47136 Thu Sep 14 19:42:47 -0700 2000 49 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 234286 Does anyone know if Van dekamps still produces Baked Goods? Years ago they made a small Sugar Cookie that was the best I have ever tasted. I would love to know if the company goes by another Corp. Name and where the Headquarters is located. Thanks!! Thu Sep 14 19:42:47 -0700 2000 0 Dee 1 234287 As far as I know, Van de Kamp's has been gone for years--I loved the Dutch girl cookies and the shaped sugar cookies they made for holidays. And the old bakery building, a should-be historic landmark on San Fernando Road in Frogtown is slated to be demolished soon. No more windmill cookies. Thu Sep 14 20:54:10 -0700 2000 234286 0 Pepper 2 234288 Van de Kamp's windmill cookies--wow, talk about something I haven't thought about in years, but wish I could have some of now. Thu Sep 14 21:50:01 -0700 2000 234287 0 Caitlin 3 1705144 I've seen some Van de Kamp products at Ralph's markets. Don't remember which products, though. What I miss the most are their orange bran muffins. They were the best. Thu Sep 14 23:10:18 -0700 2000 234288 0 Kit 4 1705150 Available or not, I'm on the wrong coast now. But I asked my boyfriend, "hey, remember Van de Kamp's?" and we both had a childhood flashback. Fri Sep 15 12:44:08 -0700 2000 1705144 0 Caitlin 4 1705153 "Van de Kamp's" is now a registered trademark of Aurora Foods, which also has the Duncan Hines, Mrs. Butterworth's, Mrs. Paul's, and Log Cabin trademarks, among others. Aurora acquired the Van de Kamp's frozen seafood business from Pillsbury in 1995. The trademark is used by Aurora, and Pillsbury before it, on frozen seafood products like fish sticks and fish fillets. Perhaps this is what you saw at Ralph's. Fri Sep 15 14:38:51 -0700 2000 1705144 0 Tom Armitage 5 1705156 I just returned from Ralph's Mkt. They had at least a dozen kinds of Van deKamp doughnuts and some Eng. muffins but no cookies. I checked the box and it says that Ralph's is the distributor. No other company was mentioned. Sat Sep 16 20:18:19 -0700 2000 1705153 0 Kit 4 1705164 PLEASE IF ANYBODY KNOW'S HOW WE CAN GET THE RECIPES TO VAN DEKAMPS BUTTER SUGAR COOKIES AND DATE NUT BREAD PLEASE LET ME KNOW I WANT TO MAKE SOME. I CAN'T FIND THEM IN THE STORES. THANK YOU LYDIA Fri Jan 18 15:56:23 -0800 2002 1705144 0 LYDIA C. CARMONA 5 1705165 Did you ever find any recipes for the Van de Kamp's cookies? I would absolutely love a recipe for the Dutch Girl cookies, or at least something like them. Thank you. Thu Mar 13 15:24:56 -0800 2003 1705164 0 Terri 6 1705166 Did you ever get a recipe for Van deKamps Sugar Cookies? Were those the ones that were flaky, with big sugar crystals on them? Oh man!!!!!!! I am drooling! Sheryl Mon Jul 14 21:00:12 -0700 2003 1705165 0 Sheryl 7 1705167 I would love the recipe too. Wed Oct 22 17:36:44 -0700 2003 1705166 0 Rusty 8 1705168 Does anyone remember those Van De Kamp's chewy pecan cookies? They used to come in these wonderful white boxes with little cellophane windows. I'm glad I'm not the only one who liked these. Sat Jan 31 23:58:51 -0800 2004 1705167 0 Tracey 7 1705169 are those the rectangular sugar cookies... flakey with big sugar crystals?... loved those too uncle phaedrus has a website for lost recipies but the data base is extensive and has no index so i have been going through them one at a time and found wonderful ones but ... not the one for those fab sugar cookies! good luck Tue Mar 01 13:04:50 -0800 2005 1705166 0 sewdizzy 8 2132578 Those cookies your talking about are carmelized suger cookies with more of a crunch then flakey. It was and still is my all time favorite. I looked them up on uncle phaedrus and found the recipe. It is so close it will make you young once again. If you try this recipe let me make a suggestion i learned the hard way. do as the recipe directs you to do with the exception of how you cook them. after rolling out and cutting the cookie place the parchment paper