“The world’s best box of cookies,” is the motto adopted by the Tik Tok famous company, Crumbl Cookie. The craze of the pink box started back in 2021 when food reviewers would purchase the flavors of the week to test out and rate for views. These mukbang videos are still being created today as a weekly rotation of the menu continues to have a draw to this unique take on the average cookie. With over 300 different flavors created so far, Crumbl Cookie selects five specialty cookies each week to accompany the simple choice of chocolate chip. As the demand for this sweet treat grew in its early days, the cookie company took the hype and ran with it.
Starting off as a small business bakery in Logan, Utah, 2020 is the year they started to grow their presence. 100 new locations popped up across the country in this year alone and by 2022 it was named the fourth fastest growing food chain in the U.S. They now boast over 1000 total locations, spreading its influence to all 50 states as well as Canada. The company became inescapable in both the online and real world.
These super-sized cookies are loved by so many but have also been met with a fair share of hate from strong opponents. While some see it as their favorite dessert, others claim it to be too filling, overpriced and just overhyped. The purposeful underbaking of the treat gives it a cake like texture which is either loved or hated by the customer. Their accompanying frosting is also a polarizable topic as some consumers describe its taste as nine parts butter and one part sugar, others just find it delicious.
Recently, the contents of the cookies have come to light in the media for reasons beyond their taste. The nutritional value behind the treat has become apparent in the digital world. Due to the mass serving size, each cookie contains at least 680 calories. For a standard box of four, a customer is looking at consuming a minimum of 2,720 calories and this is not something the company is proud of. Walking into one of their locations or searching it up online will show a count per serving, not per cookie. One fourth of the number is all that is displayed. Online it’s followed by an asterisk with an explanation at the bottom of the page, but it’s generally misleading to consumers. Whether the treat is divided among a group or to be enjoyed alone, the calorie intake is only one negative to take into account.
According to Harvard-trained nutritional and metabolic psychiatrist Georgia Ede, whose ideas are expressed in an article by newsweek.com, “Crumbl cookies are unhealthy, full stop… These are not nourishing whole foods, they are made from ultra-processed ingredients such as bleached flour, sugar, soy lecithin and artificial flavors.”
This article goes on to break down Crumbl’s basic milk chocolate cookie. They state that it contains 96 grams of carbohydrate which has a serious risk of affecting high blood glucose and insulin levels. The hefty calorie intake comes in at 40% of the recommended daily fat consumed and more than one-third of the suggested carbohydrate amount. “The combination of sugar, fat and salt…is a recipe for metabolic disaster, as it is both fattening and addictive,” asserts Eda.
Tik Tok’s mukbang videos take the blame for popularized consumption of these cookies as creators use the brand for views on their channels. The posts of them trying the weekly Crumbl flavors in front of the camera often receive tens of millions of views. Each person casually eats half or a whole box of six cookies resulting in more than 2,000 calories per video. Some people see these posts as a threat to the promotion of excessive eating habits for low-nutrient foods while others view it as their reminder to buy another box. Previous fans have stated to see these negatives as they come across videos displaying all these truths.They didn’t reach its full effect of influence as mukbangs are still reaching millions of views and likes, users still showing up weekly for the content.
The rotating menu is has proven to be a great tactic for the company, pulling in the attention (and money) of fans every week. The element of surprise makes people more excited to buy the product, some people feel as though they have to get it every week. The tactic is a driving force to addictive behaviors. So long as the company keeps pulling in consumers, the pink box of cookies will continue to be a topic of discussion in the media.
