Pepperidge Farm is a large, household name baked goods company, famous for everything from Goldfish crackers to milano cookies. They also make a mean chocolate chip cookie.
So do we.
That’s why we decided to write up a detailed comparison between Pepperidge Farm’s dark chocolate chip cookies and Maxine’s Heavenly’s chocolate chip cookies. Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients, tastes, and stories behind each brand.
Pepperide Farm originally began when Margaret Rudkin decided to put her son, who was struggling with asthma and allergies, on a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, and whole wheat stone-ground bread that she prepared and baked herself. Eventually, Margaret’s bread became known as the best bread her family and friends had ever had. It actually ended up improving her son’s health so much that his doctor "prescribed" it to his other patients.
Margaret began selling this bread in grocery stores, effectively turning a single loaf of bread into a huge, multi-category enterprise as her brand Pepperidge Farm (named after the farmstead she lived on) grew to also produce cookies, crackers, pastries and other baked goods. Margaret went on to do much more than baking, eventually becoming a bestselling author and renowned industry leader.
Maxine’s Heavenly cookies aim to combine the best of both worlds: traditional homemade taste and the healthiest, highest quality ingredients possible.
Named after the mother of the brand’s founder, Maxine’s Heavenly’s story goes back over one hundred years to 1922, which is when Maxine herself was born. Maxine’s cookies were treasured by her entire family, and brought everyone together throughout the years to celebrate special occasions and share the joys and challenges of life.
Maxine’s Heavenly founders Tim Miller and Robert Petrarca wanted to keep the tradition of Maxine’s delicious cookies alive, but incorporate everything they’d learned about health and nutrition to create a healthier version of the original recipe.
Tim and Robert used Maxine’s original recipe as a foundation, but took out all the processed flours and sugars, gluten, animal products, and empty calories , and replaced them with much healthier ingredients. The result was a guilt-free, alternative cookie that was nutrient-rich and better for everyone.
Maxine’s Heavenly is committed to gluten-free, vegan cookies made from wholesome ingredients. Pepperidge Farm isn’t as concerned about using animal products or GMO foods in their ingredients. As a result, their cookies typically include foods like wheat, milk, soy, and eggs, which would exclude them from those following a gluten-free or vegan diet.
We can get a better understanding of the different ingredients for each brand by taking a look at each of their chocolate chip cookie ingredients side by side:
Pepperidge Farm Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients: Semi Sweet Chocolate (Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Beans, Natural Flavor), Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Butter, Sugar, Brown Sugar (Sugar, Invert Sugar, Molasses), Contains 2% Or Less Of: Eggs, Baking Soda, Vanilla Extract, Salt. Contains: Milk, Soy, Wheat, Eggs.Maxine’s Heavenly Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients: Oat Flour, Organic Coconut Sugar, Chocolate Chunks (organic cane sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter), Coconut Oil, Organic Coconut Nectar, Flaxseed, Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Sea Salt. Contains: Tree Nuts (coconut).
Another major difference between Maxine’s Heavenly and Pepperidge Farm cookies is each brand’s dietary attributes. Since Pepperidge Farm cookies contain milk, eggs, wheat, and soy, they can be problematic for those following vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free lifestyles. Pepperidge Farm is also very open about their use of GMO ingredients in their products.
Maxine’s Heavenly cookies, on the other hand, are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher, and non-GMO.
In general, we’d say the Pepperidge Farm chocolate chips are a bit “darker” (slightly more bitter, but not overly so) while Maxine’s Heavenly chocolate chips are a bit fudgier and richer.
The Maxine’s Heavenly chocolate chip cookies also have a hint of caramel, while the Pepperidge Farm cookies have strong vanilla notes.
Overall, though, the taste and texture of the cookies is similar. Both are thin, crispy, buttery, and melt in your mouth.
Pepperidge Farm is a legendary baking brand with an inspiring story of early female entrepreneurship, and their cookies certainly are delicious. However, they also contain plenty of refined sugar and flour, and animal products like milk and eggs.
Therefore, while both Maxine’s Heavenly and Pepperidge Farm are delicious, we recommend Maxine’s Heavenly cookies if you’re following a vegan or gluten-free diet, or simply trying eat more nutritious (but still delicious) foods. You can try our chocolate chip cookies here.
