The BEST Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe
This Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe is a holiday staple! Crisp on the outside with a soft, chewy center and rich, chocolate flavor, it’s always a favorite and couldn’t be easier to make.
Looking for more cookies? Try our peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and Grandma’s molasses crinkle cookies, too!
What Are Chocolate Crinkle Cookies?
If you’re unfamiliar, chocolate crinkle cookies are a type of small, fudgy, chocolate cookie with a powdered sugar exterior and lots of crinkles on the outside. They’re kind of like a cross between our healthy brownies and a crisp cookie.
Bite-sized and delicious, it’s not hard to see why they’re so popular! We make them every Christmas along with our hot chocolate truffles and reindeer chow. However, if we’re being honest, we make them all year long. We just can’t get enough!
Learn how to make the best chocolate crinkle cookies recipe with less than ten ingredients in under 30 minutes! No chilling required.
Try them for yourself, and you’ll understand why we’re so obsessed. In fact, you might want to just go ahead and make an extra batch.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below is an overview of the ingredients and instructions to make this chocolate crinkle cookie recipe. Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – You can’t have chocolate cookies without cocoa!
- Granulated Sugar (White Sugar) – We use this in both the dough and to top the cookies.
- Light Olive Oil – Adds richness and creates the fudgy texture we want. Avocado oil will also work if preferred.
- Eggs – Add structure to the dough, helping the cookies hold their shape. We haven’t tested this recipe with egg substitutes but don’t think it would work!
- Flour – All-purpose flour forms the base of the dough, but you can substitute a 1:1 all-purpose flour if you need to keep these cookies gluten-free.
- Powdered Sugar – A must-have for crinkle cookies!
How to Make This Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe
Before you begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the toppings in two separate bowls, and set them aside.
- Combine. Whisk the cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Then, add the wet ingredients, and mix again.
2. Next, sprinkle in the remaining dry ingredients, and mix to transfer the flour mixture into a stiff dough.
3. Portion. Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough into equal-sized balls.
4. Coat. Roll each cookie dough ball in a thin layer of granulated sugar. Then, roll the balls in powdered sugar coating. Make it thick!
5. Bake. Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving roughly two inches of space between each piece. Bake until the tops of the cookies crinkle and the edges are set. The cookies will firm up as they cool.
6. Cool. Allow your cookies to cool on the baking sheet slightly. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Make Ahead Options
Store prepared cookie dough covered in a bowl or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let it come to room temperature before baking.
Freeze unbaked cookie dough not coated in sugar for up to 3 months. Arrange the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet, and freeze them until solid. Then, transfer them to a sealable bag or freezer-safe container. Thaw in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to bake. Then, roll the cookies in sugar, and proceed as normal!
How to Store and Freeze
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Freeze leftover cookies for up to 3 months. Arrange them in flat even layers in an airtight container, placing a sheet of parchment paper between each layer to prevent them from clumping together. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
Note: Sometimes the frozen cookies do not look quite as perfect once thawed if any water droplets touch them. However, they will still have the same texture and delicious taste!
Common Questions
Two most common reasons are not using enough flour or using expired baking powder. Measure with a food scale if possible, or use the spoon and level method. And make sure all your ingredients are fresh.
You’ll know your cookies are done when they start to develop a crackly top! It’s okay if they look slightly underdone. They’ll continue to bake and set slightly as they cool.
Feel free to experiment with different mix-ins such as chocolate chips, caramel candies, cinnamon, and cayenne. Or, try adding a Hershey’s Kiss on top like peanut butter blossoms.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
The BEST Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flour
Crinkle Topping
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the topping ingredients in two separate shallow bowls. Set aside.2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- In a large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, granulated sugar & oil with a wooden spoon until combined.1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup light olive oil
- Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until just combined.2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sprinkle in the salt, baking powder & flour. Mix until well incorporated and a stiff dough forms.1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 cup flour
- Using a cookie dough scoop, roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. (If the dough is too sticky to roll (dependent on temperature of kitchen and varying brands of ingredients used), refrigerate for 30 minutes then try again.)
- Roll each ball in a thin layer of granulated sugar then roll in a thick layer of confectioners sugar.2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until the tops of the cookies crinkle and the edges are set. The cookies will firm up as they cool.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week or in the freezer, in a single layer in an airtight container or bag, for up to 3 months (see notes).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did you enjoy this Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe? We’d love it if you left a rating and review to let us know, and don’t forget to tag us in your recreations on Instagram!
We’re not sure what went wrong, but these did not turn out well. We followed the recipe exactly, but they are extremely unsweet and dry. They did not flatten like cookies either. So sad!
Oh no! That is so frustrating. Sounds like there may be an issue with ingredients. Happy to troubleshoot if you want to e-mail me: [email protected] These cookies are our most popular recipe this past year and has hundreds of positive review here and on our social media channels. I would love to get this recipe right for you! 🙂