Avoid Ordering These 8 Crumbl Cookies And Thank Us Later

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There's a lot of fun associated with an outing to Crumbl Cookies. As a fan, you know what we're talking about: The pink box, the astronomical sugar rush (and calorie count), and the fun flavor options. But the variety is inevitably what gets us running to the Utah chain's ever-expanding counters. Devotees are notorious for keeping tabs on the rotating flavors, a bottomless carousel of classics and vintage fad desserts that deserve a comeback: Red Velvet and Sea Salt Toffee, or the more outlandish choices to fool your taste buds, such as French Toast and Lemon Cream Pie.

Novelty composes the brand's trademark, but prioritizing a viral hit hasn't always ended well for the chain. In fact, wonky flavors are an issue with Crumbl Cookies that we just can't ignore. There are some demonstrable duds in the lineup, and customers, even longtime ones, won't always swoop in to its defense. Maybe you're blessed with a solid location and have thus been shielded from the inedible messes documented below. Otherwise, combing through social media gave us a glimpse into the concoctions visitors frequently regret. A subpar frosting, sandy texture, or perhaps an inventive idea gone off the rails, these are the eight cookies to avoid ordering from Crumbl.

At Crumbl, you might come into contact with two types of sugar cookies at the display case: Original Pink Sugar and Classic Pink Sugar. We're talking about the former here, and the feedback isn't pretty. The perception from customers is that it's medicinal, soapy, artificial, and nauseatingly saccharine, to name a few, with the added bonus of drying people's mouths out from a single bite. 

For context, the cookie features heavy almond flavoring both in the cookie and the swirl of pink icing on top. While not unexpected in the grand scheme of bakery items, plenty of visitors don't care for the addition and express a preference for classic buttercream icings instead. In fact, many report that the overpowering extract leaves a strange aftertaste that's acidic, making it practically inedible for what should be a crowd-pleasing hit. 

A majority of conversations can be boiled down to hating the flavor, but it bears repeating that diners with allergies have to sit this one out. A shame, given that sugar cookies are usually one of the safest choices you can depend on without nuts. Perhaps a few rogue shops have cursed people's perceptions of the sugar cookie, but it's equally likely that the negative feedback is a warning sign to skip it.

Even acknowledging its viral boost online, the Cornbread cookie seems to harbor a lot of detractors. People who've ordered it before dislike the taste, mostly finding it lacking any depth. The flavor seems to be homogenous, which doesn't bode well for an oversized sweet treat. The dollop of "butter" (a honey buttercream) creatively mirrors the skillet-baked bread, but it reportedly tastes like somebody scooped pure dairy and called it a day. 

Inconsistency doesn't seem to help the cookie's cause, either. Some commenters have enjoyed super moist cookies, leading to speculation that stores are mishandling the baking, if not changing the preparation altogether. An uptick in comments suggests it's recently gotten crunchier and more brittle. One conversation detailed that the honey flavor was absent in recent batches, confirming that some stores have fallen behind on standards. 

A charitable interpretation could write off these instances as pure bad luck. On the whole, however, there's an undeniable consensus that the Cornbread cookie could just be a dud, plain and simple. Some folks have been so let down, they'd prefer eating the real thing from scratch. Stick to Dolly Parton's 3-Ingredient Southern Cornbread and scrub this treat from your cravings.

We're at a loss that such a foolproof flavor would be Crumbl's failing. It's one of the easiest cookies for beginner bakers, yet here we are, as reviewers consistently avoid the Milk Chocolate Chip cookie whenever it's in the rotation. To many customers, it's one of the weakest offerings on sale. Imbalance was one of the core grievances we saw shared over and over. It somehow teems with saccharine sugariness, while remaining surprisingly muted in chocolate-y chippy goodness. 

For the reasons above, Crumbl's fanbase has grown to favor the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chip cookie instead. The primary difference is how the buttery, brown sugar notes pair better with the sharper bitterness of the chocolate. Some complaints also refer to staff skimping on the baking chips stuffed into each cookie, as well as a noticeable downslide in the quality of the chocolate itself. Commenters even claim the most amateur of bakers could whip up Tollhouse and have a better batch, which is why Crumbl's version is best left on the counter. Heck, steer clear of these common cookie-baking mistakes, and they would taste miles above the ones that come in the pink box.

The Pineapple Whip cookie at Crumbl is supposed to mimic the iconic Disney staple, Dole Whip (read its magical origin story here). Crumbl adapted the Disneyland treat by incorporating the fruit flavor into a frosted sugar cookie. Yet those who've purchased it first-hand can tell you, it's got nothing on the mouse's refreshing swirl. "That was the only cookie I've gotten from Crumbl where I had to toss it," revealed one Reddit commenter. "Something about it was... off." And they're not alone: The consensus is beyond polarizing. 

From reviews online, people generally have more issues with the frosting than the cookie. The consistency is where things really get rough, having been described as "gummy," "rubbery," and "gelatinous" by those who've tried it. And the pineapple flavoring is not it. Rather than that pleasant tropical essence the fruit bears naturally, the chain smacks you in the teeth with an artificial mouthful. 

As a result of these infractions, reviewers inevitably have a hard time stomaching it. One person essentially compared it to the tart blast associated with candy. Maybe some people would enjoy that sensation akin to a chewy Starburst, but in a baked goodie, it doesn't seem to translate well.

