Last Crumb Review: These Viral Cookies Aren't Worth The $140 Price Tag
Cookies can be a funny food. They are both widely available and can vary wildly in price. Many of us have simple memories growing up of the smell of mom's best cookie recipes wafting throughout the house. As we grow older, our palates often expand, and we begin to appreciate the vast array of cookie flavors and textures available. From classic chocolate chips to adventurous, innovative creations, there is a cookie for every taste bud. Among the many bakeries that produce these delightful treats, some stand out for their exceptional quality and unique offerings. Last Crumb is one such bakery.
With its impressive social media presence and extensive influencer distribution, Last Crumb cookies have become a symbol of status and a truly delicious cookie experience for those who appreciate a seemingly simple baked good turned glamorous. The bakery has managed to elevate the humble cookie to new heights, combining exquisite flavors and textures to create a memorable and indulgent experience.
However, it's important to note that while the cookies from Last Crumb are undoubtedly delicious, they are also quite expensive. The premium price reflects the high-quality ingredients, artisanal attention to detail, and exclusivity associated with this sought-after bakery. While some may view it as a worthwhile investment in a luxurious treat that stands out from the ordinary, for many, the cost is a barrier.
What is the price and availability?
Last Crumb sells its product in beautiful collections of creative cookies. One of the most sought-after sets is the Core Collection, which we had the opportunity to sample. This box is priced at $140, and this glorious case of luxury snacks can be challenging to obtain since the company often sells out quickly. Even though it can be difficult to get your hands on, it is restocked each Monday at noon PST, so patience and persistence are vital to securing a box of these irresistible cookies.
If you happen to visit the Last Crumb website when the Core Collection is unavailable, you'll likely find other collections featuring a unique assortment of cookies. Given the creativity and quality of the cookies Last Crumb is known for, we're confident that every collection offered offers something absolutely mouthwatering, ensuring an equally delicious experience, even if you can't obtain the Core Collection.
Better Than Sex (Chocolate Chip)
With a name like Better than Sex, you know this cookie is attempting to be something extraordinary. Last Crumb has taken the original chocolate chip cookie and made it something we will undoubtedly dream about. It claims to be better than even your grandmother's chocolate chip cookies, and though we don't personally know how your grandma cooks, it may very well come close to one of the best chocolate chip cookies you've ever had.
This chip cookie comes in three different chocolate varieties: milk, dark, and rich chocolate. The ingredients list says it also includes a mixture of chunks and chips to add some extra texture to the cookie. The dough gets a nice caramelized butter mix and even offers a little bit of coffee to help enhance that chocolate flavor even further. Plus, Last Crumb adds some sea salt on top to help your taste buds with a little variety.
We found this chocolate chip cookie to be a little saltier than we expected, but not by too much. It is also exceptionally chocolatey but also offers a delicious balance between rich earthiness and dough. The mixture of the chips and the chunks wonderfully achieves that balance of texture, and when heated, we were pleased to see that the chocolate chips melted perfectly.
Everything But The Candles (Birthday Cake)
The Everything But The Candles cake batter cookie may very well be the prettiest girl at the party. It is covered in a thick layer of multicolored sprinkles and uncertainly holds up to being ultra festive.
The base of this cookie is, perhaps unsurprisingly, cake batter. This gives it a very thick and soft texture, and we also noticed these large white pieces throughout. We think these are the vanilla frosting bits that come up, but they look a little bit closer to white chocolate chips. Although the sprinkles on top are certainly pretty, we found the crunchy factor slightly too much for us. It's also a little messier than we would have liked because the sprinkles fall off quite easily. That said, it tastes quite like Funfetti, so this cake batter cookie achieves what it sets out to do, even if it wasn't our favorite of the bunch.
The Madonna (Peanut Butter)
Last Crumb describes this one as "like a peanut butter thunderstorm in your mouth." While we don't entirely disagree, it's hard to tell what exactly a peanut butter thunderstorm is supposed to taste like. You would imagine such a cookie would be completely peanut butter, but that isn't the case here.
This peanut butter cookie, called "The Madonna," after the singer who loves a delicious peanut butter cookie, includes both peanut butter and chocolate chips. As a result, it offers something closer to a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup flavor than just a peanutty snack. We also found this one to be quite thick and maybe even a little odd looking right out of the package. Because peanut butter cookies don't spread out too much, it looks more formed into a cookie shape rather than naturally occurring that way.
