I ate every classic flavor at Insomnia Cookies, one of Crumbl's biggest competitors. Here's how they stacked up.

I ate every classic flavor at Insomnia Cookies, one of Crumbl's biggest competitors. Here's how they stacked up.
  • I tried all of the classic flavors at my local Insomnia Cookies and ranked them from worst to best.

  • The M&M's cookie was my least favorite even though I like the candy on its own.

  • Surprisingly, the sugar cookie was absolutely perfect — it's my new go-to.

Created by college students in a University of Pennsylvania dorm room, Insomnia Cookies revolutionized late-night eating options in 2003. People finally had a spot to grab a sweet treat at unreasonable hours of the night when everything else was closed.

Although it's been a mainstay for so many college kids looking for a pick-me-up between study sessions in the dead of night, there are fewer than 300 Insomnia stores in the US. In comparison, Crumbl Cookies broke onto the scene in 2017 and has since opened over 1,000 locations.

And yet, there's something nostalgic about a classic Insomnia cookie. It may not have many frills, but it is available until 3 a.m.

To determine if the chain still has a prominent place in the modern cookie scene, I ordered all nine classic cookie flavors at my local Insomnia and ranked them from worst to best.

The classic cookie with M&M's was my least favorite.

hand holding an M&M insomnia cookie
One of Insomnia's classic cookies features M&M's. Gia Yetikyel

I'm a fan of M&M's, so I was surprised by how much I disliked Insomnia's classic cookie featuring the candy.

There was no dimension here — it was just a plain cookie and M&M's mixed together.

Although it would certainly scratch an itch if you had a sweet tooth in the middle of the night, I thought the flavor ultimately fell flat compared to the rest of the cookies.

Insomnia's peanut-butter-chip cookie was a letdown.

hand holding a peanut butter chip cookie from insomnia
Insomnia's peanut-butter cookie has peanut-butter chips in it.Gia Yetikyel

I'm normally a fan of peanut-butter cookies, so I felt especially let down by this flavor.

The ratio between peanut-butter chunks and cookie looked balanced. But upon tasting, the nutty flavor was overwhelming.

It tasted like eating a spoonful of peanut butter, and although that's not necessarily a bad thing, it's not what I look for in a cookie.

The chocolate-chunk cookie was average.

hand holding a chocolate chunk cookie from insomnia
My chocolate-chunk cookie at Insomnia was smaller than the others.Gia Yetikyel

The chocolate-chip cookie market is competitive and oversaturated these days. Insomnia's offering just didn't stand out from the crowd.

After a few bites, the flavors and textures of the cookie and chocolate were nearly indistinguishable.

It's not something I'd specifically seek out again, but I'd eat it if it were placed in front of me.

I'm not usually a fan, but oatmeal raisin was surprisingly tasty.

hand holding an oatmeal raisin cookie from insomnia
I don't like raisins, but I liked Insomia's oatmeal-raisin cookie. Gia Yetikyel

I'm quite vocal about my distaste for raisins, but I actually liked Insomnia's oatmeal-raisin cookie.

It had a tasty balance of sweetness with notes of cinnamon and molasses.

My only complaint was that there were far too many raisins, which ruined the texture for me. But if you're a fan of the dried fruit, that probably wouldn't be a problem for you.

White-chocolate macadamia was meant for a sweet tooth.

hand holding a macadamia nut cookies from insomnia
Some people find white chocolate to be overly sweet. Gia Yetikyel

The cookie had a mix of white-chocolate chips and macadamia nuts — flavors I find so distinct that I almost had a hard time comparing it to the others.

It was definitely on the sweeter side, and I know not everyone enjoys white chocolate. But if I could only choose one Insomnia cookie to satiate a serious sugar craving, this would be my pick.

Snickerdoodle has always been my go-to order here.

hand holding up a snickerdoddle cookie from insomnia
I usually love Insomnia's soft Snickerdoodle cookies. Gia Yetikyel

Throughout college, my go-to order at Insomnia was a warm Snickerdoodle cookie. The buttery base topped with cinnamon sugar was consistently good and fit pretty much any occasion.

But compared to the other cookies, this reliable flavor surprisingly faltered due to its lackluster flavor.

Double-chocolate mint is a perfect holiday cookie.

hand holding chocolate mint cookie from insomnia
I could see Insomnia's mint cookie being a hit at Christmas. Gia Yetikyel

Insomnia's double-chocolate-mint cookie offers a dark-chocolate base with mint chips and pieces of milk chocolate throughout.

Although mint-flavored desserts are a little controversial — it's certainly a strong flavor that you either like or don't. I loved its almost Christmas-y flavor profile.

Texture-wise, it was a bit harder than the other cookies, but the flavorful mint chips made up for it.

Double-chocolate chunk competed closely with its mint counterpart.

hand holding a double chocolate chip cookie from insomnia
The double-chocolate-chunk cookie was basically the mint one without the mint chips. Gia Yetikyel

Although the double-chocolate-chunk and double-chocolate-mint cookies were very similar, the plain chocolate version surprised me more.

With its mix of milk and dark chocolate, it had an enticing balance of sweet and bitter flavors.

All the chocolate, surprisingly, wasn't overbearing — I'd even say it was fairly light for a chocolate cookie.

Insomnia's classic sugar cookie came out on top.

hand holding a sugar cookies from insomnia
Insomnia has nailed the basic sugar cookie. Gia Yetikyel

Insomnia's buttery sugar cookie with hints of vanilla snagged first place. Its soft texture and subtle flavor were nearly perfect.

A sugar cookie is kind of an old reliable. If you're overwhelmed by the number of flavors to choose from at Insomnia, this is my suggestion for a dependable sweet treat.

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