Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are an easy & nostalgic Christmas cookie recipe that makes a great gift for neighbors, holiday parties & friends! Delish!
When it comes to the holidays, there are certain foods you automatically think of. For me, it’s fudge, peppermint treats & these Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.
All my life I always looked forward to not only receiving these pretty little gems from others that would gift us goodies for the season, but I also looked forward to making this particular recipe with my mom & grandmother.
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Who wouldn’t love a soft & chewy chocolate cookie smothered in confectioners sugar? I mean, look at these!!
They are just so pretty & look way more complicated than they really are. They really are the perfect food gift when you want to say Merry Christmas to those you love.
Christmas Cookies
Honestly, I always make a double batch- one for sending out & one for my personal enjoyment. If the family is lucky, I might share them. (I’m only partially kidding) I really love these cookies & everyone in this house knows it.
Now- please, as hard as it is- don’t skip the chilling process. It is key to making sure your dough is firm enough to hold together.
Otherwise, you won’t get that beautiful crinkle look. 4 hours is a minimum.
I like to do one of two things. I make the dough after dinner the night before & then bake in the morning. Or I make the dough right after my morning coffee & then chill until after dinner.
Then we have nice fresh cookies for dessert. It really depends on if I am keeping them or giving them away as a gift.
Either way, there is a fair amount of snacking on the fresh ones as they come out of the oven too. Just sayin’.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
If you are looking for the perfect holiday cookie to give as a gift this season- you have to make this classic. I wish you could reach through the screen & taste these for yourselves.
I just can’t tell you how delicious they are & these pictures definitely don’t come close to capturing all of their glory.
Be sure to check out our classic Buckeyes recipe too!
Here are some commonly asked questions
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
This is really a personal preference. If you are happy with just a little salt to cut the sweetness, then use salted butter.
I usually use whatever I have on hand & I really don’t pay too close attention to what butter I have. But I typically keep salted butter on hand & I love that little bit of extra salt with the sweet in this recipe.
These days with groceries being more difficult to find – I basically get whatever the store has available at the time and make it work.
Do I really need to chill the dough?
Yes, Yes, Yes! Chilling the dough is important for a couple of reasons. First – while the dough is chilling the ingredients are coming together. It gives a better overall flavor to the cookie.
The second and probably even more important than the first – is that chilling helps the dough hold together during the baking process.
Without chilling, the dough would not only be too sticky to really roll it into balls. But it would also spread way too much while baking – leaving flat and not very appealing cookies in the end. Please don’t skip the chilling process.
chocolate crinkle cookie recipe
How do I properly measure the flour?
The official way is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup & level off. This makes sure the flour isn’t packed tightly into your measuring cup, adding more than you need, as that will make your recipe too dry.
However – if you fluff your flour with a spoon, then gently scoop the flour into the measuring cup, taking care to not pack the flour – that should work for this recipe.
Can these cookies be made ahead of time?
You bet. This cookie dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days prior to baking. Make sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. Let it sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling and baking.
HOW DO YOU MAKE Chocolate Crinkle Cookies?
- Combine cocoa, granulated sugar & butter in a mixing bowl & beat together on medium speed. Reduce the speed to low & add the eggs, mixing until just combined.
- Mix in vanilla, salt, baking powder & then the flour until well incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls & coat with confectioners sugar.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for one minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
chocolate crinkles
What if you want them normal-size cookies… do they take longer to bake?
Traditional crinkle cookies aren’t supposed to be large. They should be about 1-1/2″ once baked, which is why the recipe calls for rolling the dough into 1″ balls.
I would imagine they would take longer, probably 12-15 minutes for a larger cookie to bake.
Why We Love These Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Not only are they super soft and chewy – but they have the perfect chocolate flavor. They are sweet, but not too sweet. It’s a perfect balance.
What is the best way to store chocolate crinkle cookies?
These cookies will keep for up to 5 days if kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
best chocolate crinkle cookies
Why do the ingredients need to be at room temperature?
