17 Crumbl Cookies And Desserts That Flopped With Customers

If you're scrolling on social media, you've likely drooled over one of the oversized Crumbl cookies, packaged in an iconic pink box. Crumbl Cookie's online presence has gone through the roof since it was introduced to the public in 2017, and this cookie hotspot is known for featuring a rotating menu of more than 200 cookie flavors and partnerships with influencers and icons. However, its recent collaboration with the Kardashian-Jenner family has reignited the controversy regarding the questionable taste of its cookies. In the past, some disagreed that Crumbl cookies are worth the hefty price tag, with consumers sharing they would rather trash certain flavors than take another bite, so it's not the first time the brand landed in hot water, and it likely won't be the last.

Crumbl may be one of the fastest-growing cookie chains, but perhaps the success of the company has more to do with photogenic cookies and popularity on social media than the actual taste of the cookies. We've compiled a list of Crumbl cookies that had poor reception, and even though we did not include the original chocolate chip cookie flavor, know that even this iconic flavor is controversial, with many Crumbl Cookie fans sharing they stay away from this classic cookie because Crumbl's version tastes chemical-like and boring.

For one week in April 2025, the Kardashian-Jenner family took over Crumbl stores with limited-edition flavors inspired by them. If you have been "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," you may know that Kourtney Kardashian Barker is very strict with what she eats, so it's not surprising that her Crumbl dessert was a gluten-free chocolate cake made with zero refined sugar. It was coated in a velvety dark chocolate glaze and adorned with tangy raspberries. But what was surprising was its negative reception, even from those who had been drooling over the idea of a gluten-free Crumbl treat.

Social media posts of Crumbl goods often tend to make the viewer crave the items, but when it came to this flourless chocolate cake, most people posted themselves spitting it out. This aligned with the cake's rating of 3.16 on Crumbl's website by more than 22,751 customers at the time of writing. The top comments about this cookie? "THIS WAS HORRID." Another user called Kourtney's cookie the "nastiest thing [they] have ever tried."

Sweet and savory desserts can be delicious, but the Almost Everything Bagel cookie topped with cream cheese frosting? It was a flop for Crumbl Cookie — many patrons complained that the smell and flavors of this cookie made it difficult to stomach even one bite. While this flavor did have some fans, even those who enjoyed it understood it was not going to be popular.

The cookie base was the same dough and flavoring used for the chocolate chip cookies, mixed with black and white sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and salt. Crumbl apologists tried to blame this flavor's failure on a misunderstanding that the cookie contained onion and garlic, but others pointed out that a cookie should not have a birdseed texture. A swirl of softened cream cheese was added to some cookies, while others supposedly had sweet cream cheese frosting. Ultimately, the cookie flavor was sent to the Crumbl Cookie graveyard because it was allegedly one of the poorest-selling cookie flavors, according to what a Crumbl worker told a Reddit user.

In collaboration with Kellogg's, Crumbl created a Rice Krispies-flavored cookie named the Classic Krispies Bar. While melted butter, marshmallows, and Rice Krispies are delicious, fans were disappointed to find that was the extent of this "cookie," and they essentially paid premium dollars for an extra-large Rice Krispies treat. Some Crumbl fans admitted they would purchase the cookie solely to add it to flavors tried on the Crumbl app.

Some Crumbl employees were allegedly not a fan of this flavor either, with several Reddit users claiming this was one of the most labor-intensive cookies to make and that the strong marshmallow smell emitted from making large batches made the staff nauseous and light-headed. A better suggestion for Crumbl if it decides to revamp this flavor? A thin layer of Rice Krispies layered on top of a thin cookie, with marshmallow-flavored icing and cereal sprinkled atop. Doesn't that sound much more flavorful for a gourmet cookie?

