearken back to the childhood of Emran Essa, founder and president, who grew up in Syria.

Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery recently connected with Essa to discuss the early days of the company, the growth of the Laceys Cookies brand, and how close partnerships with suppliers like Luker Chocolate help it continue meeting its exacting quality standards,

Jenni Spinner: Could you please tell us about Lacey’s—when the company was founded, the products you offer, where they are sold, and what makes the company special? 

Emran Essa: Desserts On Us started by making baklava, a product that I missed from my home country of Syria. I made it for myself, and a friend said it was so good that I should start selling it, but I didn’t have time. Then, the local company that used to carry baklava asked me to make it for them. 

We started selling Baklava locally and in catalogs. At one point a catalog company requested we make a cookie product for them and that is how we created the Laceys. We removed the filling of the baklava and didn’t use any phyllo dough. Initially, we made these using almonds, but the cookies were brittle. We were not able to market them well and, one buyer had comments like “We don’t want cereal.”

Then an idea came to connect the two wafers with chocolate, which made them strong, and we have been able to market them ever since then. In addition to the almond, macadamia and many different varieties we and our customers came up with. 

Our partner, Luker Chocolate, has also worked closely with us to create our signature rich and creamy milk chocolate. Other flavors include Almond and Dark Chocolate with Peppermint, Almond and Dark Chocolate with Raspberry Rhubarb, Almond and Dark Chocolate with Mandarin and Cardamom, Almond and Dark Chocolate with Espresso, Almond and Dark Chocolate with Coconut, Macadamia and Milk Chocolate with Apricot, Macadamia and Milk Chocolate with S’mores and many more. 

Our Laceys is a universal recipe that you can use any nut for. If you eat the Laceys by themselves, you will like the toffee flavor and the mouthfeel. While eating them the cookie breaks up and you feel the freshness like they are just coming from the bakery. Currently, we sell in many different retail stores, grocery stores, and club stores. Initially, we made our products for ourselves to eat with family. We don’t cut corners with quality. Our products are made in small batches that keep the quality consistent all the time. Our ingredients are all natural with no preservatives.

JS: Please share a bit about the early days—I bet people would be interested in how an accountant gets into the baklava and sweet treats business, and then moves on to premium cookies. Everyone loves to enjoy what they eat. 

EE: For me, my background came from the middle of the world, in Syria, where people have made food since the beginning of civilization. From that perspective, I have enjoyed many different dishes, desserts, flavorful foods, snacks, etc. That gives me a taste for quality that distinguishes between well-made products and stomach stuffers. Whenever I make something whether for myself or someone else, I make sure I enjoy it first. If I won’t eat it, I don’t sell it.

JS: Could you please talk a bit about the pivot from selling your wares to Hickory Farms and then going out with your own brand? 

EE: We trademarked our “Laceys” as a brand name for our toffee wafer confection. We private label for some stores under their own brands and some stores carry it in our brand.

JS: Your cookies are incredibly thin and delicate—could you please talk about the challenges of getting such a delicate product through processing, packaging, and shipping intact? How was Luker an ally in that process? 

EE: Whoever tries our cookies off the oven line feels the freshness and crispiness, then the delicious combination of a wafer and chocolate mixed together. In the case of the Almond and Dark Chocolate, you get the bitterness of the chocolate against the sweet honey sugar and cream caramelized. It makes a really nice dessert with a cup of coffee, tea, or milk. 

The thickness of one wafer is almost 1/8 of an inch. To get it that thin the recipe must be perfect, within a few ounces of each ingredient. All of them are measured to the ounce. The moisture in the ingredients affects it tremendously, from honey, almonds, macadamia, and cream butter... because it all varies. This variation makes the Laceys a temperamental cookie to make. From season to season the moisture in the air affects how our cookies turn out so we try to control all the environmental and ingredient fluctuations to the best of our ability. But when the Laceys turn out there is no comparison to any other cookie. No other cookie can come close in richness, crispiness, flavor, and quality that you enjoy without feeling guilty. The Laceys are made with a little bit of flour and now we introduced Flourless Laceys which is doing good.

JS: What does Lacey’s have planned for the future—any new products, increased distribution, etc.?  

EE: Since the recipe for the Laceys is so versatile we can make it with any base: almond, macadamia, hazelnuts, pistachios, etc. That makes it easy to come up with new products. In the past, our challenges were how to keep up with demand. Now, we have a new facility that will take care of that. The more we build the bigger our distribution gets. We are driven by demand.  

JS: What’s your favorite Laceys product?

EE: It depends on how I feel. Sometimes I enjoy the richness of the dark chocolate and almond. Other times I need the sweetness in the rich milk chocolate (specially formulated for us by Luker) and macadamia. But the wafer off the oven line is delicious.