Inside Last Crumb: How Two Friends Turned $140 Luxury Cookies Online Into America's Most-Wanted Drop

There's a moment—maybe it's 11 p.m. on a Tuesday, maybe it's three days before someone's birthday—when you realize regular cookies won't cut it. Not the grocery store tub. Not even the trendy chain bakery down the street. You want something that makes people look up from their phones. Something that, when you open the box, feels less like dessert and more like an occasion.

That's the exact space Derek Jaeger and Alana Arnold were chasing when they started Last Crumb in 2020. Not another cookie brand. Not a bakery you could walk into on your lunch break. They wanted to build what Matthew Jung, their CEO, would later call "the Rolex of cookies"—luxury cookies online that people would join a 200,000-person waitlist to taste.

"From the buying experience, to the packaging, to delicious bites of each unique flavor," wrote one customer on Thingtesting. "These cookies are hands-down the most amazing treat I have ever experienced."

Derek Jaeger didn't wake up one morning and decide to sell $140 boxes of cookies. His path to creating America's most exclusive gourmet cookies delivered nationwide started years earlier in San Diego, where he co-founded The Cravory—a mail-order cookie company that experimented with over 950 flavors at farmers markets. But something was missing. After leaving to start a marketing company, Jaeger told Go Solo that "I felt I had lost touch with what truly made me happy."

That all changed at a 2019 holiday party. His longtime friend Alana Arnold—a digital marketing veteran with a decade of experience building brand partnerships and influencer programs—had been eating his cookies for years. "My co-founder Derek Jaeger and I have been friends for well over a decade, and we initially bonded over our passion for food and my love for his cookies," Arnold told Angeleno Magazine. "I thought they were the best I've ever had!"

At that party, Arnold pushed Jaeger to take the leap. Not to open another cookie company, but to create something the food world had never seen: handmade artisan cookies sold through a streetwear-style "drop" model. Limited batches. Exclusive releases. Cookies that sold out in minutes, not days.

Six months later, Matthew Jung—a self-described skeptic and serial entrepreneur with 15 years of DTC brand experience—joined as CEO. "Derek told me he wanted to build the 'Rolex of cookies,'" Jung told Commercial Baking. "It was crazy, but that's what made it so intoxicating."

Within three months of their August 2020 launch, Last Crumb was profitable. By the end of year one, they'd hit eight figures in sales. The waitlist ballooned to 80,000, then 200,000. Kim Kardashian posted about them. Chrissy Teigen ordered them. Cardi B became a fan.

The Three-Day Secret: What Makes $12 Luxury Cookies Worth Every Dollar

Walk into most bakeries and you'll see bakers mixing dough in the morning, baking by noon, and selling by afternoon. Last Crumb's process takes three full days—a timeline that sounds absurd until you taste what it produces.

"Some people melt butter, others brown it—we go a step further," the company explains on their website. "Our secret recipe requires caramelizing European high-fat butter a day in advance of the dough, to allow the decadent sweetness to build. Machines can't do this—it requires a real human to ensure it's done right."

That caramelized European butter becomes the foundation for every cookie. Then comes the rest period—what Last Crumb calls "the real secret." As the dough ages and dries over those three days, sugar concentration increases, enhancing browning. The butter solidifies and absorbs into the dough, creating Last Crumb's signature rich, almost cake-like texture.

"These cookies are fcking good," admitted one initially skeptical Thingtesting reviewer who rated them 5 stars. "And I wanted it to be different, but I can't fight it. They're fcking excellent. They are soft, gooey, a truly elevated dessert."

The ingredient list reads like a luxury fashion label's supplier roster: Barry Callebaut French chocolate (hand-chopped into chunks and chips for texture), King Arthur Sir Galahad flour, Plugrà European butter (82% butterfat), Tahitian vanilla beans, Maldon sea salt as the finishing touch. Real bananas instead of artificial flavoring. Actual Maine blueberries turned into puree and tossed in whole. Toasted macadamia nuts. Hand-torched marshmallows.

Each cookie is hand-rolled, hand-mixed, baked fresh, individually wrapped with a serial number, and shipped the same day. The Core Collection features 12 signature flavors with names like "Better Than Sex" (three types of chocolate chip with hints of coffee), "The Madonna" (peanut butter explosion), and "Donkey Kong" (banana cream pie with vanilla wafers and pudding).

"The banana cream pie flavor, which the brand refers to as its flagship cookie, beat my expectations," wrote Elite Daily's reviewer. "Using real bananas instead of artificial flavoring really made a difference both flavor and texture-wise."

Last Crumb didn't just make expensive cookies and hope people would buy them. They borrowed the scarcity playbook from Supreme, Nike SNKRS, and luxury streetwear brands—then applied it to cookies.

Limited weekly drops. Waitlist-only access initially. Collections that sold out in under 30 minutes. When Last Crumb's Platinum Collection dropped in January 2023, it vanished in 28 minutes.

"Right before Last Crumb, I was working for an Esports company where I learned about the culture of merch drops and the brand affinity that drove people to purchase," Arnold told WWD. That experience shaped Last Crumb's entire business model: make people want access, not just cookies.

"The more people we sell cookies to, the more people are talking about us," Jung explained to Retail Brew. "These social posts and videos of unboxing [our cookies] have a really interesting compounding flywheel effect."

