April 5, 2023 by Ciara Meyer (’23)
Beloved Utah-based cookie chain with a cult-like following, Crumbl Cookies, just opened a brand new location just 30 minutes from Saratoga Springs High School (SSHS). The Latham branch opened on March 31, and we were eager to see if the cookies lived up to the hype.
After departing at 4:30 pm on April 1 from Saratoga Springs, NY, we arrived at Crumbl only to see a line around the corner. “There are horns going off, there’s a line around the block,” said SSHS student Ava Kuruzovich while awaiting her Crumbl. “People are breaking into cars, this is just anarchy,” said student Jessye Connors. While there is no evidence to show that cars were actually broken into in the Crumbl lot, the store’s opening weekend was certainly hectic. The wait in line was nearly an hour, but once inside the service was quick.
By the time our expert reviewers arrived, the store was sold out of two of its six flavors for the week of March 27 through April 1, Classic Pink Sugar and Peanut Butter Creme ft. Nutter Butter. The Crumbl selection rotates each Monday at 8:00 am, with the classic Milk Chocolate Chip and pink sugar cookie available every week. When we stepped into Latham’s brand new Crumbl, Macadamia Nut, S’mores, Snickerdoodle Cupcake, and Milk Chocolate Chip were still available for the taking.
Of the Snickerdoodle cookie, SSHS student Katie Prostick said, “Honestly it was really good, it was like a 9 out of 10. It was a warm, soft, snickerdoodle cookie with cream cheese frosting and snickerdoodle graham cracker crumbs on top—it was really good, it meshed together really well.” The dynamic flavor profile and fresh-baked feel truly made the cookie taste like home—warm, welcoming, and delicious.
Reviewers Kuruzovich, Carly Fay, Clare Hegener, and Prostick rated it their favorite cookie of the week. “I’d drive anywhere any day for that snickerdoodle,” said Kuruzovich. “I’d get my license for it.” The praise for snickerdoodle was not universal, though. Natalie Rock said, “out of the three I ate snickerdoodle was my least favorite.”
The Milk Chocolate Chip was, while nobody’s favorite, relatively popular all around. “For a chocolate chip cookie, which I’m not a fan of, I’d give it a ten,” said Kuruzovich, who went on to describe the texture as “sultry.” Although not the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever tasted, it does represent Crumbl’s signature flavor palette—a bit too sweet, very soft and chewy, and thicker than average.
As for the S’mores cookie, “it was like a 7.5-8/10,” said student Riley Hite. “It was really good because the marshmallow part was really gooey but the actual cookie was dry.” Personally, I would give the S’mores cookie at least a 9. The combination of chocolate drizzle, graham cracker, and marshmallow absolutely melted in my mouth, intertwining in a combination one could only describe as heavenly.
“I was most surprised by Macadamia Nut. I went in thinking I would hate it, but it ended up being better than I thought,” said student Natalie Rock. The nutty cookie felt like something you could have every day, with a slightly less “heavy” flavor than the rest of the Crumbl selection. Although described by Fay as her least favorite of the bunch, for those not opposed to a tree nut pallet, it is certainly one to test out.
Despite the generally positive reviews, the group consensus was that Crumbl is slightly overrated and not necessarily worth the drive. “This may be controversial, but it was a lot of sweet at once and maybe I just can’t handle it like I thought I could,” said Rock. “To be honest, I thought they were all way too sweet and overhyped,” said reviewer Brittyn Daley. “But I loved the adventure it took to get them.”
For those seeking to test Crumbl for themselves, the ever-changing weekly menu can be found at crumblcookies.com. The Latham location is located at 664 Loudon Road in the Fresh Market Plaza, and a Clifton Park location is expected to open soon.