on a cake cooling rack (half inch grid) and place the cookies on the paper and the cookies will turn out perfect. if you place the paper on the cookie sheet no matter how long you cook them they will remain chewy in the middle no matter how thin and they are not good that way. Anyway happy cookie and i believe you will be very pleased with the outcome. Wed Dec 27 23:51:35 -0800 2006 1705169 62321 alleng 9 2133042 You say you found the recipe? Would you mind sharing it or the URL with us? Thu Dec 28 03:24:35 -0800 2006 2132578 13794 SilverlakeGirl 10 4591369 http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m1231W03.htm#1 Mon Apr 13 09:44:49 -0700 2009 2133042 80667 janetms383 7 1930074 Yes, something about the colored sugar crystals did it for me. ESPECIALLY, the pumpkin shaped ones with orange sugar at Halloween. Sat Oct 07 20:02:17 -0700 2006 1705166 10278 Muhlyssa 5 3217599 Although the recipe for the date nut bread seems to be lost forever, one person who really loved the bread (like me) went to a lot of trouble to try to recreate it. You can find the recipe here: http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/cook.htm#dessert%20breads Tue Dec 18 01:17:25 -0800 2007 1705164 72814 Hoc 3 3002738 I'm not sure if they are the same, but Archway makes delicious windmill cookies. They taste like the windmill cookies I remember from childhood and I do believe that we had Van de Kamps's then. The Van de Kamp's item I remember most fondly though, was their golden cake with chocolate frosting with walnuts. They used to sell a half cake in a box with a window so you could see the inside of the cake -- with its nice lighter chocolate filling. Yummy! Does anyone else remember that? Wed Oct 03 22:34:47 -0700 2007 234288 132074 rosaliew 2 234590 Procratination! I have waited too many years to find out about the Dutch Girl cookies. That was exactly what I was looking for today. Any chance you have gotten a recipe for them? They were so wonderful. Thu Mar 13 15:18:50 -0800 2003 234287 0 Terri 3 234591 Van deKamps can be contacted through Aurora foods. "http://www.aurorafoods.com/brand/vandekamps_frame.asp" van deKamps They have a 'contact us' link.Me personally? I MISS their old thick little p-nut butter cookies. SOOOOOOOOo GOOD with milk! And where is the Mocha Cream Cake??? :-( I sent a question about their cake in hopes of FINDING one for my mom's BD in April! It was her favorite cake. Entenmenns can't come CLOSE to those goodies! Link: http://www.aurorafoods.com/brand/vandekamps_frame.asp Tue Mar 18 17:40:36 -0800 2003 234590 0 Tina 1 234308 my favorites were the chocolate chip cookies. they were moist, compared to the other packaged cookies. and chewy. as has been mentioned, van dekamps is selling donuts at ralphs, but no cookies. as someone explains later, it's not the same company anymore. Mon Sep 18 15:44:16 -0700 2000 234286 0 elisha 2 234309 Entemann's soft baked cookies (choc. chip and those with macadamia nuts and toffee) are nice and chewy. They also sell these at Ralph's. Mon Sep 18 19:08:22 -0700 2000 234308 0 Kit 1 234530 Van deKamp's cookies are best savored as a memory. Wed Dec 27 03:28:04 -0800 2000 234286 0 2chez Mike 1 234593 My Dad used to work for Van de Kamp's. The bakery went out of business years ago shortly after he retired. The frozen food/fish business was a separate entity. I found a recipe for "Carmelized Sugar Cookies" at KingArthurFlour.com - it looks like it might be close to the Dutch Girl Cookies. I haven't tried it yet. I'd also love the recipes (or close facsimiles) for the Date Nut Bread and the Bran Muffins. I remember the Peanut Butter Cookies someone mentioned, too. They were good. Tue Apr 08 20:11:56 -0700 2003 234286 0 c miller 2 1929891 Can you send the recipie for the sugar cookies? Do you have one for the chocolate fudge square? Sat Oct 07 17:40:05 -0700 2006 234593 45461 CirceD 1 1705145 I guess now it would be a guilty pleasure, but then it was just a pleasure. As a