'People love cookies': Crumbl Cookies to open Friday off Southwest College Road in Ocala

Chris Varner has been waiting for a Crumbl Cookies bakery to open in Ocala.

“We’ve had to go to Gainesville to get these,” Varner said of the brand’s made-from-scratch, 4-inch diameter specialty cookies.

The current menu listed on Crumblcookies.com includes Confetti Cake, a sugar cookie with sprinkles and pink vanilla cream cheese frosting; Skillet Cookie, a “warm and gooey” chocolate cookie with a vanilla bean mousse; Peach Cobbler, a cinnamon oatmeal cookie with “decadent” peach topping and “Mother’s” Animal Cracker, a sugar cookie with rainbow sprinkles.

And of course, the fan favorite, Crumbl’s signature Milk Chocolate Chip cookies made fresh in view of customers in the bakery.

Cookie Dough Bits are a snack recently added to the bakery’s menu.

Varner and his daughter Kinley were among the guests at the Ocala Crumbl Cookies’ VIP grand opening Wednesday afternoon in the Market Street at Heath Brook shopping plaza on Southwest College Road.

Liz McMorran, general manager of the 15,000 square-foot Old Navy store in the plaza, heard of the grand opening through plaza management.

“Crumbl Cookies are more elevated, a gourmet cookie,” she said.

McMorran recommends the bakery’s cookies and believes the shop’s presence in the plaza will help “drive traffic.”

Howard Tuuri of North Central Media also came to see the plaza’s new business.

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Tanner Reaveley, owner of the Ocala Crumbl bakery, greeted guests who jammed the inside of the customer pick-up area of the compact bakery where a team of at least 10 employees behind the counter were busy making cookies. Reaveley said the business will employ about 40 people.

Reaveley, who hails from Utah where the Crumbl Cookies chain began, has operated a Crumbl location in Orlando for about two years and operates other locations, including in Gainesville.

“People love cookies,” Reaveley said when asked how the Orlando franchise is doing.

Elizabeth Loar, of Ocala, commented on the moist quality of the bakery’s cookies that are offered with an array of toppings.

According to crumblcookies.com., “crazy cousins” and co-founders Jason McGowan (CEO) and Sawyer Hemsley (COO), who started with “one big dream,” tried scores of recipes before they baked “the world’s best chocolate chip cookie.”

Crumbl Cookies now has 800 locations in 50 states and offers a “weekly rotating menu” and catering to make your event a “sweet celebration” with a 60-cookie minimum, according to the website.

The Ocala location offers in-store and curbside pickup. Cookies are available in four-, six- and 12-pack boxes with four cookies available in the bakery’s “famous pink box,” the website states.

Jack Brigman and Denzel Gregoire with the Consumer Cellular office in the plaza stopped in Wednesday. Gregoire commented that the Crumbl product is good and that the store in Orlando is busy.

Sophia Ewers became familiar with the brand thorough her sister who lives in Alabama. She was ready to try a “Mother’s” Animal Cracker sugar cookie.

The Ocala location opening wasn’t a minute too soon for 4-year-old Gunner Xie.

Gunner flashed a big smile and shook his head “yes” when asked if he wanted a cookie.

So did the people packing the customer area of the bakery who came to the opening and enjoyed a cookie and the smell of baking cookies.

The bakery planned to hold a cookie giveaway Friday and is expecting to serve thousands of cookies, Reavely said.

Guests must have the Crumbl app downloaded on their phone to receive their free cookie.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Crumbl Cookies bakery opening in Marion County/Ocala Florida