By Harper Hope  

The first Crumbl Cookies location in Logan, Utah. Photo credit: Crumbl Cookies via their website. 

In 2020, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, a new chain of stores was on the rise throughout the United States. Crumbl Cookies is an extravagant cookie store with a menu containing up to six mystery flavors each week. This concept fascinated 15-year-old me, so during the summer of 2021, while my friends and I were in the Outer Banks, the first thing we knew we had to do was try out the famous Crumbl Cookies that we had been seeing all over social media. At this point in time, there were only a few Crumbl Cookie stores, none being located in our hometown. Being able to find a store nearby was a true rarity.

Each cookie was completely unique and unpredictable in the greatest possible way, differing in consistency, decorations, and flavor. This single trip created a new obsession for me. Each week, I would wait until Sunday night to see the weekly flavors posted on the store’s social media and the Crumbl Cookie app, which I undoubtedly had downloaded on my phone. Skillful business strategies, such as the mastery of edited videos for each individual cookie, quickly helped the Crumbl Cookie empire, eventually making it the fastest-growing dessert shop in the world. A few short months went by, and as the chain continued to prosper through the use of social media, Crumbl opened their first store in Richmond in fall 2021. Luckily, my family was just as invested in this weekly gift as I was and almost always agreed to make the 15-minute drive to the new Crumbl Cookies location at 2003 Huguenot Road. Once we had purchased these glorious cookies, we would cut them into sections of eight, ensuring that each of us would get to sample every flavor. As of September 2023, Crumbl now has a total of 918 stores, four which are in Richmond, selling over a million cookies each day.

Maple Cinnamon Roll cookies. Photo credit: Crumbl Cookies via YouTube.

You may be wondering what importance all of this information plays. Well, I believe that, as a person who has tried countless Crumbl Cookies in her lifetime, I am adequately qualified to give my reader an honest review of a weekly Crumbl Cookie lineup. 

As a sample, I reviewed Crumbl’s lineup from the week of Thanksgiving, November 20-25, with two specialty guests and critics: my mother, Wendy Hope, and grandmother, Janet Baker. After consulting each cookie, we each shared a 1-10 ranking that we averaged into the cookie’s final score. Quite frankly, I have a bone to pick with Crumbl, and I am beginning to wonder if they hate the most important foodie holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. 

Cranberry Crumb Cake cookie. Photo credit: Crumbl Cookies via TikTok.

Starting off strong this week, we were given a delicacy with a classic Crumbl flavor, Maple Cinnamon Roll. This warm cookie was presented with a thick swirl of icing on the top and a dash of cinnamon. I was surprisingly impressed with this cookie, as I have never admired the taste of a regular cinnamon roll. This was my favorite in the lineup, and as my mom described, “[tasted] like a cinnamon Pop-Tart!” Maple Cinnamon Roll was overall the group’s favorite, ending in an average score of 8.5. 

Next up in the lineup was the introduction of Cranberry Crumb Cake, which had never been released before. This cranberry-filled sugar cookie was topped with a delicious citrus glaze and crumbs of lemon zest. The cookie itself had a strong citrus flavor; however, it incorporated just the right amount of sugar in the cookie, not making you feel sick after you’ve eaten it, as most 800 calorie cookies do. My grandmother said, “it was a nice contrast between tart and sweet, but it just didn’t taste like dessert.” However, my mother applauded the cookie for being unique, but I simply agreed with my grandmother, as the cookie did not taste like a typical “dessert.” Our average ranking of Cranberry Crumb Cake was 6.3. 

Caramel Praline cookie. Photo credit: @Crumbl Cookies via X.

Just then, things began to head south in the weekly lineup. We laid eyes on Caramel Praline, which the three of us naturally assumed would be our favorite cookie. However, once we took our first bites, this cookie immediately disappointed us. We could barely even chew it due to the overwhelming amount of thick caramel slopped onto the top of the cookie. I had never even tried a praline before but was informed by my two fellow critics that it did not matter, as they themselves could not pick up a hint of praline. This cookie should have just been named Caramel, as there was absolutely no taste of praline present. Because of this hefty setback, our average score of Caramel Praline ended up being a 5.3. 

Pumpkin Pie cookie. Photo credit: @Crumble Cookies via X.

Moving on in the lineup was Pumpkin Pie, which is a food that the three of us all despise. However, I must say that Crumbl did an astounding job on the taste of this cookie, as it was creamy and sweeter than the average pumpkin pie. My mom said, “It is definitely better than a pumpkin pie, but I still don’t like it.” My grandmother and I definitely agreed with her, but we also appreciated the beautiful presentation, with the cute dollop of whipped icing and the tiny crust. However, the store is called Crumbl Cookies for a reason. If we wanted a pie, we would go buy a real pie, not a cookie posing as a pie. We ended with an average rating of 6.3. However, if you are pumpkin pie lover, you probably would enjoy this cookie, so disregard our biased ranking.  

Red Velvet White Chip cookie. Photo credit: @Crumbl Cookies via X.

Last on the menu was Red Velvet White Chip. This is where I became most upset with Crumbl, as red velvet was just slapped into the week of Thanksgiving. Red velvet is acutely noted as a Christmas food and does not deserve its spot in the week of Thanksgiving. The cookie’s presentation itself was dull, transparent, and tiresome. However, the one and only factor saving this cookie from complete hatred was its exquisite flavor. Although it was still too simple, sometimes bigger is not always better. My fellow critics and I all thoroughly beloved the warm and gooey white chips with each bite, which made the cookie. Overall, it was a standard cookie; however, it was better than most on the week’s menu, ending with a rating of 7.6. 

Crumbl Cookies’ iconic pink box and logo.

Reflecting upon the week as a whole, our three generations were thoroughly disappointed with the lineup picks and how Crumbl decided to leave out Cornbread, a delicious cookie that would have fit perfectly into the weekly theme. My grandfather, Gary Baker, claims that he liked all the cookies and that he would give them each a ranking of 10/10. However, he questioned the difficulty choosing a single cookie if he could just have one. My father, David Hope, said, “I don’t even like them, they taste like playdough.” I couldn’t believe this, as this absurd sentence instantly crushed me. 

Although this Thanksgiving lineup did not reach my full expectations, I believe that the most important part of a Crumbl run is the time shared with the ones you love. Yes, sampling each cookie is definitely entertaining, but when reflecting upon each previous week, I do not recall the flavors. Instead, I remember the laughs I shared with my fellow critics and family members, which highlights the genuine importance of Thanksgiving.

All photos by Crumbl Cookies.