Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate crinkle cookies are so easy and fun to make. These thick and soft-baked traditional Christmas cookies are as rich and fudgy as brownies and are great for kids to help bake.
There is something magical about a good cookie. Whether you love them all year long, or just like to make a bunch of fun recipes during the holidays for a cookie exchange (if you love those, don’t miss this list of Christmas cookie recipes too!), cookies are one of the few desserts that everyone seems to love.
Crinkle cookies are a favorite for our family! This is one of the few cookie recipes I make, and honestly it’s for one reason: you can’t beat the rich chocolate flavor, brownie-like texture and how simple this recipe is!
What’s so great about crinkle cookies? These thick cookies have soft, fudgy centers with crisp, crackly edges. They taste like brownies, and if you eat them warm from the oven they practically melt in your mouth! They’re a favorite among chocolate lovers.
Why are they called crinkle cookies? Well, as the cookie bakes the sugar coating cracks and crinkles! Once they are rolled into balls and placed onto the baking sheet, there is no need to press them down. They will naturally do this as the chocolate crinkles the sugar.
Have kids that like to help in the kitchen? They’ll love being part of this cookie making process! Let them scoop out the cookie dough, roll it into bite-sized balls or cover them in the powdered sugar coating.
You can’t go wrong with a great chocolate dessert! We love to whip these up for a chocolate night, and include other yummy treats like Olive Garden chocolate lasagna. If you love chocolate but not the flour, give this flourless chocolate sheet cake a try.
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Ingredients Needed to Make Crinkle Cookies
While these chocolate crinkle cookies are made from scratch, the recipe is actually really easy and only calls for a few easy to find ingredients:
All-purpose flour
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Baking soda
Salt
Room temperature unsalted butter
White sugar
Packed dark brown sugar
Powdered sugar (you can also use confectioner’s sugar if you don’t have this)
An egg
Pure vanilla extract
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
White chocolate chips
Parchment paper
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Creating this made from scratch chocolate crinkle cookie recipe is easier than you might expect! (Scroll down for the full recipe card)
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on medium-high speed to mix the butter, white sugar, dark brown sugar, egg and vanilla together for 2 minutes or until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed while you mix.
Slowly add the flour mixture of dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, mixing on low speed as you go.
Add the chocolate chips. Mix until fully distributed throughout the cookie dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours to chill and allow the dough time to harden. When it’s ready to come out, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop out 1 ½ tablespoon of dough using a spoon or cookie scoop, and use clean hands to roll each scoop into a 1-inch ball. Lightly roll the dough ball in white sugar, and then generously roll in powdered sugar before placing them on the prepared baking sheet/cookie sheet.
Bake the cookies for 9 minutes. Remove from the oven immediately and allow them to cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Take each cookie and softly dip the top of the cookie into the powdered sugar and place them back on the wire rack.
Baked chocolate crinkle cookies can be stored for up to 1 week in a tightly sealed airtight container.
Tips for the best cookies
Start with room temperature ingredients. This will help the ingredients mix together easier.
Planning in advance? The dough can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours before baking! Also, both the dough and the baked cookies will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just place the cookie dough balls in a freezer bag or freezer container in a single layer.
Don’t skip the chill step! The crinkle cookie dough is super sticky and much easier to manage once it has been chilled. Chilling cookie dough also ensures thicker cookies and less spreading during baking (always a win).
If your cookies aren’t crinkling/spreading by the 7-minute mark while baking, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter a few times (2-3 times). This can sometimes happen due to the humidity level.
When you remove the cookies from the oven, gently place them on the counter to prevent additional crinkling from happening to the cookies.
Keep in mind that baking time can vary based on your oven and the humidity in your area. Box these up with some other cute Christmas treats (like these star cupcakes) as an easy holiday gift.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate crinkle cookies are so easy and fun to make. These thick and soft-baked traditional Christmas cookies are as rich and fudgy as brownies and are great for kids to help bake.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup of white chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on medium-high speed to mix the butter, ½ cup white sugar, dark brown sugar, egg and vanilla together for 2 minutes or until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed while you mix.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, mixing on low speed as you go.
- Add the chocolate chips. Mix until fully distributed throughout the cookie dough.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill and allow the dough time to harden. When it's ready to come out, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop out 1 ½ tablespoon of dough using a spoon or ice cream scoop, and use clean hands to roll each scoop into a ball. Lightly roll the dough ball in white sugar, and then generously roll in powdered sugar before placing them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 9 minutes. Remove from the oven immediately and allow them to cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Take each cookie and softly dip the top of the cookie into the powdered sugar and place them back on the wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 99Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 48mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 1g
All nutritional information for recipes is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The information comes from online calculators and any information provided should be used only as a general guideline.
Perfect Cookie Exchange Recipe
Classic chocolate crinkle cookies are a great addition for any cookie platter. This classic Christmas cookie is yummy and perfect for cookie exchanges (or your everyday chocolate craving)! You might also enjoy these cookie recipes:
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
4th of July Red White and Blue Cookies
Valentines Milk Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
