Reviewed by Angelina Drake, age 16


Hardly a snacker and devoid of a sweet tooth, my vegan outlook on the world of cookies, particularly those pre-packaged, has been somewhat cynical. My knowledge of the many ‘unfood’ ingredients processed and reprocessed into America’s pantry cookie supply has made avoidance of such edible mutations quite simple. The mass use of such common ingredients as sugar (always first on the list), high fructose corn syrup, glycerin, gelatin, cornstarch, milks, and hydrogenated cottonseed/vegetable oils sounds more to me like a sweetened recipe for poison. Which, if you eat enough in the long-run, it probably is.

So, you can imagine the imagine the odds when a carrot-colored box of Newman’s Own Organics Ginger-O’s landed on my doorstep for review from a cookie cynic.

Lucky for them, the snacks were accompanied by a wealth of information on the company that would’ve probably saved the treats if they hadn’t tasted so good on their own. I’m an avid old movie enthusiast, so the likes (and looks) of Paul Newman always makes for a good impression. More importantly, though, the company’s reputation for donating all post-tax revenue to "educational & charitable purposes," all the while producing healthier alternatives to junk-food staples, is quite convincing.

Nell Newman’s Newman’s Own Organics, (however closely linked they may be to Pa’s Newman’s Own), is its own, distinct company focused on providing edible aids to the organic way of life. My personal reverence toward organic foods made it easy to understand why Nell would fly with produce-stuffed luggage from California to Connecticut to prepare a secret Thanksgiving meal for her dad. In hopes of winning him over to the organic side, this is just what she did and the beginning of the Newman’s Own Organics story. The once infamous egg-ingesting actor was so impressed by the meal, that upon learning of its organic entirety he gave his support for the company.

Despite this refreshing example of corporate integrity, there were still cookies to be reckoned with...

...round ones, not coincidentally resembling the Oreo cream-filled structure, but boasting auburn-tinted, ginger cookie shells. One side of my conscience recalled my absolute abhorrence of Oreo products with their greasy, once trans-fatty, sugary corruption that warranted a lawsuit in California against the sale of the ‘food’ to minors. The other side, however, pulled up childhood memories of enjoying gingersnap-almond milk evenings with my father. I should’ve known that the father-daughter duo on the package cover would’ve been right all along.

Ginger-O’s combine, in a vegan and organic form, the satisfaction of crunchy ginger cookies gone delicacy when encasing a crème filling. I love how ginger dominates their flavor, rather than sugar, to make just one cookie rewarding though not too sweet. The ingredients do aid in lessening post-consumption guilt because they’re simple, identifiable, honest, and organic. So often we think only in terms of produce when going organic and underestimate the damage heavily-pesticided wheat products, like those found in all mainstream baked goods, can do. Ginger-O’s uphold the Newman commitment to quality ingredients with organic unbleached flour, organic palm oil, organic molasses, and organic sugar supplementing the ground ginger.

And rather than mislead you with confusing terms like ‘partially-hydrogenated’, or ‘tripolyphosphate preservatives’, the Ginger-O’s label explains their choice of palm fruit oil with convincing factoids about the ingredient’s healthy attributes and current usage.

In the simple task toward which all cookies strive - providing a tasty treat for a sweet occasion - Ginger-O’s succeeds with mouthwatering triumph. I still may not be a cookie aficionada, but I’m noticeably less cynical about this snack food's future. Though they’re still ‘vegan junk food’ (and not to become a staple of the daily wholesome diet), occasional indulgence of the Newman’s Own Organics variety will leave both your conscience and your tummy satisfied with style.