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These chewy chocolate crinkle cookies are rolled in powdered sugar with irresistibly crackly tops! They’re ready in less than 30 minutes with only 10 ingredients. You won’t believe how decadent and chocolatey these easy holiday cookies turn out!
Looking for more cookie recipes to satisfy a holiday chocolate craving? Try my chocolate sugar cookies and these double chocolate sandwich cookies.
These chocolate crinkle cookies are fudgy and gooey inside, with crisp, crinkled tops. Rolling the dough in powdered sugar gives these classic cookies their signature snow-dusted look. Sprinkled with a bit of flaky salt and dunked into a glass of milk, they’re any chocolate lover’s cookie dream! Here’s why:
- Chocolatey and chewy. These chocolate crinkle cookies have the BEST texture! The secret to their chewiness is in the melted butter. Melting the butter beforehand lets it work into the dough more smoothly, for chewy, unbelievably moist chocolate cookies.
- Easy to make. Don’t let their gorgeous crackly tops fool you into thinking these cookies are difficult to make. This easy cookie recipe needs only 10 ingredients and they’re ready to eat in less than 30 minutes.
- Full of flavor. Brown sugar and cocoa powder come together for a soft, chocolatey bite with hints of molasses. Freshly baked or a couple of days after, these crinkle cookies taste like brownies and devil’s food cake all in one.
Crinkles (or crinkle cookies) are named after their signature crinkly, crackly tops. Crinkle cookie dough gets rolled in powdered sugar right before baking. As the cookies spread in the oven, the tops crack, creating that classic white, crackled texture.
Crinkle cookies come in a variety of flavors, from red velvet to chocolate and matcha. Just about any cookie can be rolled in powdered sugar to become crinkle cookies! They’re a classic Christmas cookie recipe and one of my favorites next to peppermint chocolate thumbprint cookies, Grinch cookies, and sugar cookies!
What You’ll Need
With only a few easy ingredients, these crinkle cookies are easy to make and extremely chocolatey. For a printable ingredients list with amounts, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- All-purpose flour – Avoid cake flour as it will soften your cookies too much. All-purpose flour is best for providing the structure we need.
- Sugar – I use a combination of granulated sugar and dark brown sugar in this recipe. Light brown sugar works too.
- Baking powder – It’s not the same as baking soda, so don’t try to substitute one for the other.
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – Feel free to use salted butter, just leave out any added salt in the recipe.
- Unsweetened natural cocoa powder – Dutch-processed cocoa powder is also an option. It’ll make the flavor even fudgier.
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar – This is also referred to as confectioners’ sugar. It’s key to these chocolate crinkle cookies’ snowy appearance!
Tips and Variation Ideas
- Use melted butter. Melting the butter completely is a key step to keeping these crinkle cookies soft and chewy.
- Coat the cookies with granulated sugar first. If you find that the powdered sugar melts into your crinkle cookies, roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before rolling them in powdered sugar.
- Check that the cookies are done. Your chocolate crinkle cookies are done when the tops are crackly and a little bit glossy.
- Don’t overbake. Don’t leave your chocolate crinkle cookie in the oven for too long, or the cookies will be dry and overbaked. It’s better to take them out while they’re still slightly underbaked, as the cookies will continue to set up as they cool on the baking sheet.
- Chill the dough. If you have time, chilling the chocolate cookie dough in the fridge for 3-4 hours before rolling will make it more manageable and less sticky.
- Grease your hands. Add a bit of non-stick baking spray or vegetable oil to your hands before rolling the dough into little balls. This will help prevent any sticking.
- Add chocolate chips. Add 1/2-1 cup of mini chocolate chips to the dough for an extra chocolatey cookie.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a couple of reasons why crinkle cookies don’t crack. First, your oven may not be hot enough. Use an oven thermometer to see if it’s preheating properly. Second, it could be expired baking powder. Always check the best-before date!
Warm or room-temperature cookie dough tends to spread and flatten out more than chilled dough. If you’re worried about flat cookies, refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours before rolling it into balls and baking.
Too much flour in the dough can result in dry, cakey cookies. Another reason is overbaking. Don’t leave your cookies in the oven longer than 13 minutes. Even if they’re still soft and gooey in the center, they’ll finish baking in the residual heat once they’re out of the oven.
How to Store
These chocolate crinkle cookies will last in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Store your crinkle cookies away from sunlight and humidity to keep the powdered sugar from absorbing into the cookies. If this happens, don’t worry. Give the tops a light sprinkling of more sugar when serving, and they’re good as new!
Can I Freeze Crinkle Cookies?
