The Hendog Take

Before We Begin: My Crumbl Preferences

Since this series is based on my own opinions, here’s a little context about what I generally enjoy when it comes to Crumbl.

Favorites

• Chocolate-based desserts
• Buttercream frosting
• Marshmallow
• Fruit desserts
• Soft cookies

Usually Not My Thing

• Cream cheese frosting/cheese in desserts (including cheesecake)
• Almond-favored desserts
• Pistachio in desserts (including most Dubai-style items)

Everyone’s tastes are different, so if you love cream cheese frosting, for example, you may feel differently about some of my ratings—and that’s perfectly fine.

This Week’s Lineup

Weekly Flavors

Campfire Skillet: A chocolate cookie rolled in graham cracker crumbs, baked over a graham cracker base, topped with chocolate squares, marshmallow mousse, a sprinkle of graham streusel, and a drizzle of melted milk chocolate. 

Cherry Bomb ft. Golden OREO®: A chilled vanilla cookie rolled in Golden OREO® crumbles, swirled with a marbling of lime, cherry, and blue raspberry cream cheese frostings. 

Caramel Apple Crisp: A cinnamon streusel cookie layered with apple pie filling, a drizzle of caramel, crumbled oat streusel, and a scoop of vanilla bean mousse, then finished with another caramel drizzle. 

Summer Berry Tart: Shortbread cookie topped with vanilla bean mousse, house-made strawberry jam, fresh raspberries, and fresh blueberries. 

Strawberry Shortcake: A double-stacked vanilla shortcake layered with fresh whipped cream and house-made strawberry jam. 

Cornbread: A warm cornbread cookie smothered with honey butter glaze, then topped with a dollop of thick honey buttercream frosting and a drizzle of honey. 

Patrotic Sugar Cookie: A vanilla sugar cookie topped with vanilla buttercream and red, white, and blue star-shaped sprinkles. 

Cookies & Cream Cookie Thins (Set of 2): Thin, chewy chocolate cookies baked with cookies & cream pieces, drizzled with white drops, and complete with crispy edges. 

Dubai-Style Chocolate Strawberry Cup: Layers of smooth milk chocolate, pistachio cream, crunchy toasted Kataifi pieces, and fresh strawberries.

Chocolate Strawberry Cup: Layers of smooth milk chocolate and fresh strawberries.

Classic Flavors

Chocolate Chip Cookie: A classic warm brown sugar cookie loaded with melty milk chocolate chips and rich semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

Brownie Batter Cookie: A classic chocolate cookie packed with gooey semi-sweet chocolate chips and topped with delectable brownie batter. 

S’mores Cookie: A classic graham cracker cookie packed with milk chocolate chips then topped with a melty marshmallow, chocolate drizzle, and buttery graham cracker crumbs. 

This Week’s Picks

This was one of Crumbl’s strongest weeks since I first started regularly going there over a year and a half ago. Usually I make 3-4 choices per week, but this time I started with 5: the Campfire Skillet, Caramel Apple Crisp, Summer Berry Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, and Patriotic Sugar Cookie. Some of them were good enough that I found myself there a second time this week, getting another Strawberry Shortcake, Summer Berry Tart (although they were out of the full-size ones at the time, they offered me two of the mini versions of them, which honestly appeared more than equivalent in size), and Campfire Skillet, also picking up this week’s Cookies & Cream Cookie Thins. 

Before I dive into reviews, since this is my first weekly Crumbl post, I want to talk a bit about changes Crumbl has made to their menu setup recently. At the beginning of this year, Crumbl made a pretty major overhaul: in the past, the menu featured seven rotating desserts (usually including some form of a chocolate chip cookie every week). In January, that was changed to four rotating flavors that would be different each week in addition to six “classic” cookies that would become permanent staples on the menu, in addition to “Thin Thursdays” where a set of two cookie thins would be available only on Thursdays. 

I wasn’t a big fan of this adjustment, as much of the fun for me was seeing more new flavors every week, and while I do like the cookie thins, I wasn’t always available to make a stop on Thursdays due to work or other commitments. Also, many of the classic flavors were ones I wasn’t particularly interested in most of the time, such as two that had cream cheese frosting (not a fan of cheese in my desserts) and one with almond and almond frosting (usually not crazy about nuts in desserts other than peanuts/peanut butter and sometimes hazelnuts). This meant I basically had to count on the weekly selections being ones I was sure I wanted to try, and most times that would mean picking three at best. 

On May 24th, however, Crumbl decided to switch things up again. This time, there would be four classic flavors: Pink Sugar Cookie, Brownie Batter Cookie, S’mores Cookie, and a new recipe for their Chocolate Chip Cookie, along with six flavors that would rotate weekly. In addition, the thin cookie sets would be available all week rather than just Thursday, and would rotate between Chocolate Chip, Cookies & Cream, Snickerdoodle, Cake Batter, and Oatmeal. This update feels like the best so far, as there are about as many rotating options as there were before the beginning of the year as well as a few classics for those who prefer them, plus the thins would be available all week for people who can’t make it on Thursday.  

As of June 22nd through July 11th, Crumbl is also offering Dubai-Style Chocolate Strawberry Cups as well as regular Chocolate Strawberry Cups. As someone who isn’t a fan of pistachio, I tend to pass on Dubai-Style items, and I do have two other issues with the regular Chocolate Strawberry Cups. One, the price: the Dubai cup is $11.99 and the regular is $9.99, which is more than I’d really want to spend on strawberries and chocolate. Two, I like to enjoy my desserts over the span of a week, and it’s likely the strawberries won’t stay fresh that long. However, since they’ll only be available one more week, I might get the regular cup next week just to try it. 

