Join me as I try to satisfy my sweet tooth with vegan, keto and gluten-free cookies.
What makes me the happiest girl in the world? Cookies. Thinking about the delicious, soft inside and the right type of crunch on the edges makes my cravings instantly kick in — especially when they’re gooey, tasty and have that extra bit of dough still left in the middle. I love all the sugar, chocolate and excessively sweet ingredients baked into them, but I recently came to a realization: I have never had the chance to try vegan, keto or gluten-free cookies.
Luckily for me, “The Cookie Plug” recently opened in Glendora, Calif. and gave me the perfect opportunity to give them a shot. “Plug” is simply a term that means someone providing you with something, and in this case, that something is cookies for their customers. They have a variety of vegan, keto and gluten-free choices of cookies, so I tried one from each category. The cookies are labeled in 12 steps based on where you are at in your journey of detoxing from an addiction — a cookie addiction.
“The Cookie Plug” in the Upland area has 4 ½ stars on Yelp with 207 reviews. Chrystina B. on Yelp from West Covina, CA gave the keto cookies 5 stars stating, “Love these dang keto cookies! The concept is cute and funny! Definitely coming back!”
WARNING: This review of “The Cookie Plug” is based on my own taste buds — you may eat at your own risk.
Step 2: Faith, Chocolate (Vegan)
Their vegan cookies are probably my favorite, especially the chocolate ones. The soft, gooey texture in the middle of the patties — what they call their cookies — is immaculate. The crust around the patty isn’t too hard but isn’t too soft. The chocolate cookie also has chocolate chips inside that helps give it more flavor, leading you to start thinking there’s no way this is a vegan cookie. If I had to go back and order a full bag of patties, it would definitely be these vegan cookies because they do not disappoint.
Step 6: Acceptance, Macadamia Nut (Gluten-Free)
Macadamia nut cookies from anywhere are always pretty tasty, and they almost never leave me disappointed. If you are trying to play it safe and aren’t a huge fan of chocolate, but also don’t want to be boring and get a plain chocolate chip cookie, the macadamia nut gluten-free cookie is your answer. Just like the vegan cookies, they have the right amount of gooeyness on the inside and have a nice crunch without the crust feeling like a cinder block. Gluten-free cookies are the second best from this franchise. They are missing a bit of flavor but still left my taste buds happy with their interesting ingredients and awesome texture.
Step 12: Service, Snickerdoodle (Keto)
Keto cookies are not my friend, and do not satisfy my taste buds. “Cookie Plug” did not convert me to keto cookies, and they did not suddenly become my new favorite thing. I thought if I bought a snickerdoodle cookie the flavor wouldn’t be that bad, but after trying it, I thought it lacked flavor. It tasted bland and was too soft in the middle. It also didn’t replicate the texture or flavor of a classic snickerdoodle at all. I hope in the future I can go back and try a different flavor from the keto selection so I can give them a second chance, but the Service, Snickerdoodle definitely wasn’t my favorite.
The Cookie Plug is located at 865 W Route 66, Glendora, Calif. in the plaza of 7-Eleven and Jersey Mike’s Subs. Eat at your own risk and enjoy detoxing from your sugar-packed cookie addiction.