We thought this one offered a delicious crunch with chunky peanut butter, and the chocolate was there, but it wasn't overpowering. Although super fresh and definitely very peanut buttery, we don't know if we'd go so far as to call it a peanut butter thunderstorm, but perhaps your taste buds vary.
When Life Gives You Lemons (Lemon Bar)
We weren't expecting to appreciate the lemon bar cookie as much as we do. In the package, When Life Gives You Lemons looks a little strange and appears to be rather a mess of powdered sugar and lemon, but we unquestionably loved this cookie.
Though you may expect something as heavily yellow as this cookie to be a little too tart, we found this not to be the case. The lemon bar recipe is very brightly colored, and the sweetness of the top coating of powdered sugar creates a delicious balance to that tartness. This one may not be super cute, but at least, in our opinion, it is absolutely delicious. Like the chocolate chips reminding you of your grandmother's best cookies, the When Life Gives You Lemon cookie may recall memories of those lemon bars at your elementary school's annual bake sale. Not to mention, after biting or cutting into the cookie, you'll see just how canary yellow this one is, which can be exciting in its own way. This cookie is definitely made for some beautiful photos.
The Floor Is Lava (Chocolate Lava)
When visiting a restaurant, if we spot a chocolate lava cake on the menu, it's almost always an invitation to leave room for a bit of dessert at the end. So when we saw a lava cookie included as part of this box, we absolutely couldn't wait to heat that chocolatey snack up and devour the whole thing.
The Floor Is Lava chocolate chip cookie is an absolute must for the microwave treatment. Pop it in for a few seconds' spin before enjoying it as intended. This way, the melting of that gooey center actually gets its due. But that chocolatey interior is just the beginning. The cookie around that gooey glob is also incredibly rich and moist. The Floor Is Lava is definitely for the chocolate lover; if milk chocolate is more to your taste and bitter chocolate is something you're not a big fan of, this may not be your favorite option. We enjoy it but also appreciate a balance of different kinds of chocolates in our cookies. It seems the majority of the cookie is milk chocolate, but the chocolate ganache, an important part of lava cake, is definitely of a darker variety.
Macadamnia (Salted Caramel Macadamia)
Last Crumb's Macadamnia Cookie is a new spin on the classic macadamia cookie that, according to the company, everyone's dad just loves. This macadamia nut cookie has salted caramel within the dough and huge chunks of macadamia nuts studded throughout.
We found the cookie's base to be so moist it actually reminded us more of cookie dough than a baked cookie. Those huge macadamia nuts also provide quite a decent crunch. In fact, if you typically like your macadamia nuts a little on the softer side so that they are melted right into the cookie, this might be a little bit off-putting. Especially considering how moist the cookie is and how sturdy the nuts are. We also didn't get very much salted caramel from the cookie's base. If we're being honest, it actually tasted a little bit on the bland side. We would have preferred something like a shortbread cookie with macadamia nuts in it rather than a salted caramel variety.
The James Dean (Oreo Milkshake)
It seems a little strange to create a cookie based on a type of cookie milkshake, but the Oreo milkshake James Dean cookie succeeds at just that. Rather than using small Oreo bits as granules throughout the cookie, with this one, you get huge pieces.
We really enjoyed this chocolate cookie. It is rather on the soft side, save for the Oreo pieces. These cookie chunks had an impressive burst of texture, so much so that they almost tasted freeze-dried within the cookie. There's a great balance of flavors and feelings, but that crunch does seem to come up out of nowhere if you aren't expecting it. We also enjoyed the smoothness of the flavor and definitely got the malted milk ball taste and some nice vanilla softness. This one was an absolute hit for us, even if the cookies created a little bit of a startling point.
What The ***** Velvet (Red Velvet)
Red velvet can be a rather interesting flavor to order from a bakery. A bakery will either have an odd impression of how to make this flavor, or it may just be chocolate cake with a whole bunch of red dye. But Last Crumb takes red velvet and makes it a little more interesting, adding apple cider vinegar and buttermilk powder for something that is incredibly engaging.
We found this What The ***** Velvet cookie to be quite striking. Not only does it have a gorgeous red color, but the white center, full of tangy frosting, is pleasing as well. However, be sure not to take a bite exclusively at the center portion because it is increasingly zingy and sugary. In fact, it is a little overwhelming, so make sure to combine it well with a nice bite of that red velvet cookie. We also loved how delightfully the chocolate chips melted throughout the cookie. This one had a lively, chocolatey flavor that we absolutely adored.