Fried Ice Cream remains, to Crumbl's clientele, another mixed bag. On paper, there's a lot going for it: A cinnamon base, dreamy buttercream, and toasted cereal to pack in some crunch. Unfortunately, the inventiveness just disguises the fact that it's a blah cookie. You'll essentially be spending $5 for blandness and stale corn flakes, as outlined by commenters over the internet who discovered that the hard way. 

Many diners find the cookie dough unpalatably flavorless, and are put off by the iffy taste the frosting brings to the table (per the app). The cereal pieces are probably the biggest letdown — they're usually not fresh. They have been described by app users as being "soggy" or dehydrated in that stiff, styrofoam way. Flavor-wise, there were a few comparisons to graham crackers, but for the most part, a staggering number couldn't discern any taste whatsoever. 

While it's exciting to see Crumbl push the envelope, at our wallets' expense, we can't afford to get zero spark in the flavor department. And for so many calories as to be notorious, there's not enough payoff to be worth it. Pass. You'll thank us later.

Longtime customers have also expressed disappointment with the Cannoli cookie. Diehard cookie fans don't attempt to sugarcoat its ho-hum execution, especially since it costs more than the usual cookie. For starters, it gets low scores for its inauthenticity. The filling is a buttercream icing (not ricotta), and it's laced with a dash of cinnamon. People overwhelmingly find the spice polarizing and the texture almost pudding-like. Other conclusions from our research are that the cookies sandwiching it together are a flop. It's a basic sugar cookie dough, but it offers none of the characteristic vanilla-y sweetness. 

It's regularly mentioned that the Cannoli variety isn't super sweet. This could be a nice surprise if you've avoided Crumbl for the astronomical sugar intake, but the blander approach doesn't seem like an intentional choice. And whenever customers have gotten their hands on one, the cookies are always a little off from what's advertised by the chain. In some orders, staff forgot to dust on the powdered sugar. In others, the cookie size was extremely tiny, or missing the mini chocolate chips on the edges. Stated a Reddit user, "I get that it's 'inspired' by cannoli, but none of the flavors were even close."

We've noticed Crumbl's experimental side happens to overlap with cookies reviewers avoid ordering. Coincidence? Kentucky Butter Cake should be gooey and delicious, yet grim reports coming in from customers attest that it's not appetizing in the slightest. Reviewers on the app notice it's stodgy and dry, with little taste coming through despite the sugar rush. "State cakes are the downfall of Crumbl [sic] apparently!" exclaimed one Reddit user chiming in on a post complaining about the chain's (frequent) baking flops. 

Rants against this cookie vary between consumers. One pitfall is the heavy denseness of the cookie ("bread-y" according to one Redditor). Others lambast the doughiness, which could be caused by kitchens rushing the process and underbaking as a result. There's supposed to be a butter glaze dabbed on the surface, but we traced multiple complaints about the cookie sponging up the icing before it could be enjoyed. Crumbl's topping game is legendary, so it's definitely a bummer when the bells and whistles are nowhere to be seen. 

Is butter cake simple compared to other desserts? Sure. But this rendition is a flat recreation, and the giant portion seems to highlight those faults even more. For what Crumbl charges, there are better flavors to stuff in your box.

Riffing on a candy bar in cookie form sounds like it should be an automatic home run for a place like Crumbl, right? Sadly, the cookie shop really fumbles the ball on the Caramel Shortbread. In this case, the texture is what provokes low ratings. Social media users report a tough, chewy cookie that's tooth-breakingly hard. That sounds dramatic for an innocent cookie, but numerous accounts highlight how hard it is to struggle chowing into one. 

Customers also gripe about the way kitchens assemble this particular variety. The most recent feedback points to not enough caramel and chocolate coating the surface, leaving a lot of the bare shortbread base exposed. Folks who've sampled it say it's super bare-bones, which deprives guests of the delectable combination intended to resemble a Twix bar. We also can't ignore the bread-y mouthfeel diners say is a turn-off. Shortbread should be lightweight and rich, not a starchy brick.

Crumbl actually serves this cookie cold, which could be exacerbating the rock-solid texture. To store them at room temperature, critics say, would vastly improve the dessert by a mile. Until then, maybe just pass on this and eat a Twix bar instead (or grab them in bulk).

Determining what cookies to avoid relied heavily on places where customers complained about Crumbl's flaws. We probed the current consensus among patrons by trawling various sites and internet platforms. Along with communal spaces like Reddit, TikTok, and fan groups on Facebook, we referred back to the source thanks to the Crumbl app. This resource was especially useful, as we could browse the entire cookie lineup, complete with ratings and feedback (by members who presumably visit often if they have an account). 

As far as developing a firm criterion, we paid attention to the frequency of poor reviews. Was there a deluge of talk involving raw centers, or a bizarre garnishing that repeatedly upset guests? Stores can seriously range in performance, but any write-ups detailing identical complaints (and on the same cookie, no less) received extra weight. For consistency's sake, we also focused on recent discussions, with one year being the cut-off for any feedback we considered. Subjectivity is going to factor in here, but ultimately, the aim was to represent the most current and accurate impression of Crumbl's cookies.