Today marks World Vegan Day, and with the lifestyle taking social media by storm and many individuals wanting to change the way they eat and use products, it's a very important day. Which is why we're talking about all things vegan. 

(Image credit: Young Post - South China Morning Post) 

What is a vegan?

Being vegan means not eating anything which contains animals or animal by-products which would include meat, fish, eggs, dairy and even honey. The Vegan Society is behind all of the movement and promotes veganism worldwide. The national and global day has been taking place ever since 1994 and the society was set up in 1944. 

What is it about? 

The day is intended to celebrate how far veganism has come from its early days, and it is also meant to highlight how easy it can be to make the change in your life. The term 'vegan' has become more educational now and it gives the message of how it benefits the planet and individual health. 

How do we celebrate?

Of course, due to the worldwide event, it's very personal to everyone how we celebrate. However, there are many hashtags used on social media to get the movement going. For example #WorldVeganMonth and #WorldVeganDay. People can mark the occasion by hosting events or making small changes such as going vegan for a day, month or even shopping vegan. 

At the moment, only the Gooey Chocolate Chip Gookie Dough is vegan-friendly. While the dough in all flavours doesn't contain any animal by-products, the milk and white chocolate will contain dairy. However, keep your eyes peeled because this may change! 

Happy Halloween from all of us at Gookie Dough! We hope you're having a spooktacular day, whether this is creeping up on your friends, dressing up or simply trick or treating with the kids and getting to eat all of their sweets while they're in bed! So, grab your MONSTER tub of Gookie Dough and light your pumpkin as we discuss Halloween history. 

(Image credit: The Peak) 

Why celebrate Halloween? 

It's thought that Halloween started with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain where people would wear costumes and roam to ward off ghosts. However, it's down to Pope Gregory III in the eighth century as to why we celebrate it. 

Samhain means 'snow in' and marks the end of summer, Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundaries between the living and the dead become muddled up. Based on tradition, people would wear costumes such as animal skins and things on their head and would try and tell each other's fortunes. By 43 AD the Roman Empire had conquered Celtic territory, and over the years, they combined their festivals with the Celtics. 

The festival

The first festival was called Feralia where Romans would reflect on the dead. The second was Pomona which is the goddess of fruits and trees. The symbol for this is an apple which leads to why 'apple bobbing' is a thing today. Then Christianity added praying for the dead.

The change 

The Pope made November 1st as a time to honour the saints, hence why it is called All Saints Day. The day took on some Samhain traditions and the evening became known as All Hallows Eve (Halloween). November 2nd is All Souls Day where the dead are remembered. The tradition was based on the idea of a stage between heaven and hell. This begins the 'month of the dead'. Lovely. 

Now 

Over time, the tradition has taken twists and turns and is now best known for children dressing up, pumpkins and masks to scare others. The tradition made its way to America, and by the 19th century, with an influx of immigrants, Halloween took the country by storm. Americans would visit their neighbours and ask for food, hence trick or treating.  

The end. Next on your list? Get the duvet, put on the worst horror you can think of and grab a pillow for comfort. Don't forget to lock the doors! HAPPY HALLOWEEN, GOOKIE MONSTERS. 

A cake is the way to someone's heart. It doesn't matter if it's your birthday, cake is always the answer! Ever received an apology cake? Well, these people have, and they're probably the most amusing thing we've seen all week. We need to know the backstory! 

I 'ham' sorry 

(Image credit: Woman's World) 

The person who received this cake must have been pretty cut up about the person who ate all the ham. I guess you could call them a little piggy (too lame?). To be fair, they should have bought some new ham instead of a cake. 

Lunchbox anger 

(Image credit: Team Jimmy Joe) 

Someone was HANGRY! The reason to kick a lunchbox is unknown and being run over by a car is rather dramatic. I'm guessing even a cake couldn't fix this dilemma, but hey, at least they drew a heart and sad face! 

