On Jan. 28, 2022, the cookie universe sensed a disturbance.
Crumbl Cookies, located at 1595 Niagara Falls Blvd., opened its doors to the Buffalo community, UB students included. With fierce competition in the area, dessert-loving individuals now face new options. With this in mind, let me help you choose the superior cookie factory.
Crumbl’s Amherst location is an undeniably alluring craft confectionery shop. Each week, four new flavors rotate in, making each trip one-of-a-kind. That’s over 200 cookies per year and after trying a sample flight including chocolate chip, oreo and peanut butter varieties, I may go as far to say that they are delicious.
But I digress.
At Insomnia Cookies, deliveries go out “crazy late,” until 3 a.m. — a definitive three-hour advantage for cookie-lovers. And with a full selection of cookie sandwiches/cakes, brownies, seasonal flavors and ice cream, I doubt you’ll get bored with their menu. If you do, it is time for a road trip out to their CookieLab located in Philadelphia.
Here, customers can modify original cookies to their liking with 15 mix-ins and over 20 toppings, including red velvet cookie butter and cinnamon streusel.
“Choose from unique CookieLab Creations, or imagineer your own unique Insomnia Cookie creation,” Insomnia’s website says of the lab’s “cookievation” options. “Then slap a name on it like Maximillion Deliciousness. (We won’t judge)”
The CookieLab also carries deluxe milkshakes and has recently expanded with the addition of The Space, a rendezvous site for cookie enthusiasts looking to celebrate. Complete with a mural, disco ball and memorable event packages, The Space quenches even the slightest hunger for dessert.
The simple truth is Insomnia is the true home of cookie lovers. From my experience with their pick-up, in-store and delivery options, you can always expect toasty cookies made with expediency, predictability and style. Space-gray Crumbl-branded water sounds cool but, as a customer, I challenge them to think harder.
Insomnia embraces the funny and creative aspects of doing business, making it less intimidating to order your favorite guilty pleasures. Items like the “Lil’ Dipper,” “Commercial Break Pack” and “Singles Awareness Pack” tell you everything you need to know: it is totally okay to go overboard.
Delivery cutoff times and magical lab aside, Insomnia’s cookies are simply better. They have served vegan and gluten-free flavors since 2016 and even offer deluxe cookies for those interested in a larger diameter. Their cookies have good structural integrity, crispy edges and, most importantly, a warm mushy center.
Eating Crumbl is an event; a whole process worthy of plastic gloves and a heated washcloth. Enjoy sticky fingers? How about eating a cookie with a fork and knife? I, for one, prefer to casually take bites of fresh, warm cookies with ease.
Any trip to Insomnia will most certainly involve an emotional investment, not to mention a financial one. Being considered criminal in any context is usually not a good thing, but at Insomnia, their sweets are just that: criminally delicious. So go order yourself a “buy-one-get-one” 12 pack, enroll in a CookieMagic membership and get your free cookie every day.
“Warm cookies and special moments go hand-in-hand,” says Seth Brekowitz, founder and CEO of Insomnia Cookies.
Jack Porcari is a senior news/features editor and can be reached a jack.porcari@ubspectrum.com
Jack Porcari is a senior news/features editor at The Spectrum. He is a political science major with a minor in journalism. Aside from writing and editing, he enjoys playing piano, flow arts, reptiles and activism.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
