No one who grew up in Grand Haven will forget the wonderful Town Talk cookies made by Braak's Bakery. The bakery is closed now. Does anyone have any of the cookie recipes for their wonderful cookies? Would you share with us?? I loved the Figure 8 cookies. Hope to hear from someone with the good news that they have recipes and will share!!!
I worked at Braaks for 5 years. I left just before Ron Braak sold it and now i'm trying to buy the Town Talk Cookie recipe but can not locate the new owner to see if he is willing to part with it,as I was told all the recipes went with the sale of the business as did the cookie press for the towntalk cookies
ReplyDeleteI would love to find the Figure 8 cookie recipe too. Braak's was such an important part of our summers in Grand Haven. I sure hope you find the recipes and start making them for us.
ReplyDeleteI discovered Braak's only a few years before they burned. They had just the best fresh baked bread. You can't find anything like it anywhere now. And a nice neighborhood coffee shop. A shame they never re-opened. There is a Braak's now on Robbins Road, but don't know if they are in business or who owns it.
ReplyDeleteRon is my grandfather and as far as I know, the recipes will remain a family secret.
ReplyDeleteRon is my great uncle, or something like that. i grew up calling him Uncle Ron. Sadly, yes, the recipe is a family secret. I got it for the first time in the past year. I now live out of the country and make it for friends and family here.
DeleteI wish you would make me a batch of the Figure 8 cookies and send to me for old-times sake. My family bought all their bake goods from Braak's in the summer. My Grandma and Mom did everything from scratch except at the cottage in Grand Haven. There they, too, took a vacation and trusted Braaks to give them the best. You are lucky to be part of the family!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy uncle just passed away last night. He lived in Spring Lake. My mom grew up in MI as well. My uncle used to visit us in CA every Christmas and would bring the Town Talk cookies (those big, molasses/sugar cookies - yum!)...a favorite of our family...I love to bake and searched for this recipe today, thinking it would be nice to bake these cookies in my uncle's memory...too bad the family is keeping the recipe secret...I tried to call the # for the Robbins road Braak's but the call didn't go thru...maybe they're not in bus. anymore...I'd like to order some cookies to be shipped to me if anyone knows where to find them.
ReplyDeleteThere has not been a Braak's bakery on Robbin's road as far as I know anytime in the last twenty five years or more. Guessing a lot more (40?).
DeleteBraak's has been out of business for quite a few years. I wish my childhood memories of the cookies were stronger so I could try to duplicate them. Someone asked me why I gave my recipes away without payment. I love when someone writes and says my Grandma's recipe reminded them of a memory of their Grandma that they had forgotten. To me, recipes spread love.
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone! Great posts here about Braak's bakery. Those Town Talk cookies reputation was spread far and wide. My parents grew up in Grand Haven and Spring Lake and we always visited Braak's whenever we went home to see out relatives and vacation on the lake. I was very small then and only knew the cookies by the sound of their name, their shape, and their great taste. So I did not know the spelling and I've been searching off and on for a recipe to "Ton-Talk" cookies. Thanks for clearing that up!
ReplyDeleteMy mother could make a reasonable copy of the cookies but they were never the same as the real deal from Braak's.
Braak's Bakery was founded by my great-great grandfather in 1903. I don't remember the bakery because it was burned down when I was a small child, but the bakery was a huge part of my family's life. I wish I could remember what those cookies tasted like. It makes me feel really great to know that people still remember the bakery and have fond memories of it.
ReplyDeleteI still wish as many others do too, that the family would share those wonderful recipes.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Spring Lake and miss Braak's Bakery so much! Children were given a free cookie while their parents picked up orders...and the small attached coffee shop was a wonderful place. I would LOVE to have the recipe for the Town Talk cookies, but from what I have heard, Old Mr. Braak is the only one who knew the recipe and sliced them by hand fresh early every morning. I also know that only brown sugar was used in the recipe, but they were rolled in white sugar before slicing. Ah, memories...nothing else comes close.
ReplyDeleteI still hope that someone will hear our plea for the recipes!!
ReplyDeleteI spent every summer in Grand Haven at my grandmother's cottage. The minute we arrived...it was a trip to Braak's Bakery for Town Talk Cookies...They were the best. I was eating a Pumpkin Cookie tonight and it reminded me of Town Talk's- like a Brown Sugar dense cookie- somewhat crispy w/ a hint of spice. Love it. Please someone publish the recipe.
DeleteI agree!!!! Please someone publish the cookie recipes from Braak's Bakery.
DeleteI don't understand why the "town talk" cookie recipe is such a big secret. I could understand if there was still a Braak's Bakery that was selling the cookies, then of course they wouldn't want to share the recipe. There is no longer a Braak's Bakery and nor do I think there will ever be another one. All of us people that grew up eating town talk cookies just want to be able to eat them again. So why doesn't the Braak family either make them and sell them to us or share the recipe so we can make them. If the cookies were my recipe I would be honored that the so many people wanted to bake my cookies, I don't get why the Braak family wants to take the recipe to their graves with them. Seems really silly to me. I find it sad that the people of today and the future that never got the chance to have a town talk cookie will never be able to say how good they were. They will only be able to pass on a story of this family named Braak that once baked a very good cookie but when their bakery died sadly enough so did their cookie and they never wanted the general population to ever eat them again. Wow, what a sad legacy to have! Maybe the person that posted the following comment would be willing to bake the cookies and sell & ship them to us.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you say "Anonymous"? I Would like to hear from you.
bklingkella@msn.com
AnonymousMay 20, 2014 at 5:36 PM
Ron is my great uncle, or something like that. i grew up calling him Uncle Ron. Sadly, yes, the recipe is a family secret. I got it for the first time in the past year. I now live out of the country and make it for friends and family here.