Psychotic 

(Image credit: Obsev Life)

The fact that the writing is in red still hints to me that the person is still being slightly psycho and is foreshadowing death. However, sprinkles are supposed to make everything better. Our Gookie Dough funfetti cake batter always does. Next time, choose a different colour for the icing? Just a little tip there. 

Slice of cake 

(Image credit: Odd Stuff Magazine) 

'Sorry, you got stabbed.' Straight to the point. If the patient is still emotionally recovering then, this may have triggered some PTSD. Again, red shouldn't be everyone's go-to colour but let's hope the receiver took this lightly. 

Right in the feels 

(Image credit: Wow Amazing) 

Accidents happen and this person must have felt awful about what they did. The elbowing most-likely didn't hurt that much but this kind-hearted individual went out of their way to make a cake and even iced it themselves. The icing is worse than the action itself but we'll let it go. 

Sugar rush 

(Image credit: Oola.com) 

What's the best way to make someone feel better about their diabetic diagnosis? Buy them a massive cake which is slathered in icing of course. We don't know if the sender was just being sarcastic or pure evil but we feel for the diabetic. Care to share? 

Maybe we don't want an apology cake after all. We may be brutally savaged! 

Nachos. The delightful little triangle wheat product which goes perfectly with cheese, salsa, sour cream and jalapenos. If you don't like nachos, then you're definitely not human, what is there not to love?! So, we're taking nachos to the next level and introducing loaded Gookie Dough Nachos. 

(Image credit: Unilad.co.uk) 

You will need:

One monster tub of Gookie Dough in a flavour of your choice 

(For the marshmallow dip) 

150g of mini marshmallows 

Two tablespoons of water 

(For the salted caramel) 

175g of caster sugar 

50g of butter 

300ml double cream 

One teaspoon of salt 

(For decoration) 

Nutella 

Marshmallows 

Method 

(Image credit: Delish.com) 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Flour a surface and take your Gookie Dough and roll it out to the thickness of a pound coin. Trim the edges, so they're straight and cut strips along the dough then make triangle shapes until all of the dough has been used. Space the nachos out on the tray and pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

Take your mini marshmallows and place them all in a pan along with the water. Melt them until a liquid/gooey mixture forms. For the salted caramel, melt the sugar in a pan until golden caramel is formed then add the butter and next, the cream. When the caramel starts to bubble, add the salt. 

Take your nachos and stack them galore. Drizzle the sauces over, along with some Nutella, and then add some more marshmallows. If you're feeling extra then add some Gookie Dough pieces and sprinkles for a 'funfetti cake batter' feel! *Recipe adapted from UniLad* 

Tah-Dah! A twist on the old Mexican classic. Move over salsa, it's time for a lil' salted caramel. Perfect for sharing and dipping. Sassy dessert it served. 

Cold days call for comfort eating. What's better than having a whole tub of Gookie Dough in your fridge? Turning them into waffles of course! Here's how to make the breakfast of your dreams. 

(Image credit: Laura In The Kitchen) 

You will need:

(For the waffle batter)

240g of all purpose flour 

50g of granulated sugar 

1/2 teaspoon of salt 

One tablespoon of baking powder 

Two eggs 

125ml of melted butter 

125-200ml of whole milk 

Two teaspoons of vanilla extract 

(For the cookie dough) 

One monster tub of Gookie Dough in a flavour of your choice 

Directions 

To make the waffle batter, simply add the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and stir thoroughly to mix. Once combined, set aside. 

Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk together to combine it all. 

Now it's time for the Gookie Dough. Take your dough out of the fridge and spoon little dollops of Gookie Dough into the waffle batter. Each time you add some, stir gently (so the chunks don't separate too much). All that's left is to preheat the waffle iron and get cooking!

Cook the waffles in batches in the preheated waffle iron, then as they come out of the iron, place them on a cooling rack and then top with extra cookie dough, ice cream, chocolate and anything else sweet that you're craving! *Recipe adapted from Laura In The Kitchen* 

Simple and delicious way to brighten your morning even if the sun isn't shining. After all, food is the way to a girls heart no matter what!