The Great American Cookie Co. has been around since 1977 to provide the original chocolate chip cookie recipe created by one of its founders’ grandma. While these cookies and other baked goodies are delicious, knowing if they’re vegan or not can be challenging. The main ingredients mostly include milk and eggs, but there are some vegan options Great American Cookie Co. you can go to.
Great American Cookie Co. cookies contain milk and eggs, therefore they are not suitable for vegans.
However, there are many other alternatives to choose from when it comes to vegan cookies and other baked snacks. It’s important to read the list of ingredients before you buy as some brands falsely claim they are vegan and gluten-free.
Getting some information before buying your favorite chocolate chips and cookie cakes can help make sure you are eating vegan-friendly products. In this article, you will learn about the main ingredients used in baking Great American Cookie Co. products and alternatives you can enjoy.
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Great American Cookies Varieties And Flavors
Many companies today claim that they offer generations-old recipes and original concepts. Some may not be true, but the Great American Cookie Co. is a real pioneer of generations-old family recipes such as their original chocolate chip cookies. Their signature cookie cakes are freshly baked every day for special celebrations and simple cravings.
Here are some of the most popular products you can order and enjoy:
- Cookie Cakes
- Gourmet Cookies
- Double Doozie
- Brownies
The cookie cakes are customized for different occasions and needs including birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations. The gourmet cookies are soft-baked and freshly made daily for your sweet fix. Their trademark Double Doozie is a best-selling delectable with icing between the cookies, while the brownies are a classic staple that everyone loves.
Under the cookies menu, you can choose from a wide variety of flavors including the Double Fudge, Chewy Chocolate Supreme, White Chunk Macadamia, Snickerdoodle, Sugar, Original Chocolate Chip with M&M’s Chocolate Candies, Domino, Original Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Supreme, Strawberry Crinkle, Birthday Cake, and Big Bites.
Do Great American Cookies Have Eggs?
The batter used to bake Great American Cookie Co. goodies contains eggs except for the cookie cakes namely: Imperial Fudge Icing, Imperial Fudge Icing GFG, Xtra Smooth Icing, Vanilla Icing GFG, Cream Cheese Buttercreme Icing, and German Chocolate Icing. All others are mostly made with allergens such as egg, milk, wheat, and soy, making them not suitable for vegans and those with food allergies.
Main Ingredients
When it comes to the main ingredients, it’s important to check for any animal products that your favorite snacks might contain to ensure you’re eating 100% vegan-friendly foods. Most cookie brands use egg and milk in their products including the Great American Cookie Co. The following are the main ingredients of their most popular products:
Original Cookie
- Flour
- Sugar
- Liquid Whole Eggs
- Palm Shortening
- Chocolate Chips
- Baking Powder Double-Acting
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Oat Flour
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Modified Food Starch
- Nonfat Dry Milk
- Salt
- Vanilla Flavor
Imperial Fudge Icing
- Cocoa
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Vegetable Oil
- Sugar
- Polysorbate 60
- Soy Lecithin
- Salt
- Mono and Di-Glycerides
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Soy Oil
- Corn Syrup
- Potassium Sorbate
- Citric Acid
- Artificial Flavor
Red Velvet Brownie
- Flour
- Sugar
- Butter Blend
- Palm Oil
- Shortening
- Cream Cheese
- Vegetable Mono and Di-Glycerides
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Liquid Whole Eggs
- Glycerin
- FD&C Red 40
- Food Color
- Modified Food Starch
- Cocoa Powder
- Vanilla Flavor
- Xanthan Gum
- Potassium Sorbate
- Carrageenan Gum
- Salt
Original Chocolate Chip Big Bite
- Flour
- Palm Shortening
- Chocolate Chips
- Sugar
- Baking Powder Double-Acting
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Oat Flour
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Liquid Whole Eggs
- Nonfat Dry Milk
- Modified Food Starch
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Vanilla Flavor
Allergens Warning Notes
If you’re eating plant-based foods for some reasons such as preventing food allergies, it’s crucial to know which products contain allergens. As mentioned before, Great American Cookies contain eggs, peanuts, milk, wheat, and soy. These are notorious allergens that many ready-to-eat products usually contain.
