Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are irresistibly fudgey, chewy and delicious. This classic crinkle cookie recipe is a hit year round, but it’s even more popular during Christmas cookie season! With a brownie like taste and texture, your friends and family will love these easy to make cookies that are out-of-the-oven to enjoy in 30 minutes!
If you’ve never made Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, you are going to love this recipe! It’s truly a very easy cookie to make, and they always turn out deliciously. Their brownie like consistency makes them unique, even next to other chocolate cookies. These cookies are perfect for holiday cookie exchanges, treat trays and Christmas dessert tables.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
Christmas Cookie Classic – Crinkle cookies are one of those quintessential holiday cookies that everyone recognizes and loves.
Easy To Make – This is a super simple recipe that even beginning bakers have great success with.
Kids In The Kitchen – These crinkle cookies are fun to make with the kids, they’ll love rolling the cookies in powdered sugar.
Dairy Free Naturally – If you have friends or family who can’t have dairy, this is a great recipe to use. These cookies are made with oil, similar to brownies, and thus dairy free. Just make sure to double check all ingredient labels.
Peppermint Option – You can easily add peppermint extract to this recipe to make a festive holiday version.
Recipe Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour – Make sure to measure by giving your flour a stir, then spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off. Do not measure by scooping flour with the measuring cup itself as this compacts the flour, resulting in too much for the recipe.
- Espresso Powder – While this isn’t required, it helps give the chocolate a great depth of flavor. I promise the cookies do not taste like coffee. I’m not a coffee fan, and no coffee flavor comes through, just amazing chocolate flavor.
- Salt – Personally I like Diamond Kosher salt, but table salt works as well.
- Vanilla Extract – Whenever possible, always use pure vanilla extract.
- Baking Powder – Double check the date on your baking powder, and also make sure you aren’t grabbing baking soda.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Your cocoa powder should be unsweetened. Hershey’s or Ghirardelli are choices that are available in most grocery stores.
- Granulated Sugar – This sugar will go into the cookies.
- Canola Oil – The canola oil can be substituted with any kind of neutral flavored oil, like vegetable oil, or coconut for a slight coconut-y flavor.
- Eggs – Make sure to use large size eggs.
- Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioners sugar, this is used to roll the cookies in.
Peppermint Option: For a festive holiday flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract along with the vanilla extract.
How To Make Crinkle Cookies
Let’s discuss the ingredients you’ll need, and the steps you’ll take, to make this Crinkle Cookies recipe. If you want to skip my discussion, tips, information and answers to frequently asked questions, just scroll to the bottom of this post for the printable recipe.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt and espresso powder to a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine cocoa powder, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and canola oil. Mix to combine at a medium-low speed and then beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Cover the mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours, and up to overnight.
- After chilling the dough, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Scoop 1 1⁄2 tablespoons of dough from the chilled bowl and use your hands to roll into balls. Roll the balls of dough in a shallow bowl filled with the confectioners sugar before placing on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies sit on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Tips And Advice
Chilling The Dough
The crinkle cookie dough is thick and sticky. When cookie dough has this texture and moisture, it’s more prone to spreading when baking. The long chill period allows the dough to set. The chill time also deepens the chocolate flavor and is what gives the cookie it’s chewy texture that’s so much like a delicious chewy brownie!
If you chill the cookie dough overnight, the cookies won’t flatten as much in the oven compared to if the dough is only chilled for four hours. If you want a more puck-shaped cookie and chill the dough overnight, lightly flatten the balls of dough into a puck shape before coating in confectioners sugar.
Storage
- Storage: These cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They should keep for about 5 days. You may notice that the confectioners sugar begins to absorb into the cookie after about two days, leaving a bit of a dulled white appearance.
- Freezing: After baking, make sure to allow the crinkle cookies to completely cool before sealing in a freezer safe bag. When ready to eat, defrost the cookies by allowing them to come to room temperature on the counter.
Recipe FAQs
The cute “crinkle” name comes from the effect of the confectioner’s sugar on the cookie during the baking process causing it to “crack” or “crinkle” as the cookie takes its final shape.
Look for the cookie to have the distinctive crackle appearance, for the top to appear dry (it should look like a cookie, not cookie dough) and for it to remain stable if you give the pan a little shake. Use your nose as well, you can often really start to smell cookies right about the time they are done.
Rolling the cookies in powdered sugar when they are still in their dough form is key to getting the powdered sugar to stick. Placing the powdered sugar on after baking is not as effective.
More Cookie Recipes To Try
If you love these cookies, here are some other cookie recipes I think you’ll enjoy.
- Andes Mint Cookies
- Brownie Cookies
- Hot Chocolate Cookies
- Double Chocolate Cookies
- Linzer Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Cookies
- Chocolate M&M Cookies
- Candy Cane Cookies
- See all my Christmas Cookie Recipes
I love to hear from readers like you! If you’ve tried this, please leave a comment and review below. If you have photos, tag me @lovefromtheoven #lftorecipes on Instagram and Pinterest. Thanks!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder this is optional
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cups powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt and espresso powder to a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine cocoa powder, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and canola oil. Mix to combine at a medium-low speed and then beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Cover the mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours, and up to overnight.
- After chilling the dough, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Scoop 1 1⁄2 tablespoons of dough from the chilled bowl and use your hands to roll into balls. Roll the balls of dough in a shallow bowl filled with the confectioners sugar before placing on the prepared baking sheets.
- .Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies sit on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Julie says
Taste wonderful, one of my son in laws favorite, my dough was so soft could not handle even after in fridge for 16 hours. Had to put in freezer but still a mess to roll into ball with sugar on hands. I use spoon to measure flour should I add a little more flour?
Christi Johnstone says
Yes, it sounds like you were a bit short on flour.