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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bradley U chapter.

Crumbl Cookies has been a hot topic lately; therefore, people have been debating their opinions on the weekly flavors and even using it as a popular birthday gift or date spot. As a cookie-lover (Adri) and Insomnia Cookies fanatic (Haley), we decided to test out the new Crumbl in East Peoria. As someone who grew up on Insomnia Cookies, I had high stakes for Crumbl Cookies. When Crumbl came to our college town, of course, we had to try it and compare. As a cookie girl, I would choose cookies for dessert every time. If I had a choice of wedding cake, it would be a cookie tower. And I LOVE cookie dough, so I had high expectations for Crumbl. 

This week’s highlighted flavors were Caramel Pumpkin, Raspberry Butter Cake, Peanut Butter Creme and Lemon Glaze. We also picked up the classic Milk Chocolate Chip and Pink Sugar cookies. Sadly, there were no more Caramel Pumpkin cookies when we ordered. Our first impression was how big the cookies were. We weren’t expecting to cut the cookie into four pieces and still have extras to share with friends. We were a little sad about not getting the chance to try the pumpkin, but they must be good if everyone was ordering. 

Milk Chocolate Chip

Haley: The first cookie I tried was the chocolate chip cookie. It had a crunchy outside, but the middle was still soft and gooey. The chocolate chips were much bigger than usual, so I could taste chocolate in every bite. 

Adri: See here’s the thing, I liked the cookie, I really did. I wasn’t sure what to expect because people have such polarized views on Crumbl, you either love it or you hate it. The milk chocolate chip cookie is available every week. It’s hard to put into words, but to me, this cookie lacked depth. Everything about it tasted light, rather than rich, dense or chewy – which is how I like my cookies. Again, it wasn’t bad, but the cookies were a tiny bit drier and more crumby than I would have preferred. I also thought they tasted like they might have been made with margarine rather than butter. The chocolate chips were still melty, which was definitely a plus, but again, they didn’t have much flavor.

Lemon Glaze

Haley: I’m not a big fan of lemon-flavored anything, so I did not have high hopes for this one. The cookie was covered in a lemon-flavored glaze that seemed very sour. The cookie itself was more crumbly than the rest we tried. It was still soft, but it was flakey when you bit into it.

Adri: What I liked about the lemon cookie was actually the fact that it was sour; it made the lemon-flavor taste more authentic. Once again, this was a slightly drier/crumbier cookie, but I expected that from a lemon cookie. The icing on this cookie added to it, but overall I wouldn’t choose lemon. 

Classic Pink Sugar

Haley: Wow, did this one taste like almond extract! I really liked the frosting that was on top of the cookie. It was smooth and buttery when you bit into it. The cookie seemed dense when you bit into it, and was very soft and gooey. Overall, I’ve had better sugar cookies, but it was still good.

Adri: I agree 100%, the first thing I tasted was almond extract. I recognized it from its use in Italian cookies. I am not the biggest fan of almond flavor, but it did compliment the cookie. This cookie was slightly more dense than the first two, and very sweet. If you’re the type of dessert eater who likes things tasting like straight sugar, then this should be your go-to cookie. 

Raspberry Butter Cake

Haley: I had high hopes for this one based on its appearance. It had a raspberry sauce on top with whipped cream and looked delicious. I wouldn’t say it was bad, but the raspberry sauce did overpower the butter cake flavor. The cookie itself was good and tasted mostly like butter, as the name suggests.

Adri: See I would agree. The presentation was there, the cookie looked beautiful. The raspberry flavor was definitely strong. I liked the raspberry flavor personally, but it is true the more natural raspberry flavor made it sour-tasting. However, it did overpower the cookie. The cookie wasn’t bad, but it did have a buttery flavor that kind of reminded me of popcorn. 

Peanut Butter Creme

Haley: We saved the best for last. This cookie was by far the best out of everything. It had a very rich peanut butter flavor in both the frosting and cookie. It was topped with what I assumed with Nutter Butter crumbles, which brought a nice crunch to the incredibly soft cookie.

Adri: OMG, I could eat this cookie all day every day until I die. Ok, maybe that is a little bit of a stretch, but you know how some people are chocolate people and some people are vanilla people? Yeah well, I’m a peanut butter dessert girl. This is the cookie I wanted, sweet but not too sweet, a rich peanut butter flavor, and a dense and chewy texture. The cookie was topped with a creamy peanut butter frosting, and nutter butter crumbles. The cookie truly lived up to its name, and tasted just like a nutter butter. 12/10 recommend, and next time, I would totally just get a box of these. 

Final Thoughts

Haley: I like that Crumbl has different flavors every week because there’s always something new to try. But, you can always count on the classic chocolate chip cookie or the sugar cookie. I would probably choose Insomnia Cookies over Crumbl Cookies. I know that they will always have my favorite flavors, but if I wanted something different, there’s always Crumbl.

Adri: Alright so here’s my hot take. I am a Crumbl fan, but it does depend on the flavor. Personally, I am not really for the fruity flavors. If I had to choose Crumbl Cookies or Insomnia Cookies, I might choose Insomnia Cookies because I know they make them dense and chewy like I like. However, Insomnia Cookies has the leg up with creative flavors, making a Crumbl taste test the perfect adventure with a friend or partner!

Adri Gonnella

Bradley U '24

Here's to hoping your also here hyped on caffeine hugging an avocado squishmello <3
Haley Slagel

Bradley U '24

My name is Haley Slagel and I am a senior Nutrition and Dietetics major. I love everything about food and talking about it. I also have a cat named Minnie who I love and adore!