Crumbl Cookies review #24 - Birthday Cake and Apple Pie

Crumbl Cookies review #24 - Birthday Cake and Apple Pie, visited July 5, 2022

I didn't think I'd ever say this but my one-sided love affair with Crumbl might be ending. Or at least going on a Ross-Rachel "we're on a break!" This week's offerings, or repeat offering as the case may be, are dampening my Crumbl obsession.

I was so looking forward to the Birthday Cake as I loved the Birthday Valentine version back in February as it was Crumbl-cakey perfection back then. This time around, I don't know if they changed the recipe or instructed their stores to increase the baking time as the one I got was more dry and crumbly. Not exactly overbaked but it was closer to a shortbread texture than a cakey one. Which was disappointing. I know it wasn't just me who got this kind of cookie as others have posted the same thing. The flavor was still good but I wanted that soft cakey texture again. 

The silver lining is it's one less Crumbl cookie I need to get in the future - good for my waistline and wallet. Sorry, inner greedy child.

The texture comparison - top is from February, bottom is from July

The apple pie also made a comeback this week. I'd had this before and hadn't planned on getting it again but I noticed they changed the cookie base so of course, I had to try it. I'm glad I did as I preferred this shortbread cookie base more than the earlier one that was more like a graham cracker-y-oat crust. This one was like what they used for the banana cream pie cookie and I loved the banana cream pie.

However, the filling was better in the first rendition of the apple pie cookie that I tried last year. Back then, the filling was whole apple slices. This new filling is more like chopped up apples which tend to get mushy and look like - well -  apple mush. Not aesthetically appealing or very tasty. Can't have everything, right? Not a complaint but in all honesty, I probably wouldn't get this rendition of the apple pie cookie again. Apple mush filling isn't a good mouthfeel nor is the texture that great.

Top is last year's apple pie cookie, bottom is this year's

The other miss with my local Crumbl since I moved is I hardly ever get a warm cookie. I tried a different store nearby while I was out doing an errand and this one was on my way home. Like the one closer to me, there was no one in the store when I walked in so I wonder how much business they do and how many cookies they already have prepped in advance. Neither cookie was even lukewarm. I know when I tried the earlier renditions of these at different stores, the birthday cookie was warm while the frosting was cool (great combination) and the apple pie cookie was warm throughout. Not the case with either of these.

Disappointment is too strong a word for these First World problems (let's keep perspective that these are just cookies, albeit expensive ones, and there are more important things in life). But it might give me the excuse to take a break from Crumbl for a bit as my expectations from my initial experiences with Crumbl seem to be set too high as my recent trips haven't lived up to those expectations. So...we're on a break.