Room temperature ingredients help to ensure that everything blends together perfectly. You don’t want any pockets of unblended butter. You want everything evenly disbursed for the perfect texture.
When your dairy products are at room temperature, they can create an emulsion. It’s essential to have an emulsion because air gets trapped, so the baked goods expand and get fluffy as it bakes.
Can these cookies be frozen?
Sure – The dough freezes well. You can roll it into balls (don’t dip them in sugar), place on a baking sheet, and freeze until firm.
Then just store them in an airtight container or plastic freezer bag.
To bake, remove as many balls as you need from the freezer and let thaw for 30 minutes, then roll in the sugar and bake.
To make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies you will need…
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- granulated sugar
- butter – room temperature
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- table salt
- baking powder
- all-purpose flour
- confectioner’s sugar
How to soften the butter to room temperature?
First
There are a couple of ways to do this. The first being that you can take the butter (& any other ingredients that need to be at room temperature) out, leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes while you prep for baking.
I usually start with all my chilled ingredients and pull everything I need out onto the counter before getting started – so I know for sure I have everything before I’m mid-way through I realize I’m out of something.
But sometimes it’s winter and that isn’t enough time to get the ingredients warmed up – OR – I’m just not that organized to plan ahead. It happens. So I have another couple of tricks.
Second
I place the butter in the microwave – wrapped in the paper. (don’t do this if it is wrapped in foil) Then I microwave for 2 seconds – flip – go another 2 seconds – flip again – and continue for 2 seconds on each side.
This is usually enough to get it perfect – sometimes stopping before if it feels soft enough. Take care when doing this method – overly softened butter from the microwave WILL ALTER the end result of the recipe. Don’t over-do it.
Third
My third method is to place the wrapped butter sticks in a zip-top bag and place it in a bowl of warm water. I do this with the eggs too. If the water isn’t too hot it can be THE PERFECT way to get “room-temperature” ingredients.
chocolate cookies with powdered sugar
DON’T MISS MY HOLIDAY E-BOOK!
Products I love when making chocolate crinkle cookies…
This classic cookie recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me this time of year, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand.
OR maybe you have never made crinkle cookies before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love them. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this cookie recipe.
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- table salt
- baking powder
- all-purpose flour
- confectioner’s sugar
- mixer
- hand mixer
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
chocolate crinkles recipe
If you love this Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookie recipe, you’re going to love these other holiday recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter – room temperature
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp table salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Combine cocoa, granulated sugar & butter in a mixing bowl & beat together on medium speed. Reduce the speed to low & add the eggs, mixing until just combined.
- Mix in vanilla, salt, baking powder & then the flour until well incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls & coat with confectioners sugar.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for one minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Taste of the Frontier cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Vasanti says
Gina, I made Chocolate Crinkle Cookies– tune out so good , Thank you to share recipe with us.😊
Sharon says
Part fudge/part brownie/part cookie, not only are these cookies delicious and super easy to make, they’re very pretty.
This is the 2nd year making them & this year I’m on my 3rd batch!
Definitely a holiday favourite…thank you, thank you, thank you!
Cavet says
Definitely a keeper here ! Thank you for the recipe
SB says
Just made a batch and it’s chilling now – so hard to be patient but I’ll struggle thru! 😉 Dough tastes delicious.
Kristi Esh says
This is a keeper. I make it every year at Christmas and it’s always a big hit. Also, I actually make the cookies completely and then flash freeze them. When I package them in tins, I put them frozen into a sealable food bag (I buy food grade bags on Amazon) and tie them with a bow. They retain their moisture and flavour very well. Thanks for the recipe.
Cassie says
Can I put in freezer to chill for less time?
Gina Kleinworth says
I suppose – but I can’t say how they would turn out. They might be a bit flatter or dryer once baked.
Claudette says
Everyone loved these! Gave out for Christmas Gifts to family and they want more! Baking another batch for my granddaughters, they loved them too! Thank you for sharing!
Ardeth says
These came out great, delicious
Ardeth says
Made these last Xmas and will again this year. Great success and were delicious.
