Chocolate crinkle cookies are a holiday fave, but they’re so delicious that you’ll bake them all year long.
Rolled in powdered sugar, these moist, cakey cookies crinkle open when they bake revealing a fudgy interior that melts in your mouth!
- Crinkle cookies are easy to make but look beautiful.
- These cookies look and taste like mini brownies with a powdered sugar coating.
- Prep the dough in advance and chill for the perfect make ahead Christmas cookie.
Ingredients for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Cookie Dough – Using brown and granulated sugar ensures the cookies are chewy and adds extra moisture. Either light brown or dark brown sugar will work. Use unsweetened cocoa powder.
Chocolate Chips – Mini chocolate chips add an extra dose of chocolatey goodness and distribute more evenly than larger-sized chips.
Powdered Sugar – Don’t be shy when rolling them in the confectioners’ sugar or powdered sugar, ensure each cookie is well coated before baking for the maximum crinkle effect!
Extras – For an extra festive holiday cookie, add a teaspoon of peppermint extract with the vanilla in Step 3.
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Cream together butter and sugar and then add eggs (per the recipe below). Mix in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
- Cover and chill the dough.
- Shape dough into balls and then roll them in powdered sugar.
- Bake and allow to cool on a rack before enjoying.
Cookie Tips & Tricks
- When baking cookies (or any baked recipe, such as this yummy chocolate cake) is the baking powder, so be sure it’s fresh.
- Parchment paper will make cleanup a breeze and can be used up to 5 times before discarding.
- Be sure to chill the dough for several hours to prevent it from sticking to your hands, and cookies from spreading too much while baking.
- For the best rise during baking, while the dough is chilling in the refrigerator, make space for the baking sheet as well.
Storage & Freezing
Yes, you can! Freeze chocolate crinkle cookie dough in a zippered bag for up to 2 months and thaw in the refrigerator until ready for use. Baked cookies should be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days and can also be frozen in a zippered bag.
More Classic Cookies
More Classic Cookies Recipes
Did you make these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark, tightly packed
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 cups powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, stirring until completely combined. Stir in vanilla extract.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet until completely combined.
- Stir in mini chocolate chips.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- After chilling, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Roll dough into 1 ½ tablespoon-sized balls with your hands. Roll the cookie dough balls thoroughly in powdered sugar.
- Transfer to baking sheet and bake on 350°F for 12 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying.
Notes
- Be sure not to use expired baking powder.
- For easy cleanup, use parchment paper. It can be used up to 5 times before discarding.
- The dough must be chilled for several hours. This prevents it from sticking to your hands and will keep cookies from spreading too much.
- For the best rise, chill the baking sheet as well as the dough.
- The serving size is 1 cookie.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I have never heard of crinkle cookies, and anyone I ask here in the Midwest , so far, has never heard of them, either. But the brownie like texture on the inside, and crispy cookie outside sounded really. These did not disappoint! Wetting my fingers made it slimy. Since we had to roll them in the powdered sugar, anyways, i just dusted my hands with that and worked like a charm. Thanks for a new recipe!
I am glad you enjoyed them, April! They are so delicious.
I made these today. DELICIOUS!
Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
From Chilliwack, BC.
Hi Kari, thank you for leaving a comment! So happy they were a hit!
Can I make these with gluten free flour?
Hi Nina, we have only made this recipe as written but you should be able to use all-purpose gluten free flour in place of regular flour. Let us know how it turns out!
There’s a recipe identical to this one, and they have a tip of lightly rolling in granulated sugar before generously rolling it in the icing sugar, and it will keep the icing sugar more white and chance to melt less into the cookie as it’s cooling or stored. Still a great recipe!!
Thanks for the tip, Alexis! :)
I made these for a school event. I forgot the chocolate chips but they turned out so good! I had SO many compliments!
Wow! So glad they were a hit, Sarah!
I’m not the best baker but when I make these people will eat it like it’s the best sweet they ever had. They’re the best after it’s fully cooled down and the chocolate hardens a little bit so it’s more fudgey than it is runny. Then if you want, microwave it for like 15sec and serve with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and fudge drizzle.
A few pointers. I add the ingredients differently than how they say to do it. But honestly I think as long as you mix the baking powder in before its wet and doughy it’ll have an easier time of cooking evenly. Also it says chill for 4 hours but go ahead and make that overnight. I feel like the dough is more firm and fudgier when it cooks.
Let it cool in the pan a couple minutes and if you have a cooling rack go ahead and transfer it.
Thank you for the tips Stephen! I am so glad you enjoyed these cookies!
When do you add the brown sugar ???
The brown sugar gets added in step 1!
Omg so chocolatey and amazing! I put in the whole bag of mini choc chips
So happy you loved this recipe, Laura!