From making cookie reviews to posting Instagram stories featuring their iconic pink box and oversized cookies, social media users have gone wild over Crumbl cookies. But does Crumbl really deserve this fame? 

In a way, yes: they’re good at marketing. Unlike other bakeries, Crumbl focuses mainly on making their cookies visually appealing. Their cookies create an “Instagrammable” experience, which refers to being visually appealing in a way that’s suitable for posting on Instagram. The use of their signature light pink color in posts makes a satisfying scrolling experience.

In addition to that, Crumbl’s cookies are highly photogenic. Their round look gives a hearty feel and calls for indulgence. They utilize a wide range of colors, often featuring vibrant frostings and unique designs and embellishments to visually attract customers. Some examples are the Cookies & Cream Milkshake cookie and the Waffle cookie; the Cookies & Cream Milkshake cookie has a vanilla base with Oreo bits, topped with a creamy vanilla buttercream and finished with a mini Oreo cookie. The Waffle cookie is a warm brown sugar cookie, topped with vanilla buttercream and drizzled with maple syrup. 

Influencers have also played a major role in Crumbl’s sudden popularity, helping them reach a wider audience and boost credibility. For instance, Crumbl collaborated with Olivia Rodrigo, creating the Olivia Rodrigo GUTS cookie that became an instant social media hit. Rodrigo fans all across the U.S. rushed to try the triple-berry jam cookie sandwiched between two purple vanilla cookies, one with a star cut-out. 

Now, here’s the bomb: one Crumbl cookie contains on average 700-800 calories. For comparison, on average, one large frosted sugar cookie contains 490 calories. Crumbl’s cookies are 200 more calories than the average sugar cookie. In fact, one Crumbl cookie has far more calories than a McDonald’s Big Mac (563 calories). Moreover, one Crumbl cookie contains around 18-76 grams of sugar. On average, one large sugar cookie contains around 16 grams of sugar. Just imagine eating eight glazed donuts or four tubs of Häagen-Dazs ice cream in one sitting. Crazy, right? That creamy and decadent Cookies & Cream Milkshake cookie mentioned earlier contains 870 calories and 90 grams of sugar. And that aesthetic, delicious Waffle cookie actually has 920 calories and 76 grams of sugar. The lavish Olivia Rodrigo GUTS cookie contains 960 calories and 80 grams of sugar. 

Additionally, one Crumble cookie costs $4.99 before tax. Most people would not pay almost $5 for a singular cookie. One jumbo sugar cookie at vons costs only $2.49. Crumbl cookies are also underwhelming and underbaked. Crumbl claimed in a Twitter post that its cookies “are meant to be crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside but not undercooked.” However, they took the gooeyness too far; Crumbl’s underbaked cookies are floury and nearly raw on the inside. This is incredibly irresponsible of Crumbl as you can get food poisoning if you eat undercooked dough made with flour containing germs or undercooked eggs containing salmonella.

While it can certainly make an aesthetic Instagram post, Crumbl is not worth spending more than $5 just for a low-quality, overly-sweet cookie. You might as well just straight-up eat sugar!