Will Burgum Bite? PETA Hopes Pamela Anderson’s Vegan Cookie Recipe Will Win the Interior Cookie Test

For Immediate Release:
December 9, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

PETA hopes Pamela Anderson’s favorite vegan chocolate chip cookies from her cookbook, I Love You: Recipes from the Heart, will prompt a policy change in U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum’s office this holiday season. Because Secretary Burgum reportedly loves freshly baked cookies so much that he’s instructed his staff to bake batches for him on a regular basis, today, PETA sent him Anderson’s recipe in the hopes that he’ll start clamoring for animal-friendly vegan sweets.

In a letter that accompanies the recipe, PETA notes that vegan cookies are a sweet deal for both confection connoisseurs and animals. They contain none of the artery-clogging cholesterol of those made with eggs and dairy and spare mother cows and hens from being exploited as milk- and egg-producing machines until their bodies give out and they’re sent to slaughter.

“Secretary Burgum can indulge to his heart’s content with Pamela Anderson’s craveable vegan cookies, which deliver ooey-gooey goodness while leaving cows and hens in peace,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is encouraging Secretary Burgum to embrace decadent vegan treats that bring everyone a little comfort and joy.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. PETA’s free vegan starter kit—and list of the best vegan holiday cookie recipes—can help those looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Secretary Burgum follows.

December 9, 2025

The Honorable Doug Burgum

U.S. Secretary of the Interior

Dear Mr. Secretary:

Season’s greetings! I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 10.4 million members and supporters worldwide, including nearly 12,000 in Washington, D.C., alone, where we have an office. We heard you’re a big fan of hot-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies, so to sweeten your holidays, we’ve enclosed Pamela Anderson’s veganchocolate chip cookie recipe for you to enjoy. Once you give these confections a try, you’ll no doubt agree that vegan cookies are much batter than those made with cholesterol-laden eggs and dairy.

Regrettably, “peace on Earth” doesn’t extend to the cows and chickens raised on filthy factory farms and exploited for milk and butter. Calves are torn away from their loving mothers shortly after birth, and parts of hens’ beaks are cut off with a hot blade when they’re just days old. In addition, with bird flu flaring up again, a vegan recipe offers something sweeter for your own health since vegan eating reduces the risk of suffering from heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. More and more smart cookies are reaping the benefits: In 2025, nearly 26 million people globally tried a vegan diet in January to kick off the new year in the most chipper way!

We hope you enjoy the doughlightful cookie recipe and that it inspires you to embrace more vegan treats. PETA has batches of other recipes readily available online: sugar cookies, oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cookies, and many more at PETA.org/Recipes. We’re confident you’ll love them all, and we would be happy to discuss the benefits of going vegan with you at any time. Happy holidays!

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

Founder