The strategy worked. TikTok's #LastCrumb hashtag has racked up 13.8 million views. Instagram unboxing videos became a genre unto themselves. "This is THE Best unboxing experience for any brand I've purchased from," wrote a Thingtesting reviewer. "It will truly make you (or the person you bought it for) feel special."

The packaging lives up to the hype: a black matte box housing 12 individually-wrapped cookies, each with its own tongue-in-cheek description and serial number. Early drops included a 40-page booklet. The whole experience feels less like opening cookies and more like unboxing a limited-edition sneaker release.

While Last Crumb started in Los Angeles—specifically Pasadena, later Hollywood—the brand's expansion to New York City cemented its status as a national luxury dessert delivery phenomenon. The company now operates a speakeasy-style pickup location in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where customers who make purchases receive the secret address. The password? "Give me my damn cookies."

This bicoastal presence isn't just about logistics. It's about positioning. Born in celebrity-obsessed LA where Kim Kardashian and Hailey Bieber could become brand ambassadors simply by posting about their cookie deliveries. Reborn in culture-capital NYC where food exclusivity and drop culture thrive.

"We wanted to bring luxury, exclusivity and most importantly, a unique experience," Arnold told WWD. "After a year of developing our ideas and turning them into a brand, we landed on delectable, decadent cookies with an elevated experience."

The company has since launched collaborations with the Beverly Hills Hotel, Call of Duty, Serendipity3, Fly By Jing, Guinness, and Pudgy Penguins. Each partnership reinforces Last Crumb's positioning at the intersection of food, culture, and lifestyle.

The $140 Question: Are Last Crumb's Luxury Cookies Actually Worth It?

Let's be direct: at $120-$140 for a dozen (that's $10-$12 per cookie), Last Crumb is expensive. Like, "is this a joke?" expensive. Customer reviews reflect this tension—rave reviews about flavor sitting right next to sticker shock about price.

"Between the unique flavors and the overall tasting experience, we think Last Crumb cookies are worth the splurge," concluded Taste of Home's comprehensive review. "Plus, they make fantastic gifts for serious cookie lovers."

But not everyone agrees. "I just don't think these viral cookies are worth it," wrote Tasting Table's reviewer, who appreciated the quality but couldn't justify the premium pricing compared to Crumbl's $4 cookies or homemade batches.

The truth lives somewhere in the middle, and it depends entirely on what you're buying. If you want a Tuesday afternoon snack, Last Crumb probably isn't your move. But if you're looking for a gift that makes someone feel genuinely special? If you're planning a party where one cookie per person creates actual conversation? If you're the type who'd rather experience something exceptional once than settle for mediocre weekly?

"These cookies are decadent," wrote a Scary Mommy reviewer who tried the Valentine's Collection. "They aren't the bite-sized lightweights you'll find in a Keebler box. They're super thick and big, and they are rich—so rich that you're not going to sit down and eat them in one go."

Multiple reviewers confirmed that each cookie easily serves 2-4 people. Heat them in the oven at 350° for 3-5 minutes (or microwave for 10-15 seconds if you're impatient), and they taste bakery-fresh. Sealed cookies keep for two weeks on the counter, two months in the freezer.

"I would buy it again for a special occasion gathering," wrote the Thingtesting reviewer who initially planned to hate-review them. "I'll be meeting up with my whole family this Spring and if there's a drop I just might just have to treat my loved ones to a box."

Where to Order: Visit lastcrumb.com to browse collections. The Core Collection is available year-round, while limited-edition seasonal drops (Valentine's, Halloween, holiday collaborations) rotate throughout the year. Sign up for email alerts to catch exclusive releases.

Pricing: Half-dozen boxes start around $90; full dozen boxes run $120-$140 depending on collection. Save 10% with monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly subscriptions.

Shipping: Orders bake and ship within 1-4 business days. Delivery typically takes 1-4 additional business days depending on location. Overnight shipping available Monday-Thursday before noon PST.

NYC Pickup: In-person pickup available at Last Crumb's South Williamsburg, Brooklyn location (exact address provided with purchase). Because nothing says "I'm in the know" like picking up luxury cookies at a speakeasy.

What to Order First: Customer favorites consistently include Better Than Sex (the signature chocolate chip), Donkey Kong (banana cream pie), Not Today Mr. Muffin Man (blueberry with streusel), and The Madonna (peanut butter). Start with the Core Collection to sample the range.

Pro Tips: Heat before eating (seriously, don't skip this). Share with friends (these are rich). Consider them for gifting, corporate events, or milestone celebrations where presentation matters.

Instagram: @lastcrumb

Last Crumb isn't trying to replace your grandmother's chocolate chip recipe or compete with the local bakery's Tuesday specials. They're operating in an entirely different category—one they essentially invented. Luxury cookies online positioned as status symbols, sold through drop culture, delivered nationwide with the kind of packaging experience usually reserved for Gucci handbags.

Whether that's worth $140 depends on your definition of worth. But there's a reason 200,000 people are on the waitlist. A reason Kim Kardashian and Cardi B order them. A reason reviewers who wanted to hate them ended up admitting they're "f*cking excellent."

Sometimes a cookie isn't just a cookie. Sometimes it's an experience. And sometimes—just sometimes—that experience is worth every damn dollar.

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