“Oh my God,” murmurs a customer who’s wandered off Palmer Avenue into The Snackery Bakeshop in Larchmont. And who can blame her? On the counter, artfully arranged in tin tubs, wicker baskets, and on old-timey glass cake stands, is a collection of swoon-worthy sweet and savory treats.
Homemade strawberry pop-tarts glisten with sprinkle-dappled icing; chocolate cupcakes have a cheery “hello” piped on top. Plump croissants — some plain, some boasting everything-bagel seeds — emit a tantalizingly buttery aroma. Fingers of spongy carrot cake with cream-cheese filling are arranged in alluring rows. From the hot pockets filled with spinach and ricotta to the perfectly browned churro muffins and hundred-layer donuts, every creation tempts and beckons.
Owner Sara Leand wouldn’t have it any other way. “I have a vision of being everybody’s new happy place, to evoke some memory of childhood,” she explains. A painted picket fence on the windows and a green doormat are meant to remind customers of a home, while an antique stove imparts a cozy feel. There’s even a viewing window through which you can watch the bakers’ clever creations being frosted and decorated, plus a party room at back (kids’ parties will start in 2019).
Leand, a self-taught baker, didn’t always intend to turn pro, though crafting delectable nibbles has long been her passion. In college she operated a cookie business, Sara Snacker, but after graduation, she hung up her apron for show biz. She spent years in Los Angeles working as a movie-studio executive and talent agent, then moved to New York and opened a production company.
Marriage and pregnancy changed her focus. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep running back to LA, so I started baking again,” she explains. She founded the Sara Snacker Cookie Company, selling to places such as Citarella and DeCicco & Sons. This fall, as the youngest of her kids headed off to school, the timing seemed right to open a bakery. The Snackery opened just days before Thanksgiving.
Its name aside, the shop has full-sized, exquisitely decorated cakes. All cakes have three layers and many can be filled with candy or sprinkles. While a fair number sport beautiful, pastel buttercream flowers or drizzled chocolate and salty pretzels, it’s the Hairy Cake — vanilla, red velvet, and Devil’s food layers and enough stringy frosting to resemble a Koosh ball or Cousin Itt — that’s the true standout.
Another fan favorite is The Snackery’s custom, easy-slice cookie cake, crafted into the initial or number of your choice. One thing you won’t find on the cakes is a lot of fondant. “We don’t do a unicorn or a lion jumping out of a fire. We wanted to go back to the old-school ways,” Leand explains.
The bakery is now taking holiday orders: Among the options are an eggnog cake, made with local Ronnybrook eggnog; the Giant Christmas Tree Cookie Cake, and roll cakes decorated with snowmen and Santas. The Snackery also features vegan treats (chocolate chip cookies and apple pie turnovers) and gluten-free offerings, including chocolate-chip loaves and skinny muffins made with oat flour, almond butter, dark chocolate, and apple sauce.
All the sweets got you thirsty? Never fear: A complete coffee-and-tea bar features products from Malongo, an upscale French line.
The Snackery Bakeshop
1985 Palmer Ave
Larchmont​
914.630.7001
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