When you have food allergies, it can affect your skin, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract, and respiratory system. Some of the most common foods that trigger allergies in both children and adults include peanuts, cow’s milk, eggs, soy, wheat, and tree nuts. Let’s talk about each food allergy that you might experience from eating cookies with egg, milk, soy, and wheat.
- Milk allergy. This is a common reaction to casein or whey, the main proteins that cow’s milk have. Milk allergies are different from lactose intolerance as you are more likely to experience allergic reactions to milk products as well as peanuts, soy, and eggs. People with milk allergy may also develop eczema, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and other atopic diseases.
- Egg allergy. This often occurs in children and eventually resolve as they grow. However, you may remain hypersensitive to eggs even in your adult years. You can be allergic to the protein in the egg white or yolk. If you’re allergic to the egg yolk, it’s possible to tolerate eating egg white or vice versa. Unfortunately, some people can be allergic to both.
- Peanut allergy. Children who are allergic to peanuts rarely resolve their sensitivity, so this could be a lifelong condition. For this reason, having peanut allergies is a serious problem. You can accidentally expose yourself to peanuts by eating foods that are processed in the same facility used in processing peanuts.
On the other hand, peanut allergy rarely leads to anaphylaxis. However, this is a severe reaction that causes cardiac arrest or difficulty breathing. If that happens, you will need immediate medical help wherein your doctor will inject epinephrine to manage the symptoms.
- Wheat and soy allergies. These are lesser known compared to the ones mentioned above. Similarly, food allergies after eating tree nuts, shellfish, and fish are rare. However, these types of allergies are generally lifelong conditions.
If you don’t want gluten or you’re suffering from celiac disease, Great American Cookie Co. also offers gluten-free cookies. For instance, the Chewy Chocolate Supreme cookie is not just delicious but is also gluten-free.
Great Vegan Options For Store-Bought Cookies
According to peta2, there are plenty of cookies in grocery stores and gas stations that are 100% vegan. To name a few, here are some of the most popular vegan sweet treats you can enjoy:
- Nabisco Nutter Butters. These are yummy peanut butter cookies that are made with plant-based ingredients including enriched flour, plant oils, and simple sugars.
- Girl Scout Lemonades. These delicious cookies are dairy-free, so they are considered vegan.
- Trader Joe’s Maple Leaf Cookies. These vegan sandwich cookies are made with luscious crème fillings including maple, vanilla, lemon, and chocolate.
- Gourmet Treats Baking Co. Vegan Cookies. These delightful chewy cookies are all-natural vegan and made with plant-based proteins.
- Kookie Cat Vegan Cookies. This popular cookie brand is known for its old-fashioned cookies that are handcrafted and reinvented with vegan-friendly ingredients.
- Alternative Baking Company Vegan Cookies. This company is committed to make meat and dairy products obsolete by creating gourmet-quality plant-based alternatives to traditionally baked cookies.
- Sweets From the Earth Vegan Cookies. This all-natural vegan bakery offers handmade products that are produced by small batches to ensure 100% plant-based options.
- Emmy’s Organic Coconut Cookies. These coconut cookies are all gluten-free and vegan with a wide variety of flavors including lemon ginger, dark cacao, vanilla bean, peanut butter, and chocolate chip.
- Enjoy Life Crunchy Cookies. These crunchy cookies are gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, and vegan certified.
Quick Wrap Up
Many of the store-bought cookies today are made with vegan-friendly ingredients and are gluten-free. However, it’s important to consider the list of ingredients instead of just relying on the “vegan” label on the packaging. Some products contain non-vegan ingredients while being promoted as 100% vegan.
Aside from animal-based ingredients, it’s also crucial to check for the allergen information before you buy a box of cookies. If you have food allergies, it’s best to avoid cookies that contain milk, eggs, soy, wheat, and tree nuts. You may also want to avoid baked goodies that contain gluten, especially if you have celiac disease.
If you can’t eat Great American Cookie Co. products because of their ingredients, there are many other cookie brands that you can choose from such as Sweets From the Earth, Emmy’s, Alternative Baking Company, Kookie Cat, Gourmet Treats Baking Co, Trader Joe’s, Girl Scout, and Nabisco. Don’t just depend on the vegan label, make sure to check the ingredients to make sure you’re eating 100% vegan cookies from your local grocery store.
