This recipe is my take on chocolate crinkle cookies, the classic christmas treats that taste like chocolate fudge brownies! The best part about these cookies are the incredible texture they have- with a slightly crisped, sugar-dusted outside with a soft and fudgy center. They are rich, indulgent, and melt-in-your-mouth irresistible.
I am a ridiculously huge fan of this chocolate crinkle cookie recipe because of how little work and cleanup is required to make these insanely delicious treats. The chilled dough for these cookies bakes into beautiful little morsels that look pro-level, though the ingredients and kitchen tools needed are amateur-friendly.
When I whip up batches of dough for these fudgy crinkle cookies, I normally double or triple the recipe because of how well the dough freezes…and how fast the cookies disappear!
These cookies are my ultimate crowd-pleaser that are fun to make, roll and bake! I promise that this will become your new go-to cookie recipe for every holiday and family event.
Before you get started
- Gather your equipment and ingredients so that you have them ready to go when it’s time to start making the crinkle cookie dough!
- Because the cookie dough will be put in the fridge to chill for at least a few hours before baking, you don’t need to preheat the oven or grease and line baking sheets during preparation. That will come later!
Suggested Equipment & Appliances
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 small bowl
- 1 whisk
- Aluminum foil, parchment paper, or a silicon mat
Recipe Yield and Cook Time
- Recipe Yield: 20-24 cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Chill Time: 3+ hours
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Cool Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated (white) sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ⅔ cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the unsweetened cocoa powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and coconut oil until evenly combined.
- One at a time, crack each egg into the mixture and whisk well, until thoroughly mixed. After mixing the eggs into the batter, stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder to the bowl and stir just until the ingredients are well combined. At this point the cookie dough should be dense, thick, and sticky.
- Cover the bowl of cookie dough tightly and let it chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours and a maximum of 72 hours. The longer your dough chills, the more easily you’ll be able to handle it and the thicker your cookies will be after baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two sheet trays with parchment paper, aluminum foil, or silicone non-stick mats. Grease the lined baking trays with non-stick cooking spray or butter to further prevent the cookies from sticking.
- Roll the cookie dough up into 20-24 balls of even size. Each dough ball should be about a tablespoon or 1 ¼” in diameter. Put the confectioner’s sugar in a small bowl.
- Before placing each of the rolled dough balls on the baking sheets, dunk and roll each one in the confectioner’s sugar, giving them a thick snowy coat. Make sure to leave a minimum of 2” in between each dough ball when you put them on your baking sheet.
- Bake each sheet pan for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are soft and the edges are set. You’ll know that the cookies are done when the cracks have formed on top and the chocolate dough starts peeking through the powdered sugar.
- Place the baking sheets on wire cooling racks and let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing the cookies from the pans. Move the cookies onto the wire cooling racks and let cool completely for another 10 minutes.
Tips and Tricks
- Letting the prepared cookie dough chill before rolling and baking is crucial for flavor development, the proper spreading of the cookies, and for easy handling of the dough.
- For optimal baking and perfect crinkle cookie texture, keep the oven door closed during the cooking time and center the sheet pans on the middle rack. Bake each sheet pan one after the other and not at the same time for proper heating.
- For added texture and double the chocolate, knead ½ cup of mini chocolate chips into the prepared cookie dough before chilling. You can also try white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or dark chocolate chips!
- For spiced chocolate crinkle cookies, add ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper and ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the recipe along with the flour and baking powder.
- For chocolate mint crinkle cookies perfect for the winter season, replace the vanilla extract with peppermint extract. Try adding in ½ cup of mint flavored chips as well!
- This recipe calls for coconut oil, which results in a chewy but slightly crumbly cookie texture. If you’d prefer a softer and denser texture for your cookies, swap the oil for melted and cooled unsalted butter at the same quantity.
- These chocolate crinkle cookies will keep well for up to 4 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also keep the prepared cookie dough in your refrigerator for up to 4 days before baking.
- The cookies will keep well for up to 3 months if stored in an airtight bag or container. Before serving, thaw the cookies overnight in the refrigerator.
Substitutions
Any of the following ingredients can be swapped for some alternatives at the same quantity:
- Brown Sugar can be replaced with granulated (white) sugar, coconut palm sugar, or raw cane sugar at the same quantity. Also, you can replace the ½ cup of brown sugar with ⅓ cup of honey or maple syrup for a richer flavor.
- Coconut Oil can be replaced with light olive oil, melted and cooled unsalted butter, vegetable, canola oil, or salted butter (if using this option, omit salt from the recipe.)
Eggs can be replaced with flaxseed meal (1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons of water = 1 egg), ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk, ¼ cup yogurt, ¼ cup applesauce, or ¼ cup silken tofu. Note: if you replace the eggs in this recipe, your cookies won’t have the same crinkled appearance.