kid, no treat was greater than breaking the cellophane seal of the huge Van De Kamp rosette rolls. Imagine a cinnamon roll without the cinnamon, but with streusel instead. More than once, I ate all four at one sitting. Fri Sep 15 00:39:54 -0700 2000 234286 0 Dave Feldman 1 1930002 I have not tried this recipe but I found it on the" Uncle phaedrus,finder of lost recipes" website.Someone wrot in asking for the Van de Kamps' Dutch girl Cookie recipe: Caramelized Sugar Cookies 1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (4 1/2 ounces) whole milk a drop of lemon oil* 1 teaspoon instant yeast 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) coarse sugar, for rolling *Yes, a drop of lemon oil. You want just the merest hint of citrus here; it should be almost unidentifiable, just enough to make people wonder what they're tasting. Mix together the flour, milk, lemon oil, yeast and salt till well-combined. Using an electric mixer, beat in the pieces of butter one at a time, beating for 1 full minute after each piece is added. The dough will be very smooth and elastic. Remove the dough from the mixer, place it in a small bowl, cover the bowl, and refrigerate it for 2 hours, or as long as overnight. Preheat your oven to 275°F. Sprinkle your work surface heavily with coarse sugar (white or demerara). Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time (and keeping the other half refrigerated), roll the dough on the sugar-covered surface as thinly as possible, adding additional sugar to the work surface from time to time. Halfway through the rolling time, turn the dough over so that both top and bottom surfaces end up heavily coated with sugar. Using a cookie cutter or (less trouble) a rolling pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut the dough into shapes, or into squares or diamonds. Try to cut pieces about 2 1/2 inches in size; they'll shrink a bit, and by the time they're finished baking, they'll be about 2 inches, a nice size for this particular cookie. Note: If you make them too large, the edges brown way before the middle; the goal is an evenly browned cookie. Transfer the cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake the cookies for 45 to 50 minutes. They should be a deep, golden brown, but not burned. The closer you get to deep brown, the better they'll taste. Remove them from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack as soon as possible, otherwise they may stick to the parchment. Yield: about 5 dozen 2-inch cookies. Sat Oct 07 18:52:43 -0700 2006 234286 24117 WINDELLA 2 2010367 This recipe is as close to the original Dutch Girl cookies as you can get! I tried it, and loved it! Fri Nov 10 01:57:58 -0800 2006 1930002 52223 teri3221 1 1932147 VDK's angel food cake with milk chocolate frosting was the best. Mon Oct 09 06:15:45 -0700 2006 234286 17678 Francesca 1 1932679 Of the Van de Kamps products actually available now at Ralphs, the sourdough English muffins are excellent - cooking up with a delicate but pronounced crunch, a nice tartness and a sort of lightly puddingy effect inside. I may prefer them to Bay's, which is the default high-end muffin in Los Angeles - very good, but featherweight. And the VDK muffins are cheap, often less than a buck per sixpack, which is to say less than half what the vastly inferior Thomas's muffins cost. Have 'em with some good butter and a smear of the wonderful locally produced King Kelly marmalade, and you'll be in L.A. muffin satori. Mon Oct 09 16:06:51 -0700 2006 234286 10702 condiment 1 1934277 I also enjoyed VanDeKamps baked goods growing up and remember the Van De Kamps Restaurant on Laurel Canyon just South of Victory. We went there all the time as kids. A long shot for the recipe may be to try asking at Lawry's.The Lawry's empire was started by the same two guys that started Van De Kamps bakery. Chuck Tue Oct 10 01:34:23 -0700 2006 234286 17547 chuck 1 2010486 VanDeKamps, talk about old school. I met one of the grandkids