Alicia Silverstone thinks that Ghirardelli Chocolate needs to get a clue when it comes to their semi-sweet chocolate chips.

The "Clueless" actress, who is also a vegan activist, sent a letter on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) asking the popular San Francisco chocolate maker, which is owned by Swiss company Lindt & Sprüngli, to bring back its original dairy-free recipe for semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Silverstone is not the first person to request that Thompson drop the dairy in Ghirardelli's semi-sweet chips. A number of outraged vegans have taken to vegan bulletin boards and other public forums to voice their displeasure with the new recipe, which was changed last year.

Last year, Pop Sugar editor Jenny Sugar penned an outraged public service announcement to vegan readers, while a Florida woman started a petition on change.org, which currently has 1,476 supporters, to request that the company stop using whole milk powder.

In her letter to Ghirardelli CEO Martin Thompson, Silverstone notes that "like most people, I love chocolate—vegan chocolate to be specific."

She continues: "Vegan chocolate is a powerful source of antioxidants and is chock-full of essential nutrients. It improves blood flow and reduces stress. That's why I'm urging you to switch Ghirardelli's semi-sweet chocolate chips back to their original dairy-free recipe, so health-conscious snackers and bakers alike can indulge."

(It's hard not to imagine Silverstone's iconic character, Cher Horowitz, debating with her rival Amber in Mr. Hall's class all the reasons why dairy in chocolate is bad for you.)

According to a note from December 2016 on Ghirardelli's website regarding the controversial baking chips, the company is aware that the change in recipe "has impacted some customers' ability to enjoy this product, and we apologize to any who have been inconvenienced by this."

Whether or not Silverstone's plea will have an impact on the recipe remains to be seen, though Ghirardelli also points out on their website that they do have "several dark chocolate products that do not have milk as an ingredient." Those products, however, are "made on shared equipment that also produces milk-containing products as well as possibly other allergens."

Sarah Fritsche is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sfritsche@sfchronicle.com Twitter/Instagram: @foodcentric