Co-founder and CEO of Crumbl Cookies, Jason McGowan, shared on LinkedIn that his daughter proposed the company create a bubble-gum-flavored cookie, so he did. Not only did McGowan believe kids would love this flavor, but it sounded tasty to McGowan, too. However, when the company rolled out its bubble-gum-flavored cookie to a handful of stores, the results were not favorable. Still, McGowan pushed forward.

While the base of the cookie was a shortbread that most Crumbl cookie fans agreed was quite delicious on its own, the cookie was topped with a pink frosting that tasted like bubble-gum-flavored medicine for kids. It also had white sprinkles and a piece of Dubble Bubble gum still in the wrapper. Some named this flavor the worst Crumbl cookie on a Reddit post, with one user stating that the cookie served warm made it worse. The flavor continued to flop, and ultimately, McGowan conceded these cookies were better served in the Crumbl Cookie graveyard.

How does a soft vanilla sugar cookie topped with a creamy blue vanilla frosting and two firecracker-popsicle-flavored blue gummy sharks sound? For many Crumbl customers, even if this cookie flavor was introduced during Shark Week, it sounded boring, almost as if Crumbl was running out of ideas. While some fans were excited by this cookie's use of vanilla extract instead of the usual almond flavoring in its sugar cookies, warm cookie lovers did not appreciate that this cookie was served cold. But the issues did not end there.

Gummy candy enthusiasts and toddlers may have enjoyed the gummy sharks on top of the cookie, but they did not necessarily eat the gummy sharks in tandem with the cookie. What is the point of eating the toppings separately from the cookie? For the same price of one of these sugar shark cookies, you could easily buy a dozen sugar cookies and a bag of gummy sharks at the grocery store. 

Crumbl's version of an apple pie cookie is advertised as consisting of a buttery crust paired with a warm cinnamon apple filling and topped with cinnamon streusel. However, many Crumbl fans found the cookie's apple pie flavor quite disappointing, noting that the versions served at their local store not only looked entirely different from what Crumbl advertised, but the taste was off. Specifically, the cookie-pie base was cakey in texture and pretty bland in taste. 

Photos shared on social media showed that many Crumbl customers were given cookies without the streusel topping or very little of it, while others were given burnt apple filling that was far from being edible. Some said the flavor of the cookie tasted like it was missing salt or needed more spices like cinnamon. Even those who were served a semi-decent-looking cookie agreed the taste of this one was ultimately a flop, with the cookie flavor reminiscent of a Nutri-Grain bar instead of a gourmet cookie.

Crumbl Cookie's cotton-candy-flavored cookie consists of a vanilla cookie covered in pink and blue cotton candy-flavored cream cheese frosting with sour candies sprinkled on top. The pink and blue sour candies taste similar to Nerds and Pop Rocks. Unfortunately, Crumbl Cookie customers found this cookie repulsive, sharing that it tasted synthetic and overly sweet. Even cotton candy-flavor fans felt let down. "I have never disliked cotton candy flavored anything in my life, and I'm a huge Crumbl apologist [who] will find something to like about almost every cookie I get from there ... that cotton candy cookie was f***ing disgusting," a Reddit user wrote.

While Crumbl's cotton candy flavored cookie is visually impressive on its website, Crumbl patrons noticed they were not always getting the cookie as it was intended, with several people sharing they were given cookies without the sour candy accoutrements. Was the lack of sour candy to blame for the poor taste of this cookie? Unfortunately, no, even with the candy, there was something off about the taste of this cookie that somehow tasted similar to Go-Gurt.

In an attempt to target cereal-lovers, the gourmet cookie chain created a cereal milk-flavored sugar cookie that was frosted with a milky glaze and topped with colorful Fruity Pebbles cereal. However, the cookie was ultimately a flavorless bust in the eyes of Crumbl connoisseurs. Several customers shared that the cereal was stale, for starters, but even when the cereal was fresh, there wasn't much flavor. One Reddit user said, "I've had desserts before with this cereal baked into them that have tasted miles better. I want to rate it high so bad, but I can't."

