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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies - sweet, easy and the BEST chocolate crinkle cookie recipe with butter, cocoa and powdered sugar. These cookies are great for Christmas and holidays!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Recipe
Chocolate crinkle cookies is one of the most popular Christmas cookies, other than butter cookies and melting moments cookies.
This is an easy recipe that yields the best chocolate crinkle cookies ever! The recipe is 100% fail-proof and novice baker friendly.
I love the cracked look and the contrast of the powdery white against the dark cocoa. These cookies have a brownie-like texture, moist, soft and a bit chewy.
They look absolutely festive and make the best Christmas and holiday gifts to neighbors, friends and family.
How To Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
This is an easy recipe that calls for a simple 3-step process:
- Make the cookie dough using a stand mixer. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
- Roll the dough into balls, flattened with your hand and then coat with powdered sugar.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Just follow the step-by-step method and instructions in the recipe card and watch my video above to make homemade chocolate crinkle cookies.
Baking Tips
- To get the cookies extra white with powdered sugar, coat each cookie with a ton of powdered sugar before baking.
This ensures the cookies don’t absorb the powdered sugar during bake time. - To make the cookies extra festive, substitute the vanilla extract with peppermint extract to make chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can certainly make the cookies with a store-bought cake mix and brownie mix, but this recipe is so easy that you don’t really have to buy packaged cake mix.
Yes, you can use unsweetened chocolate to replace cocoa powder in the recipe. If you use real chocolate, just melt the chocolate in a microwave, for about 1 minute. Stir the melted chocolate after 1 minute. If the chocolate hasn’t melted smoothly, heat in the microwave for another 10 seconds.
I don’t recommend freezing these cookies, especially after they are dusted with powdered sugar. If you have to freeze them, do not dust powdered sugar before baking in the oven. To serve frozen cookies, heat them up in a toaster oven and then dust with powdered sugar. I recommend storing the cookies in an air-tight container, at room temperature for up to a week.
This recipe is only 48 calories per cookie.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Serve the cookies with other festive desserts and cookies. I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Cookie Recipes You Might Like
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , preferred or oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cocoa, granulated sugar, and butter (or oil) on medium speed. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients in the order listed, except for the powdered sugar. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and coat them with powdered sugar. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to rest on the hot cookie sheet for 1 minute before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What do I do without a stand mixer?
Use hand, or hand mixer.
Good
Tried these out as part of my yearly baking for family presents, came out perfect. Very easy recipe and the bikkies look great. I’m surprised at how light they are, very airy and delicious whilst being soft inside and crisp outside.
Highly recommend, great recipe.
Thanks!
This is first crinkle cookie recipe I’ve ever made, and it will be the only one I stick with. This is the 5th year I’ve made them for my Christmas cookies batches. I use a mix of unsweetened and dark cocoa powder, but other than that I follow the recipe as is. I make the dough at night, chill it in the fridge and make it first thing the next morning. Ten minutes in my oven is perfect. It smells like a chocolate cake is baking and they taste like fudgey brownies. So glad I stumbled upon your recipe! Thank you!
Thanks for your support!
Can i use vanilla essence instead?
Yes.
10/10
I tried making this 2 years ago and made it again this Christmas. It was a hit then and a hit now. It tastes so good! It can be handled better refrigerated 2-4 hours before rolling it in powdered sugar. I made this version in sweet taro by replacing cocoa powder for taro powder and ube extract.
Awesome!
THE BEST CRINKLE COOKIES EVER !!
Can I use dark chocolate cocoa (special dark 100% cacao)?
Yes you can!
I made them with the dark chocolate and they were delicious and a big hit with all the family.
I used 2 spoons to scoop them out, rolled them in the granulated sugar first (Thanks for the suggestion!), then rolled them into a ball, and finally rolled them in the powdered sugar. Much less mess and they turned out perfectly. Thanks!
Awesome!
This recipe is a winner. A tad sweet for my taste so I will reduce the sugar by 1/3 cup next time, but I knew this was “the one” when I saw that it called for so many eggs, and cocoa powder instead of melted baking chocolate. In my experience the best brownie recipes are this way and I was right that these cookies would have that fudgy brownie texture I crave. A tip I picked up from another blog: roll the cookies in granulated sugar first, THEN powdered sugar, and you will get the desired effect without all the powdered sugar melting into the dough. A+++++
Awesome!
Hi, quick question, can I put this overnight in the fridge then bake it the next day?
It’s best to bake it the same day.