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Satisfy your chocolate cravings with these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. Each bite guarantees a sweet, crackly outside and a soft fudgy inside.
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Fudgy like a brownie, but with a satisfying crackle when you bite into them, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are a (crinkle) cut above the rest. A classic you would find among other Christmas cookies on Santa’s plate, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t like these. The powdered sugar coating, kind of like snow, is magical to look at and bite into. In fact, you really can’t go wrong with a rich, chewy chocolate center, and dusting of confectioners’ sugar. The intense chocolate flavor is balanced by the sweetness of the sugar and all is delicious.
Ingredients in Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Flour
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Powdered Sugar
What Makes a Crinkle Cookie Different
- Before you bake your chocolate crinkle cookies, you want to generously roll the cookie dough balls in powdered sugar. As the cookies bake and spread apart on the baking sheet, they form the cracks in the cookies, where you see powdered sugar in some areas, and others you do not.
- Remember: we are talking about powdered sugar, not granulated sugar. You will not get crackled cookies if you only roll them in granulated sugar. You will, however, get an unhappy, confused snickerdoodle.
- As you are forming your cookie dough, be sure the flour mixture is sticky but not wet. A wet dough will cause the sugar to dissolve, resulting in, a sad cookie without any crackles.
Variations
Perfect as they are, fascinating with new ingredients added, here are some ideas:
- Chocolate chips- white, dark, peanut butter, butterscotch
- Mint extract- make these mint chocolate cookies by adding a little mint extract (a little goes a long way)
- Nuts- macadamia, hazelnuts, pecans, go nuts!
Recipe Tip
These cookies don’t spread a ton, but you still want to space them out on the baking sheet – about 2 inches apart.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
You can freeze these cookies for up to 3 months, but when they thaw from the freezer, the sugar crackle will not be as crispy.
To freeze, place cookies on a cookie tray and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for about an hour, until hard. Then, remove from tray and place in Tupperware or ziplock bags.
The inside of a crinkle cookie is soft like a brownie, but the outside is crispy and crackles when you bite it.
One great way is to make sure that all of your cookies are the same size. You can do this by using a spoon or scoop. This way, you know that the baking time is correct for all of your cookies, not just some of a certain size and you aren’t making an estimate each time, resulting in burnt cookies.
Read Next: Christmas Cookie Ideas
More Chocolate Cookie Recipes
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter cold, sliced
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and sugar. Mix until light and creamy, scraping the sides as needed.
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat until blended.
- Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Beat until just combined.
- Add the powdered sugar to a bowl. Roll the dough into balls about the size of a rounded tablespoon. Then roll each ball in powdered sugar. Place on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are a bit puffy and crackly. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats for easy clean up.
- Do not over-bake the cookies. They will continue to cook even after they come out of the oven.
