The soft, sweet scent of freshly baked cookies wafted out from the brightly packaged box. The heat warmed my palms through the packaging as I exited the charming storefront.
In the past few years, there has been a craze of cookie shops popping up nationwide. These rapidly grow from one-off small businesses into chains that span the entire country and even internationally.
In Omaha alone, we have many competing cookie shops, so subsequently, I was forced to try a variety of cookies to compare (just for research purposes of course).
To embark on my cookie-tasting mission, I set off toward Village Pointe. As I approached Goodly Cookies, the smell of fresh-baked delicacies wafted out the door and into the sea of busy shoppers.
Within a minute after ordering, the warm cookies were placed into a box and sent with me out the door. As I walked, a warm, soft, rich aroma escaped from the box, springing from the delectable desserts inside.
Opening the box, I saw the tall, dome-shaped, cracked-on-top cookies. They were smaller than the others I tried, though far taller and rounder, and still easily big enough to split with friends.
Finally, it was time to try the cookies. The flavor combinations were immaculate, especially the white chocolate raspberry, but I couldn’t get over the cookies’ unfortunate texture.
The sheer height of the cookies caused an odd distribution of consistency, with the inside feeling squishy and almost raw while the outside was overly crispy. The height and density combined caused it to feel less like a cookie, and more like a scone or bread.
While they did have some of the best flavor combinations, the texture was sorely lacking. This being said, I felt they deserved a 7/10, losing points only due to the atypical thickness of the cookies.
The next review was Crumbl. With its iconic logo and bright pink box, Crumbl is likely the most recognizable and well-known of the three.
Crumbl has a weekly rotating menu, and while that brings a sense of novelty and excitement to each visit, it is hard to gauge if you’ll like the week’s flavors or not, and your favorites may not return.
Walking into the store, a delightful scent filled the air. Ordering was fast and convenient due to the kiosks, and after just a few minutes, I had the cookies and was ready to go.
The cookies were mildly warm when I got them, and thicker than the Insomnia cookies but less dome-shaped than the Goodly cookies. Each dessert had its own unique design. From cookies shaped like a donut to cheesecakes shaped like cookies, each had its own noteworthy features.
The texture of the cookies was outstanding, with just the right combination of smooth and chewy and consistent all the way through.
However, I felt that the flavors were slightly lacking. Possibly due to the alternating menu, the flavors were delicious, just under-developed and underwhelming. Due to this, I’d rank Crumbl at 8.5/10.
For the last of my travels, I took the journey out east to the Blackstone District for Insomnia Cookies. Known for locating near college campuses and staying open into the wee hours of the morning, this business caters to those in need of a late-night snack.
Entering into their adorable, brightly-lit storefront, the first thing that I noticed was the sheer length of their menu. It was crammed full of options and things to try, spanning multiple screens above the counter.
They had not one but two different categories of cookies: classic and deluxe. The classics contained all the traditional tastes, like chocolate chip, M&Ms, snickerdoodle, etc., over 15 flavors in total.
Then there’s the deluxe. These were bigger, with more fanciful and decadent flavor pairings, including Reese’s peanut butter cookies, s’mores, triple chocolate, and more.
Besides their cookies, they also sell ice cream, cookie crumbles in ice cream, cookie ice cream sandwiches, brownies, and 6” and 10” cookie cakes. On top of this already expansive menu, they also have 3-5 seasonal cookie flavors that they rotate around every 2-4 weeks.
Once I was (finally) able to decide what to order, the wait time was practically nonexistent. Placed into a charming purple box with their iconic symbol of a moon on top, the cookies were ready almost immediately after ordering.
Insomnia’s cookies were more traditional looking; they were flatter than the other two but with a greater circumference.
These warm, golden-brown baked cookies smelled heavenly and had an impeccable, smooth texture all the way through. They had numerous flavor options, all of them intriguing and mouth-watering.
My personal favorite cookies came from Insomnia Cookies: the Deluxe Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup cookie that had chunks of Reese’s baked into the rich peanut butter cookie base and the Deluxe Salted Caramel at a close second. These two cookies tipped Insomnia over the edge in my rankings and earned it a solid 10/10.
Overall, Crumbl, Insomnia, and Goodly were all extraordinarily delicious and I was shocked at how close they came in my rankings. I would return to all of them if the opportunity arises. All are ideal destinations for those craving a sweet treat to share with friends. However, due to its flawless texture, extensive menu, and outstanding flavors, Insomnia Cookies was this cookie critic’s top choice.