at work on day. Told me the sad story behind the sale. I believe EVERYTHING was sold. What is available at the stores now doesn't compare to the old bakery days. But maybe if you can locate the original family they might be able to release the original recipes. But I wouldn't count on it. Most of the family still lives in the L.A. area, from what I am told. Fri Nov 10 03:09:05 -0800 2006 234286 14118 nrique 1 2133350 Oh my God, those cookies were great. The best chocolate chip cookie outside of the real tollhouse that you make at home. and the Maple cookies, they were soo good. I miss them........... Thu Dec 28 06:58:06 -0800 2006 234286 54187 deadre 1 2287038 I want the receipe for the Oatmeal cookies- I have never found any better! Maybe the family could be encouraged to put a receipe book together Mon Feb 12 21:24:34 -0800 2007 234286 74077 tweetvoice 1 2299236 Did any evr find the recipe for those maple pecan chewy cookies? I loved those as a kid. Fri Feb 16 09:32:17 -0800 2007 234286 12908 Nado 1 3004912 Ralphs still has Van de Kamps (love the mini chocolate donuts) but I haven't seen the cookie box (variety) in a while. Thu Oct 04 12:54:00 -0700 2007 234286 76226 Oh Robin 1 3190694 I am going to try the sugar cookies recipe today. I also would love to get the recipe for the maple pecan. Another favorite of mine was a very thin cookie, same size as the maple pecan. Can't recal the name but is was buttery and nearly melted in your mouth. Sat Dec 08 11:10:08 -0800 2007 234286 148671 rrboehm 1 3875455 Van De Kamp's also made some great bread. Salt rising was my favorite. Does anyone know may sell it? It's not easy to make......I've tried a few times, but not not my satisfaction Wed Jul 16 17:30:08 -0700 2008 234286 210480 sdon 1 4132124 I am one of the grandaughters of Theodore Van de Kamp, Co-Founder of Van de Kamp Bakeries. Yes, even my favorite all time cookies is the Dutch Girl Sugar! When asked years ago, my father said he could not translate the recipe for personal kitchen use. It had been modified to commercial size over the many years. He has since passed away. He would have so appreciated your comments. He loved his company and Los Angeles. The company was closed in the 90's and only our name remains. Mon Oct 27 11:49:41 -0700 2008 234286 235554 JodyVdK 2 4314909 JOdy so enjoyed hearing from you! I just discovered this forum - over the years I have off and on drooled over my memories of those VdK goodies that I used to enjoy at my grandparents house in Corona del Mar. I would give my eye teeth to be able to get those chewy maple pecan cookies and those little peanut butter cookies again. So no recipes have survived at all? I want to sit down and cry. Sat Jan 10 17:41:03 -0800 2009 4132124 256040 MamaM 2 4475243 I am a far relative of Jody Van de Kamp and still living in the Netherlands. Many years ago, I believe it was 1980, Jody and I were introduced to eachother in La Jolla. Her father Ted Van de Kamp and my father Joseph Van de Kamp met only by coincidence in the sixties or seventies during a summit in La. After they met they also found out that they were related! If I remember well, this was even published in some journal or newspaper. Not only did I always enjoy the Dutch Girl Sugar too, we really enjoyed being around our USA "family" on many occasions. I am very proud to have met the founders of Van de Kamp Bakeries in person and it is really great to read all these enthousiastic stories about their famous cookies. I still remember the little Dutch Windmill too. Is it still in their current logo? When I look out of my bedroom window I can see an original Dutch Windmill. For some reason this always makes me think of Jody and her family. Best regards to all of you, especially to Jody! Allard Van de Kamp Thu Mar 05 03:38:54 -0800 2009 4132124 271880 Allard 3 4720903 Hi Allard and Jody, I am the grandson of Arthur Van de Kamp, Ted's brother. I will see if grandma Mary Lou can dig up any old recipes. :) -Fritz