Stage Plank cookies

[Tonto]

Can someone tell me what they are, where they originate, and are they indigenous to the south. I am not sure I have even spelled it right. I am curious to its origin. My understanding is it a spice, gingery cookie with frosting, pink or white. Where are they found?

[MakingSense]

There's a recipe for Estomac Mulatre aka Stage Planks or Gingerbread Without Butter or Eggs in the Picayune Creole Cookbook first published in 1901.

1 cup molasses
1 cup sour milk
1 T ground ginger
8 T shortening
3 cups flour
1 t baking soda
The directions briefly: melt the molasses, shortening and ginger together and blend well. When thoroughly melted and warmed, beat for 10 minutes. Dissolve the soda in 1 T boiling water and add to the molasses mix. Then add just enough of the sifted flour to make a stiff batter, beating thoroughly and vigorously. Pour into several greased shallow pans and bake for ten minutes in a quick oven. Whatever that means.
There was no recipe given for an icing or directions for adding one.

When I was a child in New Orleans, stage planks were available in grocery stores as packaged cookies. They were about the size of playing cards and had pink and white icing, assorted in the package. The icing was like a royal icing. I loved those cookies.

[Hungry Celeste]

Stage planks (one name for a firm, gingerbread cookie more cakey than a gingersnap) are about 3" wide, 6-8" long, usually sold individually wrapped at gas stations, convenience stores, etc. In the family of old-fashioned ginger slabs, I much prefer the ginger planks from Lejeune's bakery in Jeanerette, distributed in a fairly small area of SE LA.

[Frolic]

I could swear that I've seen Lejeune's stage planks in New Orleans at Zara's. They weren't, unfortunately, a regular item.

[Hungry Celeste]

Yeah, I've seen them on occasion at certain spots, but their distribution is pretty spotty. The local oil distributor Hill City Oil, which operates Shell gas stations & Jester's Court convenience stores, seems to carry them at all of their locations.

[cajungirl]

And the LeJeune's ginger cakes definitely do not have any icing.

[cajungirl]

LeJeune's phone number is 337 276-5690. They should be able to tell you where they distribute in your area. They are constructing a website, but I only found the home page.

[dwiddlebug]

http://www.mctweb.com/cart/cart1.html

If you go to this site you can order the Stage Plank cookies in bulk quantities of 72 packs or 144 packs (2 cookies per package) for $27 and $44 respectively.......oh and shipping is free.