Two bakeries have recalled their holiday cookies over contamination with undeclared peanuts.
Gregory’s Foods, Inc., packaged its Frozen Monster Cookie Dough, which contains peanuts, in a bag labeled as White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, a recipe that does not include the allergen.
Consumers can identify the potentially hazardous product by looking through the clear window on the bag. The Monster Cookie dough contains visible chocolate chips and colored candy-coated pieces, while the correct White Chocolate Macadamia Nut dough does not.
The company reports that the packaging error was isolated to certain units from a single day’s production and has since been corrected. No illnesses have been reported in connection with this issue to date.
Meanwhile, Atwater’s of Baltimore, Maryland, has voluntarily recalled 197 cookie tins due to an undeclared tree nut allergen.
The tins, sold and gifted in the Baltimore area between December 13th and 22nd, 2025, contain cookies made with almond, pecan and walnut, but this critical information was missing from the label.
The omissions in both recalls pose a serious risk of severe or life-threatening allergic reactions to consumers with sensitivities to these nuts. About 3.9 million Americans have a tree nut allergy, which encompasses almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias and pine nuts. Six million Americans have a peanut allergy.
For those with severe allergies, if exposed, they could experience anaphylaxis, a sudden and potentially fatal reaction where the immune system releases a flood of chemicals, causing airways to narrow, blood pressure to drop and the body to go into shock. An estimated 150 to 200 total food allergy deaths occur in the US annually, and peanuts account for about 75 to 120 of them.
There have been no reported illnesses tied to recalled cookie dough and cookie tins, but consumers are encouraged to return the products for a refund (stock)
Gregory’s Foods mistakenly packaged peanut-containing Monster Cookie Dough in bags labeled for its nut-free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut dough
The recalled bags from Gregory’s, marked with a ‘BEST BY’ date of Dec 6, 2026 on the front, were distributed to retail grocery stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.
Customers who have purchased the affected product are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.
The Atwater’s recall was initiated after the company discovered the labeling error, which it attributes to a temporary breakdown in its process.
No illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall.
Consumers are urged to return the circular metal tins, identifiable by an ‘Atwater’s cookie tin’ label on the bottom, to their place of purchase for a full refund.
Undeclared allergens are among the most common reasons for food recalls, as a single packaging error or cross-contamination can pose a severe, immediate health threat.
The symptoms of a nut allergy can vary from mild to severe and often appear suddenly.
These reactions may include skin responses like hives, rash, and itching, as well as tingling or swelling of the lips, mouth and throat. Gastrointestinal issues such as cramps, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea is also common.
Atwater’s has recalled 197 cookie tins sold in the Baltimore area in December 2025. The cookies contain undeclared almonds, pecans and walnuts
The company initiated the recall after discovering the error, blaming a temporary breakdown in its labeling process
An allergic reaction can rapidly escalate to severe respiratory symptoms like shortness of breath, wheezing and cardiovascular symptoms like a rapid pulse and a dangerous drop in blood pressure.
This can potentially lead to dizziness, loss of consciousness and anaphylactic shock, which is a life-threatening emergency.
An epinephrine auto-injector (commonly called an EpiPen) is the first-line, life-saving treatment to stop the progression of a severe allergic reaction, including anaphylaxis triggered by a nut allergy.
However, this is just a stopgap measure. Emergency medical services must still be called immediately after use, as the effects of epinephrine are temporary and a second dose or further hospital care is often required.
