Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are rich, chocolatey cookies with a powdered sugar coating. These soft and chewy cookies are one of our favorite holiday cookie recipes!
Do you have a few favorite Christmas cookie recipes, ones that you make every year? These chocolate crinkle cookies are one of mine, along with Snowball Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies and Thumbprint Cookies. We bake a batch of each, if not more, every year.
These chocolate crinkle cookies are a holiday classic, well-loved for their rich, fudgy flavor (almost like brownies!) and beautiful crinkle appearance. Making these cookies is really easy and requires just a few common ingredients. Before baking, you’ll roll the cookie dough balls in powdered sugar. My kids love to help with this part! We usually end up with powdered-sugar-coated kids, as well as cookies! As the cookies bake in the oven, they expand, forming crinkles in the powdered sugar coating.
These crinkle cookies are perfect for adding to cookie plates or a holiday dessert table. They are a crowd-pleaser, and always disappear quickly. I haven’t met a person yet who doesn’t love them!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe Ingredients
This cookie recipe calls for simple ingredients that you likely have on hand in your kitchen:
- All-Purpose Flour: Use all-purpose flour for the best cookie texture.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: The cocoa powder is what gives these cookies their rich, chocolatey flavor. Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder, not Dutch processed cocoa, which is cocoa powder processed with alkali.
- Baking Powder: This helps the cookies to rise as they bake.
- Salt: It’s essential to add salt to the cookies because it brings out all of the flavors.
- Butter: While many recipes for chocolate crinkle cookies call for vegetable oil, I opted to use butter because it gives the cookies a richer flavor. For best results use room temperature butter. I used unsalted butter. If using salted butter, halve the amount of added salt in the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: This sweetens the cookies.
- Eggs: You’ll need 4 large eggs for this recipe. While that may sound like a lot, the eggs give the cookies their soft, fudgy texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Because a little vanilla improves just about every baking recipe!
- Confectioners’ Sugar: The cookie dough balls are rolled in confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) before baking.
Recipe Variation
To make Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies: Mix 1 cup of chocolate chips into the cookie dough. I prefer dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate chips, but semi-sweet also work well here.
Find the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These chocolate cookies are so easy to make! Here is an overview of the recipe steps:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until creamy. You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to mix up the cookie dough.
- Then add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed until just combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and then roll in powdered sugar until fully coated. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Bake cookies at 350° F for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are just set.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe Tips
- Fully coat the cookie dough balls in powdered sugar for the prettiest cookies.
- This dough is fairly soft and sticky. Be sure to chill the dough for at least 3 hours before rolling it into balls to make it easier to work with. If I find that the dough starts really sticking to my hands, I wash my hands and then continue rolling the cookie dough balls. The more dough is on your hands, the more it will stick!
- Don’t overbake the cookies. Take them out of the oven when they are just set to keep the cookies soft and fudgy.
- This recipe makes a lot of cookies. Feel free to halve the recipe if you want less cookies.
Storage Tips
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. To freeze, wrap cookies airtight and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw frozen cookies, let them sit at room temperature.
More Favorite Christmas Cookies
- Biscotti
- Cherry Cream Cheese Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Molasses Cookies
- Candy Cane Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy holiday season! I hope you are able to enjoy some time to relax, be with family, and, of course, bake cookies!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer to beat together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until creamy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the flour and cocoa powder mixture on low speed, until combined. The dough will be fairly soft and sticky.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the powdered sugar in a wide shallow bowl or pie dish. Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls and then roll the balls in the powdered sugar until fully coated. Place on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are just set and almost no indentation remains when you gently touch a cookie in the center. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To make Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies: Mix 1 cup of chocolate chips into the cookie dough. I prefer dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate chips, but semi-sweet also work well here.
- Recipe may be halved or doubled.
This recipe made my heart flutter. I am delighted to report that the chocolate crinkle dish I made using your wonderful recipe was successful. Big time. I can’t believe how good it was since I usually don’t get things right on the first try. Must have been your very excellent recipe instructions.
Hi can I add cream cheese to this recipe?
Hi Eileen, I wouldn’t recommend adding cream cheese to this recipe. You could search for a chocolate cream cheese cookie recipe.
Hi Kristine,
Can this dough be frozen?
thanks,
Christine
Yes, you can freeze the dough after rolling it into balls, but before rolling in powdered sugar. First freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet and then once frozen, transfer to a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough balls for 30-60 minutes at room temperature before rolling in the powdered sugar and baking.
Very informative
Is this like a Mexican chocolate crinkle cookie? Or is that a different recipe? Thanks.
That would be a different recipe.
This recipe looks delightful! Could I add some espresso powder to make them mocha crinkle cookies?
Yes, I think that would be delicious!
This was an excellent recipe for gifting baked goodies during the holidays!