What oil does Great American Cookies fry in?
Great American Cookies cooks with PALM shortening, per the chain's own June 2026 ingredient statements (GAC-Allergen_Ingred_Nutri_6.15.26.pdf): every cookie, brownie and cookie-cake dough lists 'Palm Shortening' / 'Shortening, Palm Oil'; soybean oil appears only inside a butter-blend margarine, the Strawberry Crinkle margarine and some confectionery chips, never as the base fat. Icings are palm + canola (White) and palm + canola + hydrogenated cottonseed (Fudge). The earlier 'soybean oil shortening' note is retired; PUFA per cookie is ~1 g, not 3-6 g..
The 5 cleanest things to order at Great American Cookies
Learn this once: a salad with grilled protein and the dressing left off is nearly always the lowest seed oil order anywhere. So the list below sticks to real meals, salads included, never just a water.
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Double Doozie Chocolate Frosting | 4.1g |
| Sugar Double Doozie | 4.2g |
| Chocolate Chip Double Doozie | 4.9g |
| Double Doozie Strawberry Frosting | 5.0g |
Lower PUFA is cleaner. These are estimates from published nutrition data and disclosed oils; preparation varies by location.
Why the frying oil matters
Most fast-food chains fry in seed oils like soybean, canola, corn, or a blend of them, which are high in polyunsaturated fat (PUFA). A handful still use beef tallow or other stable fats, which are far lower in PUFA. The oil a kitchen fries in is the single biggest driver of how much seed oil ends up on your plate. See the full breakdown on the Great American Cookies report card, or where it lands on the Seed Oil Index.
Frequently asked
Does Great American Cookies use beef tallow?
No. Great American Cookies cooks with PALM shortening, per the chain's own June 2026 ingredient statements (GAC-Allergen_Ingred_Nutri_6.15.26.pdf): every cookie, brownie and cookie-cake dough lists 'Palm Shortening' / 'Shortening, Palm Oil'; soybean oil appears only inside a butter-blend margarine, the Strawberry Crinkle margarine and some confectionery chips, never as the base fat. Icings are palm + canola (White) and palm + canola + hydrogenated cottonseed (Fudge). The earlier 'soybean oil shortening' note is retired; PUFA per cookie is ~1 g, not 3-6 g., not beef tallow. See which chains fry in real fats on Tallow Watch.