You are going to love this classic recipe for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies! They are soft, with a texture similar to brownies, and include a sweet, soft, powdered sugar coating.
Making Christmas Crinkle Cookies from scratch is the best, because you’ll have first access to them straight from the oven!
Warm from the oven chocolate cookie crinkles are an extra special treat. They’ll melt in your mouth, exploding with chocolate flavor. They are just as delicious when cooled, with a soft, slightly chewy center and lightly crispy outsides.
I love making Christmas Cookies, and I have more recipes for you to make. Snickerdoodles and Italian Wedding Cookies are two other classic recipes.
You’re also going to want to add Christmas Pinwheels, Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, Chocolate Caramel Cookies, and Spiced Rum Cookies to your Holiday baking list.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste like brownies: I really think that’s my favorite thing about these cookies. They are perfectly portioned, fudgy, mini brownies. The rich chocolate and white powdered sugar remind me of Oreo brownies!
- Everyone loves these: When I put out a plate of Christmas cookies, these are the first to go. They are nostalgic; families have been making this recipe for generations.
- Easy Recipe: Just 9 common ingredients are needed to make the best chocolate crinkle cookies. Plus, we don’t even need a mixer because they are made with oil instead of butter. The dough comes together with just a whisk.
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened natural cocoa powder is what gives these cookies their decadent chocolate flavor. I suggest using a higher quality cocoa for the best results.
- Eggs, Flour, Baking Powder, and Sugar: Common cookie making ingredients that you probably already have.
- Vegetable Oil: Oil is called for instead of butter in this cookie recipe. This makes them moist and brownie-like
- Salt: Salt in sweet recipes helps to balance the flavors. Any fine salt can be used.
- Powdered Sugar: To make the snowy crinkles, the cookies are rolled in powdered sugar before baking.
Tip!
These cookies are popular! Double the recipe so that there are lots of cookies to go around.
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Mix Cocoa with Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine cocoa powder with sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk again until just combined. Avoid over mixing at this point.
- Chill: The dough needs to chill for at least two hours before baking. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
- Prepare to Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. I love my Silpat Cookie mat!
- Roll Cookies: Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. Divide the dough into 1 tablespoon sized balls if making small cookies, or 2 tablespoon balls for larger ones. Roll the dough into smooth balls using your hands, then roll in powdered sugar and place on a prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake: One sheet at a time, bake in a preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, removing from the oven while the centers of the cookies are just a bit underdone.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips
- Let Eggs Come to Room Temperature. A room temperature egg will incorporate better into the dough, giving you a better textured cookie.
- Make Sure the Baking Powder is Fresh. If it’s not, your cookies won’t rise properly. To test it, add a bit of the powder to hot water. If it sizzles, it’s still active. If it doesn’t, throw it away and go get a fresh container.
- Chill The Dough. You may be tempted to skip the chilling step, but please don’t. The dough will be super sticky if it’s not cold and nearly impossible to roll into balls. Chilling also makes the cookies thicker because they won’t spread as much. Keep the dough in the fridge in between batches.
- Use a Cookie Scoop. These cookies work best if they are all the same size. A cookie scoop will help you to portion them out perfectly.
- Bake Only One Tray at a Time. This crinkle cookie recipe doesn’t work very well if you try to bake two trays at once. They need to be baked in the very center of the oven, so be patient, and bake only one tray at a time. I suggest prepping two or three cookie trays so that you can keep things moving.
- Watch Them: The baking time in this recipe is a guide. Ovens all cook a little bit differently, so keep an eye on the cookies as they bake. Overbaked chocolate crinkles are dry and not very good, so you want to bake them until they are done, but barely.
- Make Any Size Cookies: This recipe will work for smaller or larger cookies, simply adjust the cook time as needed.
How to Freeze Crinkle Cookies
You can freeze these cookies after baking, or freeze the chocolate crinkle cookie dough before baking it.
To freeze baked cookies, store them between layers of parchment paper in freezer containers for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw before eating.
To freeze cookie dough, I suggest rolling the balls, freezing them on trays, and then transferring the balls to zip top bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, remove the dough balls from the bag, thaw on cookie sheets for about 30 minutes, then roll into powdered sugar before baking as directed.
What to Serve with Crinkle Cookies
These cookies are a delicious part of a balanced Christmas party meal! While you’re here, plan out some holiday appetizers too.
This Christmas Charcuterie Board is almost too pretty to eat with salami roses, olives, and cheese, all in the shape of an evergreen wreath.
For an easier snack, make Ranch Oyster Crackers or Honey Mustard Pretzels.
My favorite hot appetizers for holiday parties include Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, CrockPot Little Smokies, and Instant Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip.
FAQs
The composition of this cookie dough causes it to cook and dry out on the outside while the center is still rising. As the inside of the cookie expands, it cracks or crinkles the outside shell, making the beautiful crinkles we all love.
Oh no! The good news is that even without the crinkled appearance I bet the cookies are still delicious. Next time, check to make sure that your oven is hot enough and has preheated long enough. A hot oven is key to forcing that crinkle to happen. Your cookies also might not have risen well. This could be due to old baking powder. Use a fresh can next time.
You want to pull these cookies out of the oven just after they’ve lost the glossy sheen of the dough. When they look matte, they’re done. Don’t wait for browning – you won’t see it because the chocolate dough is dark. Trust me, you don’t want to overbake crinkle cookies.
These can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. They are best eaten within a few days though.
Enjoy making these nostalgic and classic chocolate crinkle cookies and enjoying them with your family this holiday season.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone mat
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder Sift if it's lumpy
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup powdered sugar to roll the cookies in before baking
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine cocoa powder with sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk again until just combined.
- Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours (can do up to 48 hours).
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (I use silicone mats).
- Remove cookie dough from the fridge, divide the cookie dough into 1 tablespoon balls for a small cookie (20 grams each) or 2 tablespoons for a large cookie (40 grams each). Roll into balls, then roll in powdered sugar and place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- One sheet at a time, bake in a preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, removing from the oven while the centers of the cookies are just a bit underdone.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes:
- Chill The Dough. You may be tempted to skip the chilling step, but please don’t. The dough will be super sticky if it’s not cold and nearly impossible to roll into balls. Chilling also makes the cookies thicker because they won’t spread as much. Keep the dough in the fridge in between batches.
- Bake Only One Tray at a Time. This crinkle cookie recipe doesn’t work very well if you try to bake two trays at once. They need to be baked in the very center of the oven, so be patient, and bake only one tray at a time. I suggest prepping two or three cookie trays so that you can keep things moving
- Storing. These can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. They are best eaten within a few days though.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Ginger says
They were pretty good – I probably wouldn’t make them again. To me they were just a little bland -maybe because I prefer a spicy chocolate cookie. My wife did like them a lot, though.