So those who were looking for that nostalgic taste of Fruity Pebbles cereal were inevitably underwhelmed. However, the cookie base was not terrible. Perhaps this cookie's flavoring would have been enhanced if a swirl of cereal milk frosting had been added instead of the more subtle milk glaze.

Crumbl's version of an edible piña colada in cookie form sounded like it would be a hit: A pineapple-coconut flavored cookie base, topped with a piña colada-flavored frosting, shredded coconut, and a maraschino cherry. Even though it was served chilled, this is a hard flavor combination to mess up. But the flavor of this cookie was inconsistent. For some, the coconut was overpowering and chemical, almost as if you were eating coconut-flavored sun tan lotion. For others, the taste was dominated by pineapple.

Even for those with a sweet tooth, this sugary treat was almost sickly sweet, with some Crumbl fans advising to remove the frosting or add fresh pineapple directly to the cookie to balance out the strong artificial flavors. If Crumbl ever wants to take another stab at this flavor, consumer suggestions to revamp it include adding dried pineapple chunks to the cookie, reducing the artificial coconut flavoring, and using a coconut cream-based frosting instead.

If you mix cornflakes with melted butter, peanut butter, and marshmallows, roll the ingredients together in the form of a cookie, and drizzle peanut butter on top, is it a cookie? For many Crumbl fans, the Cornflake Marshmallow Cookie was seen as an elementary bake-sale treat and not a gourmet cookie. No-bake flavored cookies are generally not exactly fan favorites after all. 

It's not just that you can bake an entire tray of cornflake marshmallow treats at home for the same price as one Crumbl cookie, but the flavor experience is pretty basic: peanut butter, marshmallow, and crunchy cornflakes. After all, cereal marshmallow treats are one of the first desserts kids can make on their own. But this particular version was extremely dry. And while it was advertised as being served warm, it was served chilled, which only added to the disappointing flavor.

Crumbl hoped to appease cookie connoisseurs who prefer fruity-flavored treats with its orange roll cookie, but this flavor was, unfortunately, a flop. The cookie itself was a sweet orange-flavored brown sugar cookie mixed with orange zest and topped with smooth orange cream cheese frosting and a fresh orange wedge on top, but Crumbl fans didn't seem to get this version at their local store. Instead, many reported they could barely taste any orange at all, even after squeezing the fresh orange wedge over the cookie.

When the orange flavor was present, the cookie tasted overly tart and dry. The cookie base was a disappointment, with some likening the texture of the cookie to an overcooked muffin. And the fresh orange on top? It still had a peel on it, which meant you had to take it off the cookie and remove the skin before eating it. Something entirely edible, like dehydrated orange pieces, would have worked better and possibly enhanced the flavor.

If you don't like the taste of cherries or nuts or if you have a nut allergy, you're not going to enjoy Crumbl Cookie's pink sugar cookie, topped with pink almond frosting. While most baked items use vanilla extract to add a creamy, smooth taste and texture to cakes and cookies, there is a nuttier ingredient that adds a whole different flavor to baked goods: almond extract. We bring that up because, for the pink sugar cookie, Crumbl swapped out the traditional vanilla extract for almond extract. The nuttier taste is mixed with a hint of cherries on top.

Although these pink sugar cookies are usually on the menu from time to time, some people have noticed that Crumbl customers don't typically get this flavor.  Perhaps if the cookies didn't taste like cherry medicine, this flavor would be more of a hit with Crumbl fans.

An oatmeal cookie base covered with honey buttercream frosting and chocolate-covered honeycomb pieces sprinkled on top sounds like a gourmet cookie worth trying, especially if you love honey. But unfortunately for Crumbl, this was another flavor profile that was a flop for the gourmet cookie chain. For starters, the overly sweet honey buttercream frosting's flavors did not complement the oatmeal cookie itself. Some tried to salvage the cookie by scraping off the frosting, only to discover the cookie was incredibly dry in texture, making it difficult to swallow without a beverage.

