Steenstra's Royal Dutch Bakery, a staple in Grandville since 1953, is once again tapping into the election spirit by rolling out their signature presidential candidate cookies, featuring Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Recounting a tradition that started some 16 years ago, these cookies are shaping up to be a small, yet sweet, common ground in an otherwise divisive political climate.
In what has become an anticipated activity every election cycle, co-owners Delynn and Rich Steenstra have prepared to fully stock their shelves through Tuesday, tossing in a mix of humor and confectionery craftsmanship. "We’re told the Trump cookies are more popular this year, but popularity does not always predict the winner," said Delynn Steenstra, as reported by FOX 17 Online. The bakery's approach is to playfully engage in the political conversation, aiming to lighten the mood during these tense times.
Each sugar cookie, selling for $2.95, is made with a time-honored family recipe known as "Dutch mix," which, according to Rich Steenstra in an interview with WOODTV, may have originated with his grandfather. Decorated with royal icing and buttercream frosting, the cookies are intended more as cartoons rather than accurate portraits, which has been a hit with the community. "The recipe for the cookie has been around since the bakery started," Rich Steenstra added.
Despite the light-hearted nature of the cookies, not all responses have been sweet. "There are some people who argue with each other and those who thought only one candidate was being advertised, resulting in comments being shut off and people being blocked on Facebook," Delynn Steenstra told MLive. Yet, the mission to spread joy carries on. "It brings people to thinking that things are more fun, to take some of the stress out of it," she continued. Ninety-five percent of people have fun with it.
As election day nears, these candidate cookies emerge as much more than a treat to satisfy a sweet tooth—they offer a moment of unity and a reminder of the lighter side of civic participation. "Some people are buying them to eat. Some people are buying them to give to other people. Some people are buying them just as a joke," Steenstra also shared with FOX 17 Online. With each cookie, Steenstra's serves a piece of edible democracy, a testament to the bakery's enduring place in the local community.