Lorraine says
Hi there,
Wanted to know if you had the powder sugar on the cookies turn translucent after a few hours or at least a day? If so, can this be prevented? Maybe it is the temperature it is in or is it that it needs double coat of powder sugar before baking? Please help and thank you!!🙂
Gina Kleinworth says
Hi there – I have not personally had that happen to our cookies, however, that typically happens if the cookies are in a humid environment or if they are too warm. You can always give them another coating of sugar before serving. The cookies are just absorbing the sugar. I do caution against adding too much sugar as they can become too sweet.
Kimberly says
I’ve made these many years ago and accidently tossed the recipe from an old magazine. Yours looked to be the closest
that can remember.
But you didn’t specify whether to use salted or unsalted butter? Help and maybe update this please?
Thanks!
Gina Kleinworth says
Oh – looks like you scrolled past the FAQ’s about this when getting to the recipe and comments. It really doesn’t matter for this, which is why it is noted in the FAQ’s within the post about salted vs unsalted butter and not in the recipe itself. If you like your treats a little less sweet, I’d use salted butter to help cut the sweetness. But it isn’t going to make a huge difference in the end result for these.
Julia C. says
I love this recipe! Can I keep the dough in the fridge overnight to make the next day?
Gina Kleinworth says
Yes – please see the FAQ section…
Can these cookies be made ahead of time?
You bet. This cookie dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days prior to baking. Make sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. Let it sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling and baking.
Melissa says
Hi 🙂
Is the temperature and time for convection or regular baking?
Thank you!
Gina Kleinworth says
Unless specifically noted – it will always be for convention baking – not convection.
Christy says
Can you bake them, then freeze them?
Gina Kleinworth says
I don’t recommend this as the confectioner’s sugar gets soggy and soaks into the cookies in a damp environment.
Pamela says
I make this recipe every year at Christmas time for my coworkers! They demand them! Everyone loves these cookies.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Gina Kleinworth says
Thank you so much for sharing that Pamela! I’m so happy to hear it – You made my day!
Donna Morrison says
Can I substitute gluten free flour? What else would change?
Gina Kleinworth says
I have not tested these with gluten-free flour. I can’t say how they would turn out. I would recommend using something like Bob’s Red Mill which has a 1:1 swap. I would imagine the dough will be a bit dryer – but without personally testing it a multitude of ways, I can’t give a definitive answer on what I would change. I’d have to see how the dough performs with the swap before I could recommend changes. If you try it with the switch, please come back and let me know the results.
Alexis says
I literally followed the ingredients down to the T however is it suppose to be sticky when rolling it? Also at first my first batch came flat. It tasted like crinkled cookies just doesn’t have the look 😅. Pls tell me what I’m doing wrong. Thank you so much
Gina Kleinworth says
Yes – the dough is quite sticky. If they are flat – it sounds like the dough was too soft. This can be from a warm room, the ingredients being too warm or over-mixed, things like the baking powder not being as fresh as possible since that is your leavening agent, or sometimes it can come down to oven or elevation. But this can usually be fixed by chilling the dough for a couple of hours prior to rolling and baking. Also make sure to put the dough on a cool baking sheet – not add the next batch to the warm sheet that came out of the oven.
abby says
oh my goodness so yummy!! I chilled them overnight and i still worked great! Just a tip- rub powdered sugar on your hands every so often when rolling dough into balls, if your dough is sticky! They turned out beautifully too! Definitely a keeper 🙂
Caiyah says
I’ve made a bunch of these cookies for an event and the event got canceled 😞 can I freeze them even after they’ve been baked?
Gina Kleinworth says
You can – but keep in mind the confectioner’s sugar gets soggy and soaks into the cookies in a damp environment. So they might not be as pretty once thawed again.
Pamela Boehme says
I make these every year for the company I work for. And they all love them and so do I.
Judith says
The best chocolate crinkles I’ve made! Sticking to this recipe for sure. Perfect ratios of chocolate and chewy.