Crumbl's Controversial Returning Cookie Asks Customers To Pay For A Hole In The Middle

If you're a Crumbl fan, then you know the drill. It's Monday, which means Crumbl just released its lineup of weekly flavors, including two desserts and five returning cookies: the Milk Chocolate Chip, Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookie (served chilled), Rocky Road, Kentucky Butter Cake, and Pink Doughnut. Even though Crumbl took first place in our cookie chain ranking, there are still plenty of instances where the beloved establishment falls short, and the lineup this week seems to have left fans feeling a little salty — particularly about the Pink Doughnut flavor.

The Pink Doughnut Cookie is made from a soft vanilla cookie base, iced with a glazed donut-type frosting, and covered in rainbow sprinkles. What upsets customers, though, is that the cookie has a hole cut out of the middle, since it's meant to mimic a real donut. However, customers are still expected to pay full price, even though a good chunk of the cookie is removed. 

Many customers are unhappy with the return of the Pink Doughnut Cookie, expressing on Instagram that "the donut ones [are] just a regular sugar cookie with some missing." One customer said that they're "spending a small fortune on a cookie" just for the center to be removed. The lackluster return of the Pink Doughnut Cookie has left some fans wondering what happened to Crumbl's "creativity" and "theme," a sentiment that Crumbl's latest cookie releases seem to be missing.

Crumbl has seen its fair share of controversies over the years, and the Pink Doughnut Cookie debacle is well on its way to becoming another instance on the list. The sugary-sweet cookie has been around for a handful of years now and averages about $4.99 for a full-sized cookie. Well, full-sized minus the hole in the center. Some customers on Reddit have said that they'd prefer the cookies if Crumbl also provided the missing hole as a complimentary add-on to the order since it's technically part of what you pay for. 

Others say they prefer the missing center since they believe that most Crumbl cookie centers tend to be "too doughy" anyway. It's not that Crumbl customers necessarily think the Pink Doughnut Cookie is bad, but rather they feel as if they're not getting their money's worth. It should be noted that the Pink Doughnut flavor is also available as a mini cookie, but with one noticeable difference: there's no hole in the middle. 

The smaller version is a fully round vanilla sugar cookie with the signature pink icing and sprinkles, but it lacks the "donut" shape, which some customers say makes it a more cost-efficient option. If you've never tried the Pink Doughnut Cookie, or don't want to shell out the cash for a cookie with the middle cut out, customers say you're not missing much. The fluorescent cookie didn't even make it on our ranking of the 45 best Crumbl cookies.