Wed May 27 21:42:55 -0700 2009 4475243 323597 fritzvdk 4 4723082 There's a recipe floating around the web that claims to replicate the much-beloved Dutch Girl cookies. I keep meaning to try it: http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m1231W03.htm#1 Van de Kamps also made the best packaged chocolate chip cookies I'd ever eaten. The problem was always that I'd eat the whole box! Thu May 28 15:06:55 -0700 2009 4720903 10159 Ruth Lafler 4 5013854 Hi Van de Kamp Grandson! Who knew we could connect on THIS site. Too funny. I wonder if your Aunt Tina would have any of the recipes among other VdK history. Are you on FB? Hi to Al, too. Give my best to the VdK Holland family. To Van de Kamp Cookie fans...The VdK family will try to find any recipes if possible for you. My best guess is they have been modified for commercial equiptment since the '20s. I do miss them too. Trust me, we were raise on them! Tue Sep 08 12:02:54 -0700 2009 4720903 235554 JodyVdK 2 5116142 I was so excited to see the Van de Kamps are still around. I grew up in Whittier, CA. in the sixties and spent many great times with my family and the wonderful VdK products. I especially remember the date nut bread, bran muffins and Russian tea cakes. I am a classically trained culinarian and if any of the VdKs can come up with any of their baked good recipes I would be willing to convert commercial size recipes into household equivalencies in exchange for the recipes. I think someone in your family should write a recipe book using these fantastic heirloom gems. Mon Oct 19 20:29:10 -0700 2009 4132124 1117680 tracie 2 5198517 Hi Jody - what a thing to find YOU here. Do you still remember Cannes in the summer of what must have been 1981. You and your sister were there and the four of us spent some wonderful days together. I - Peter the ongoing dentist from copenhagen - were there with a friend. I would be so happy to hear from you on : petergade@web.de Best regards Peter :-) Sat Nov 21 11:01:59 -0800 2009 4132124 1126334 sillykat 1 4133617 Oh GOD!! You guys don't know how hard I try to get those cookies in the blue can. Once I bought one and hid it in the closet I was on diet my mother discovered, we sat and shared. Boy those are memories. I'm trying to find a butter (Danish) that use to come in a golden tin, any information? See you all Mon Oct 27 23:59:39 -0700 2008 234286 235726 giomara corniel 1 4590066 Hey, can anyone help? I too was a big fan of the Van de Kamps desserts. In the '60s and early 70s my parents used to pick up a cake from our local grocery store, mostly on special occassions...but some times just for the heck of it. My mother who just had her '89th birthday is here visiting from Phoenix...and we started talking about the "good old days." Anyway, my mom and I always bring up a cake that our whole family enjoyed back then. The cake was made by Van de Kamps but we can't remember the name, but the cake was a 2 layer and the cake itself tasted a bit like coffee and the cake was a tan color...very moist and not too sweet. Between the 2 layers was the same icing that covered the cake...it was a light brown icing and if I remember right, it may have had a mocha or chocolate taste....the icing was then dowsed with a light covering on top with chocolate sprinkles...the icing itself may have had a slight coffee flavor, but I remember the cake definitely had a coffee flavor...it wasn't real sweet..but man, was it good. Probably our most favorite cake of all time. Would anyone here know of this recipe or any way of acquiring the recipe for this cake...or have any idea of a recipe that would be comparable? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sun Apr 12 17:37:40 -0700 2009 234286 282242 splat55 2 5038861 I just returned from Ralph's Market, They had the Van de Kamp's variety box of Fancy cookie Assortment, Oh so goood!!!!!!! Haven't seen this in years had to buy two boxes. Fri Sep 18 01:35:24 -0700 2009 4590066 1110210 Graya