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Milano cookies are a classic Italian-style cookie that has been delighting people around the world for decades. The iconic cookie features two thin, buttery and crisp chocolate wafers held together by an indulgent layer of creamy filling. This classic treat is a favorite among both adults and children alike for its delicious flavor and texture. But, are Milano Cookies vegan?
Milano cookies are not vegan because they contain milk and egg.
Below is a table showing Milano Cookie flavors and its vegan status.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Milano Caramel Macchiato | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Coconut | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Dark Chocolate | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Dark Chocolate Sea Salt | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Amaretto Hot Cocoa Flavored Cookies | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Double Dark Chocolate | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Double Milk Chocolate | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Milk Chocolate | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Mint | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Orange | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Pumpkin Spice (Seasonal) | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Raspberry | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Strawberry | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
| Milano Toasted Marshmallow | No, contains Milk & Egg. |
Milano Cookies Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the flavors that I could find.
- Baking Soda
- Beet And Red Cabbage Juices
- Chocolate
- Chocolate Processed With Alkali
- Cocoa Butter
- Color (Annatto Extract)
- Cornstarch
- Eggs
- Enriched Wheat Flour
- Folic Acid
- Baking Soda
- Beet And Red Cabbage Juices)
- Chocolate
- Chocolate Processed With Alkali
- Cocoa Butter
- Color (Annatto Extract
- Cornstarch
- Eggs
- Enriched Wheat Flour
- Folic Acid
- Lactic Acid
- Milk Chocolate
- Milkfat
- Molasses
- Natural Flavors
- Niacin
- Nonfat Milk
- Palm Oil
- Reduced Iron
- Riboflavin
- Salt
- Sea Salt
- Semi Sweet Chocolate
- Soy Lecithin
- Soybean Oil
- Sugar
- Thiamine Mononitrate
- Vanilla Extract
[Source]
As always I’ve highlighted the ingredients that we need to take a closer look at.
Non-Vegan Ingredients
Milk & Eggs
Milk and eggs comes from the animal kingdom and are therefore not vegan-friendly.
Questionable Ingredients
Sugar
Sugar is an ingredient that is often used in the candy and sweets industry and the most common sugar types are beet sugar and cane sugar. Beet sugar and raw cane sugar is always vegan-friendly, but when the cane sugar gets refined it can cause problems for vegans.
In the refining process the sugar is also bleached and a common bleaching method is to use bone char from dead cows. Exploiting animals in the production process would make that product non-vegan.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is a product made from the fruit pulp of the palm, which is very popular and the reason for it is because it’s highly productive per square meter. Deforestation is a big problem for the environment, but the companies producing palm oil are not concerned about this.
They just want to make a profit and it’s the reason why they are cutting down trees and forcing animals out of their homes.
There is a way to make palm oil more vegan-friendly and that is called RSPO. This is a non-profit organisation that helps companies produce and buy sustainable palm oil.
Natural Flavors
Natural flavors is an umbrella term, which means that it often consists of several ingredients and the source of these ingredients are not disclosed on the ingredients label. This means that ingredients sourced from animals could be added and it would not show on the ingredients label.
So vegans needs to be careful when it comes to natural flavors and the only way to be sure if it’s vegan is to contact the company and ask.
Corn & Soy
Corn and soy are two of the most common GMO crops in USA and many vegans will try and stay away from these crops. The reason for this is the high amount of herbicide that is needed to grow GMO crops.
The herbicide can pollute the surrounding ecosystem, damaging it beyond repair.
Conclusion
Milano cookies where one of my favorite cookies growing up and when I went vegan, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to eat them since they contain milk and egg. With veganism on the rise, more companies are offering vegan alternatives and more vegan-friendly cookies will surely be available in the future.
Thanks for reading, take care!