The chocolate-covered honeycomb pieces were also hit or miss, with several customers sharing that there was so much chocolate on the honeycomb pellets that the topping ended up looking too much like feces. And some stores used the wrong topping entirely, with at least one customer getting chopped Snickers on her honeycomb cookie by mistake. Another issue with this cookie? Crumbl's honeycomb cookie had a reputation for making people feel nauseous faster than other flavors because the honey flavoring was so overpowering and sweet.

A Funfetti milkshake-flavored cookie sounds interesting. But Crumbl Cookie's version does not taste anything at all like a milkshake, leaving many Crumbl fans disappointed in another flavor flop from the gourmet cookie chain. Now known as the chilled Confetti Milkshake Cookie, Crumbl's simple recipe consists of a confetti sugar cookie rolled in rainbow sprinkles, frosted with birthday cake-flavored buttercream, and topped with a puff of whipped cream.

Essentially, this cookie looks and tastes as if a child made a vanilla sugar cookie on their own while having unlimited access to sugar, frosting, and sprinkles. While fans appreciate the use of vanilla extract instead of almond in this sugar cookie base, the birthday cake buttercream frosting is so sweet that it's difficult to taste anything but sugar, making the cookie almost inedible. The flavor of the sprinkles isn't all that great either, so it's quite unfortunate this cookie is absolutely doused in them. As one Crumbl customer eloquently put it, this cookie "tastes like how a cake batter candle would smell, but in a bad way where you'd still taste the wax."

Perhaps if Crumbl did not change the flavor offerings of its cookies each week, it wouldn't be so desperate to make cookie flavors out of just about anything. Case in point: the waffle-inspired cookies that taste nothing like a waffle and are essentially dense cookies with a cross-hatch design on top, served warm with a dollop of buttercream frosting in the middle to resemble butter, served with a side of maple syrup.

The cookie base tastes like a chewy shortbread and is likely the same dough used for Crumbl's chocolate chip cookies sans the chocolate chips. While some think the cookie base tastes like flour, others are distracted by the sweetness of the buttercream frosting. Perhaps a buttery glaze would be a better flavor match for this waffle cookie. Dipping the cookie into the syrup doesn't help — it only makes you realize you're dunking a cookie into more sugar in order to taste any kind of flavor.

Crumbl often creates cookie flavors that stir up childhood feelings of nostalgia, like the graham cracker cookie decorated with honey butter frosting, a light drizzle of honey, and the same iconic Teddy Graham Crackers many of us enjoyed in our youth. While many of us have happy memories of eating Teddy Grahams, this cookie version was chemically tasting and so sweet that it just tasted gross. 

There are several issues when it comes to the taste of this cookie. For starters, the honey butter frosting tasted like a sugar bomb, with Crumbl connoisseurs describing this cookie as tasting even sweeter than the super sweet honeycomb cookie. Even if you like the taste of honey, you may have found the honey profile overwhelming when eating this cookie. To add to the disappointment, several cookies were distributed sans the iconic Teddy Grahams. The only way Crumbl fans found this cookie to be edible was by removing components, like the frosting or honey drizzle.

In Crumbl Cookie's version of a Neapolitan-flavored cookie, vanilla-and-chocolate-flavored cookies are stacked together and topped with a tart strawberry frosting. While fans of Neapolitan ice cream had high hopes for this gourmet cookie flavor, it just doesn't seem to work for some reason. Even after revamping the recipe, the only consistent flavor in this cookie is the taste of the chocolate cookie. The strawberry frosting has never tasted like strawberries. Instead, it tastes artificial. 

Perhaps if Crumbl followed the lead of Neapolitan ice cream and served this cookie chilled, it would be more digestible, as some customers report the flavor seemed to improve after this cookie sat in the refrigerator for a few hours. Or maybe adding freeze-dried strawberries to a vanilla-based frosting would better capture the strawberry flavor than whatever artificial strawberry-flavored frosting Crumbl is currently using.