Crumbl's Humble Beginnings Started With Just One Specialty Cookie Flavor

The now-international cookie chain Crumbl wasn't always packing pink boxes with an assortment of cookie flavors. In fact, cousins Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley set out to perfect a chocolate chip cookie recipe — and that's all they did. The duo experimented with recipes and collected reviews from cookie taste testers before settling on the one recipe that would come to define the brand. 

Crumbl's menu now changes each week and offers a selection of gourmet flavors for sugar-craving palates, but cookies like Honey Bun (a cinnamon cookie coated with honey butter glaze) and Lemon Cream Pie (a cream-filled sugar cookie) did not exist at the first Crumbl site. Instead, McGowan and Hemsley concentrated their efforts on promoting and selling milk chocolate chip cookies out of their store in Utah. The cookies were available for delivery and takeout, and as murmurs of contented cookie lovers spread, the demand for the satisfying cookies skyrocketed.

Once cookie-craving customers started flocking to Crumbl, chocolate chip cookies were sold for curbside pickup and catering orders. Though the milk chocolate chip cookie has remained a firm fan favorite, additional flavors have been added to the menu. Chilled pink sugar cookies led the way, and in time, a weekly flavor rotation surprised and delighted customers. Since 2018, new flavors and recipe tweaks have kept cookie lovers coming back for more, and the inclusion of other treats like cakes, pies, and candies continues to ease sugar cravings for Crumbl regulars. 

Placed in aesthetic pastel packages, Crumbl's cookies have made the rounds on social media platforms, and with over 800 bakeries cranking out cookies in 49 states and Canada, the family-run business cinched the title of America's 2023 fastest-growing cookie company. To this day, however, the original cookie flavor remains etched in the hearts of Crumbl devotees. "The rotating flavors are amazing, but nothing can beat the classic chocolate chip cookie," one Crumbl customer declared.