Let’s get into reviews for this week. 

Campfire Skillet

This is one I was very excited about, as Crumbl has offered s’mores-themed cookies in the past (and now as a permanent staple on the classic menu), but it’s essentially a graham cracker cookie with marshmallow in the middle and drizzled chocolate. The Campfire Skillet cookie is fully chocolate (definitely a big chocolate fan myself), with Hershey’s chocolate squares and lots of marshmallow mousse (as opposed to just a melted marshmallow), with some graham cracker crumbs and chocolate drizzle on top. The cookie is soft, the toppings blend together well, and while it’s a little messy to eat, that actually adds to the experience by making it feel more like eating a real s’more.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Caramel Apple Crisp

This one is similar in style to the Campfire Skillet, but instead of a s’mores-like experience, it’s more of an apple pie one. The cookie is even softer than the skillet and the caramel and apple pie filling tends to melt, so I’d recommend using a fork or spoon when eating this one. The vanilla mousse on top hints at the vanilla ice cream that might be part of an a la mode dish, and pairs well with the other features. 

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Summer Berry Tart

This dessert was also one I was really looking forward to, as it reminded me of berry tarts that might be found at a local bakery or pastry shop. This one is recommended to serve chilled, an instruction I occasionally don’t comply with depending on exactly what the cookie or dessert is, but in this case I would agree because of the fresh berries and jam, and the fact that the vanilla mousse seems to melt quickly if left out too long. My suggestion would be to take it out of the fridge 30-45 minutes before you plan to eat it. The mousse, berries, and jam are a great combination, but the texture of the shortbread cookie feels a bit hard if you eat it right after it’s been refrigerated for a while. 

Overall Rating: 8/10 

Strawberry Shortcake

This is a Crumbl dessert I’ve had more than once in the past and it never disappoints. It is an extra 99 cents, but it’s also a bit bigger than their average desserts, and the quality makes it worth it. The cake, cream, and jam are all excellent; the only adjustment I might make is to add in some fresh strawberries, which they seem to have no shortage of with the Strawberry Cups. This one is also meant to be served chilled and in this case I’d recommend it to keep the cake and jam fresh; once again, maybe leave it out for 30-45 minutes if, like me, you prefer slightly softer cake. 

Overall Rating: 9/10

Patriotic Sugar Cookie

Unfortunately, I can’t go into this one without mentioning the controversy that took place over it this week. Initially, in a likely AI-generated image of the cookie posted when this week’s flavors were first unveiled, the sprinkles on top of the Patriotic Sugar Cookie appeared in the shape of a Swastika, and people immediately took to social media and Reddit to point it out. The company obviously changed the image after realizing the blunder, but as is the world with the Internet nowadays, it remains one of the week’s biggest talking points online concerning Crumbl. 

Anyways, onto the cookie itself. Usually, frosted sugar cookies from Crumbl are made with almond frosting or cream cheese frosting, neither of which appeal to me. In this case, the cookie is made with vanilla buttercream frosting, which is one of my personal favorites, so I was glad to finally be able to fully enjoy that offering this time. This one is also recommended to be served chilled, but in this case I don’t feel it’s necessary. It’s a solid sugar cookie, but not one that really stands out on such a strong menu. 

Overall Rating: 7/10 

Bonus: Cookies & Cream Thins

Most weeks, I’ll only make one stop at Crumbl, but I liked this week’s menu so much I had to go again later in the week to get some more. This time, in addition to three desserts I had already had, I picked up the Cookies & Cream Thins. I have tried all of the different thins Crumbl has offered, and I would rank the Cookies & Cream as my favorites. They’re more or less based on Oreos, but are soft, chewy, and thin, as the title suggests. The cookies & cream pieces and drizzle are good additions, and I’d recommend these for any fans of Oreos who also appreciate this style of cookie. 

Overall Rating: 8/10

Would I Buy It Again?

Definitely

• Strawberry Shortcake
• Campfire Skillet
• Summer Berry Tart

Probably

• Caramel Apple Crisp
• Cookies & Cream Thins

Maybe

• Patriotic Sugar Cookie

Dessert of the Week

This week’s winner has to be the Strawberry Shortcake.

While Campfire Skillet came very close, Strawberry Shortcake continues to be one of Crumbl’s best desserts. The fresh whipped cream, strawberry jam, and soft cake come together incredibly well, and it’s one I happily buy every time it returns.

Overall Weekly Rating

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

This was one of the strongest Crumbl menus I’ve seen in about a year, possibly in my top 5 all-time favorites and definitely in my top 10.

Final Thoughts

As a regular Crumbl customer, this has been one of my personal favorite lineups. The expanded rotating menu continues to prove itself, offering more variety than this year’s earlier six-classic format, and this week’s desserts showcased just how creative Crumbl can be when several strong concepts come together at once.

Between the Campfire Skillet, Summer Berry Tart, and Strawberry Shortcake, I found myself making a second trip before the week was over—something I rarely do. If Crumbl continues in a similar direction, I’m very much looking forward to what’s in store for the future. I’ve already seen a preview of next week’s lineup, but I won’t spoil it in this post: be on the lookout for the next one.