Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are soft, melt-in-your-mouth, fudgy chocolate cookies that taste like brownies with a chewy texture. The dough is rolled in a thick coating of powdered sugar and then baked, giving it that beautiful crinkled appearance.
These are one of my husband’s favorites, and they make beautiful Christmas cookies. If you like these cookies, try double-chocolate chip cookies, Andes mint cookies, and chocolate peppermint cookies.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder: You can use regular cocoa powder, but I prefer the less acidic Dutch-processed cocoa.
- Sugars: I like the balance of a little more than a 2:1 ratio of granulated sugar versus brown sugar
- Eggs: large eggs, please
- Vanilla extract: for the best flavor, stick with the pure stuff
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
- Whisk your flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set it aside.
- Combine the Dutch cocoa, sugars, and canola oil in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate.
- Using a cookie scoop, portion the cookie dough. Roll the dough balls in confectioners’ sugar.
- Bake the cookies. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then move the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Preparation Tips
- Cover and refrigerate the dough between batches.
- Don’t overload the baking sheets. The dough balls should be about 2-2½ inches apart.
- Roll the dough balls heavily in powdered sugar; it helps make amazing crinkles.
- Don’t over-bake the cookies. This is a soft cookie, so 10-11 minutes will do the trick.
- Handle the cookies with care. Allow them a few minutes to cool before moving to cookie-cooling wire racks.
- Run a cookie practice run. Bake one or two cookies to establish the optimum baking time and ensure they do not spread too much.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dutch-process cocoa powder is treated with an alkali to neutralize its acidity, resulting in a darker color and a more mellow chocolate flavor. You can easily substitute regular cocoa in this recipe; however, add 3/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda to give it a milder, less acidic flavor.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies freeze well. Cool the cookies thoroughly before freezing. Use a sturdy freezer container and place wax or parchment paper between the layers. For added protection, place the cookies in freezer bags in a single layer, removing as much air as possible, and place the bags in a freezer container.
Always use the correct amount of flour. If the flour or cocoa has been sitting for quite some time, stir to loosen it. Spoon the flour or cocoa into the measuring cup. Now, using the back edge of a table knife, level it off, pushing the excess back into the canister.
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More Cookie Recipes
Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil or canola oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa, sugar, brown sugar, and canola oil. Beat eggs in one at a time and stir in the vanilla.
- Slowly stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. Once combined, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.
- Using a cookie scoop and your hands, roll 1¼-inch cookie dough balls. Roll each ball in powdered sugar and place them on the prepared cookie sheet with about 2-2½ inches between the cookie dough balls. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes before moving them to cookie-cooling racks.
Notes
- Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze them in a sturdy, airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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Juliet
I love crinkle cookies, especially chocolate ones. These are easy and delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Vance Madrid-Ramos
I so love crinkles! I like making them too. But yours looked absolutely yummy! I’ll try to follow your recipes and will make batches for the coming holidays for my family.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Vance! Enjoy!
Michelle
My new favorite chocolate crinkle cookies! Will be including these on my Christmas trays this year.
Camila D
I just baked a batch of your Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, and they were absolutely amazing! The crispy outside and fudgy center made for the perfect texture, and they were so rich and chocolaty.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Camila! So glad that you liked the cookies!
Krystle Smith
I loved how the texture is perfectly soft and chewy, with that classic fudgy brownie flavor.
Tisha
These are one of our favorite cookies to make during the Holiday Season! So good!
Kimberly Yuzon
WHOA. These are seriously something else. At first bite my son and I froze and looked at each other. These fudgey brownie crinkle cookies are soft, melting, intensely rich… so intense. I used Ghirardelli unsweetened Dutch process cocoa. Wow. Bookmarked.
Beth Pierce
Thank you Kimberly! I am so glad that you and your son loved them!
JulieL
These are magical! All other versions I’ve tried tend to be dry or cakey in the middle, but these are super fudgy and so delicious! They are always the first to disappear when I bring a plate of cookies to a party. I often make a double batch of dough and freeze half in plastic wrap so I’ll have dough ready whenever I need it. If you haven’t tried these yet, put them on your must list! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Julie! I am so glad that you like the chocolate crinkle cookies.
Toni Anderson
My mom used a recipe for the chocolate crinkle cookies that had cottage cheese as an ingredient, so that’s the one all of us use. I would probably have a rebellion on my hands, if I switched!! I’m sure these are delicious, too, though.
Beth Pierce
That is quite interesting. No need for a rebellion! That’s for sure.
Hailey
These were amazzzinnnngg. It’s like the best brownie in cookie form. They’re perfect consistency, amazing flavor (I did use regular cocoa powder with the baking soda trick), but they turned out perfect, crowd favorite!
Definitely try this recipe!
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much, Hailey! I am so happy that you liked the cookies. I wish I had one right now for my coffee!!