We Tried This Week’s Caramel Apple Crisp Crumbl Cookie

All-American classics reign supreme at Crumbl once again this week. Red, white, and blue decorate the cookies with fervor. That same patriotic spirit is integrated into the flavors as well. One flavor in particular struck me distinctly as on-theme in both size and taste. This, of course, is their massive Caramel Apple Crisp Cookie. But if you’re expected to eat a cookie with a fork (worse yet, a spoon!), can you really even consider it a cookie anymore? Well, I admit I was doubtful that those parameters checked out. So, naturally, I had to go get one and see for myself.

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Cookie Breakdown

This cookie, as described by Crumbl, is built off a base of their cinnamon streusel cookie. The next layer is apple pie filling and a caramel drizzle. Then there’s yet another layer of streusel, but this time it’s oat streusel (a huge difference from the cinnamon, I’m sure *cough, cough*). Finally it’s topped with a big scoop of vanilla bean mousse and another over-the-top drizzle of caramel to really push the boundary of how rich they can make this treat.

What We Think

Pros: This cookie did a few things very very well. For starters, it’s visual appeal is fantastic. Does it look like a cookie? Absolutely not. But does it look like a miniature version of an absolutely irresistible home-style apple crisp? 10/10. The streusel is golden with little pockets of filling peaking through and the scoop of mousse and drizzle of caramel on top make it look sensationally a-là-mode.

That ice-cream-based win leads me to my next point of success, it’s warm! A room temperature apple crisp is just okay, but a warm one covers a world of hurt. Topped with something ice cream-like, it is a nice change of pace from the Crumbl monotony.

Cons: More than anything else, the strange thing about this cookie was how salty the oat streusel topping was. The streusel was super buttery, and that was great! But since it was so salty, the butteriness comes off as savory. Next to the sweetness of the filling, caramel, and mousse it was just off.

The base streusel of the cookie definitely felt like there could just be more too. It just got a bit lost in the filling. So, I couldn’t really rate that part of the cookie if I tried. It’s definitely up for debate about the filling because it wasn’t discernible from canned apple pie filling. That’s not to say canned apple pie filling is bad―in fact, some of my fondest memories are built off of it. But, I would have expected something a little bit more impressive from Crumbl.

My biggest issue is, in fact, the name. Call it a crisp or a “Crumbl” and I’d say sure! But you can’t even take this one out of the dish it’s served in to take a bite, warm or not. Cookies shouldn’t have to be eaten with cutlery.

Verdict: Honestly, a bit full of each component was pretty good and satisfied that American Pie craving I had. But, my issues with the streusel topping a name? I’ll stand behind them ’til my last breath.