Not Today, Mr. Muffin Man (Blueberry Muffin)
There are a few cookies in the box that make outstanding breakfast options. The blueberry muffin, titled Not Today, Mr. Muffin Man, probably makes the most sense. Of the sweet treats we identified as tasty options for breakfast, we also think it is our favorite. This cookie tastes and feels like the top of a muffin, which, to us, is the definitive best part.
As soon as you open the package, you'll smell that freshly baked pastry, and after biting inside, you'll immediately notice all of those plump blueberries. It's like the best bakery blueberry muffin you've ever had got together with your favorite sugar cookie and made something remarkable. The texture was a big part, too; the top was crumbly, but in the best ways, and with softness as soon as you got to the cookie part. Pair Not Today, Mr. Muffin Man, with a nice glass of milk because it is definitely hearty. Like the other cookies, it also heats nicely and makes those blueberries even more fragrant and delicious.
Netflix And Crunch (Cinnamon Toast Crunch)
The Netflix and Crunch cookie is another one that makes a whole lot of sense for breakfast time. It's reminiscent of a certain morning cereal. However, this one wasn't our favorite of the bunch, even if we think the name is simply delightful.
Of course, it's meant to taste something like a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but we just found the cookie to be too crumbly in texture to be enjoyable as a baked good. It has a whole bunch of cinnamon flavor, which we enjoyed, but in order to be something closer to a cookie than a tasty cereal, you probably need to be more of a balance of sugar with that cinnamon. Plus, we would have liked to have seen a little more vanilla to smooth everything out; it would have also been a nice compliment as something akin to milk in the cereal bowl. All told, this is a pretty simple cinnamon cookie but with a fancy name.
S'mores Sans Campfire (S'mores)
While some cookies in this box are a bit boring, the S'mores Sans Campfire cookie is anything but. Like a typical s'more, this cookie includes three primary parts: graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate.
Admittedly, we immediately thought there probably wouldn't be enough chocolate in this one; we were happy to see that slight drizzle works quite well here to balance out the flavors. The graham cracker, however, is really where we would like to see some improvement. The cookie dough base of the S'mores Sans Campfire simply needs more of that spiced cracker flavor. It is a rather bland cookie where there could have been more opportunity. The marshmallow, however, is fully impressive. It remains gooey and puffy, even with shipping, and offers the perfect bouncy and chewy consistency that you want from marshmallows. Our only real beef here is that we actually like our marshmallows to be a little bit more toasted, so a little additional coloring on the graham cracker would have been nice.
Donkey Kong (Banana Cream Pie)
Rounding out the cookie flavors in this delicious box is the Donkey Kong. Named for that delightful character crazy about bananas, this cookie is in the vein of a delicious banana cream pie recipe and is unexpectedly tasty. We wouldn't have expected the banana one to be one of our favorites, but it swung to the top.
The Donkey Kong cookie has a scrumptious texture that tastes even better when heated up in the microwave. Though it is meant to be something like banana cream pie, it actually reminds us of a delicious batch of freshly baked banana nut bread. In addition to that tasty tropical flavor, we also got a fair amount of salt in the bite. In fact, some tastes may have even been a little too salty, but with the banana, it was a nice balancing act. Like others in the box, we think this would be another deliciously tasty breakfast cookie to enjoy with some coffee.
Is it worth it?
We think this box of cookies may be worth it in certain circumstances. If you have a foodie friend who also loves cookies and they have a birthday coming up, this would make a delicious gift. It is beautifully packaged and has a whole bunch of delicious flavors that make it ultra interesting to open and enjoy. We also think this would be a great addition to a holiday celebration. The cookies are large enough that you can easily quarter them and create a delicious pastry platter for your friends or family.
However, if you are simply in the market for great cookies, the price is steep for Last Crumb's cookie box, even if artisanal. Many of your local bakeries will have specialty cookies that are perhaps just as delicious as these offerings for less cost and without needing to be shipped. In most cases, we don't recommend shelling out the big bucks for a box of cookies that averages somewhere around $12 per cookie.
In the grand question of whether it is worth it, we leave that up to your specific circumstances. These cookies are absolutely delicious, but they are pretty pricey. Even still, we had a whole lot of fun sampling these delightful offerings.