Definitely! These chocolate cookies can be frozen baked or unbaked. Here’s how:
- Unbaked. Scoop the dough into balls, but skip the powdered sugar. Instead, pre-freeze the dough balls on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, roll the dough in powdered sugar and bake as directed straight from frozen.
- Baked. Pre-freeze the cooled cookies on a baking sheet until solid, and transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookies on the counter and re-dust the cookies with powdered sugar before serving.
These snowy chocolate crinkles also look great on a holiday cookie platter next to more favorites, like decorated sugar cookies, sweet anise cookies, and gingerbread men! You could also try:
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 24-28 Cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These decadent chocolate crinkle cookies are ready to eat in 30 minutes! Extremely fudgy and chocolatey and dusted with powdered sugar, they’re the perfect holiday cookie.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (115g) packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp (90g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3/4 cup (65g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the melted butter and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. The mixture will be very thick, almost like a paste.
- Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Pour into the dry ingredients and, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat it all together on medium-high speed. The mixture may seem dry at first, but will come together as you continue to mix.
- Measure one tablespoon of the dough. Gently roll into a ball, then roll each ball in confectioners’ sugar to coat.
- Place balls about 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12-13 minutes. The cookies will slightly spread and form cracks. The centers will look soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Eggs must be at room temperature. They won’t properly mix into the butter cocoa mixture if they’re cold.
- Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop before you start, so it has time to cool down slightly. We don’t want to cook the eggs.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 115
- Sugar: 14.2 g
- Sodium: 51.7 mg
- Fat: 3.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Protein: 1.8 g
- Cholesterol: 26.5 mg
Delicious!
Cheers to you! I have to comment and say that I gave up on making these cookies early in my married life. I could never get them right. They were my favorite Christmas cookie of all time that my mother used to make; so needless to say it was so disappointing that mine never turned out like hers. This year I decided that I would try again using your recommendation for Sally’s Baking Addiction’s recipe. (My mother’s name was Sally! Meant to be, right?) I knew I could trust you after making the perfect sugar cookies from your recipe, so I followed this for the Crinkles exactly. I am beyond thrilled to say that they are perfection! Crispy crinkly on the outside, chocolate softness in the center! Christmas childhood in a cookie. I cannot emphasize enough that following the directions-and being patient-is the key. Measuring the flour exactly, allowing eggs to come to true room temperature, and letting the butter cool after melting are not magic but create Magic! Thank you again for the perfect recipe for happy, successful baking! I am finally becoming a decent baker 🙂 My family thanks you! Merry Christmas!
So glad you enjoyed them! Merry Christmas!
why my chocolate crinkle cookies are soft the edeges when i touch it?
I just made this recipe and the “dough” is more like brownie batter. I made sure to check all the tips. Very much a let down. Sounds like I may not be the only one with this issue. Going to refrigerate overnight and hope I can make some sort of cookie tomrkroe but let down due to my reason for trying this was to not refrigerate. Fingers crossed!
I followed the recipe exactly—rom temp eggs, cooled butter. The dough was more like a batter. No way could the cookies be rolled. They are in the fridge now and I’m hoping that chilling helps. My grandkids are due to visit in the AM and I was hoping to surprise them with these cookies.
Hi!! I love your blog so much. If i wanna make this recipe with lemon, What do I have to change?. Sorry for my english…i still learn this language. Thank you very much.
I haven’t ever tried adding lemon to a chocolate cookie. I’d probably add lemon zest so that you don’t mess with the texture of the cookie too much.
I have literally been searching for the best crinkle recipe for 20 years and have finally found it!!! Wow, these are amazing. So easy. Nothing but chocolate, gooey, yumminess! Thank you!!!!
Love this cookie recipe!! It’s so delicious and they look really pretty! 😍
So glad you enjoyed them!
My 16 year old daughter made these for Christmas and they were divine!! They turned out exactly like the picture.
Wonderful! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
I’ve been searching for the best Chocolate Crinkles recipe & I’m certain this is it!
I used dark chocolate cocoa so it looked like I was making mud pie so but they are so delicious! I will definitely be making more of these!
Just took batch one out of the oven. Could hardly wait for it to cool enough to not burn my mouth, the wait was torture! So so so yummy, chocolatey heaven! Did two tweaks though: chilled the dough overnight and rolled in regular granulated sugar before the powdered sugar. Merry Christmas!
Glad you’re enjoying them!
Thanks for the scripture! It was a great reminder that’s I needed today. May his spirit be with you, always. Merry Christmas! … and thanks for the recipe:)
I’m so glad! Merry Christmas!
Fresh out of the oven and they came out amazing, oh and delicious!!
I loved, loved that these did not need to be refrigerated!!T
Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
I’m so glad you’re happy with them!