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 gifting.
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.
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 because when I’m busy preparing for the holidays, I really don’t care about 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.
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 cookies 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.
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.
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
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
chocolate cookies with powdered sugar
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.
Tamar Strauss-Benjamin says
Those look so pretty!
Stine Mari says
Yumm, these look so tasty!
Miz Helen says
Your Cookies look fantastic! Hope you have a bountiful Thanksgiving and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
Dianna says
This recipe doesn’t really make 72 cookies does it? What if you want them normal size cookies… do they take longer to bake? Thanks.
Gina Kleinworth says
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.
Nina says
Have you ever tried freezing the dough and baking them a couple weeks later? Just wondering if I can do the Xmas prep now and the actually baking later.
Gina Kleinworth says
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.
Nicole says
I’m adding these to my Christmas cookie lineup this year. Do you know if they freeze well after they’re baked? Thanks so much.
Gina Kleinworth says
The dough freezes well before baking. You can roll it into balls (don’t dip them in sugar), place on a baking sheet, & freeze until firm. Then store in an airtight container or plastic freezer bag until ready to bake. When you are ready – thaw for at least 30 minutes, roll in the sugar & then bake to directions. I don’t recommend freezing the baked cookies as the confectioner’s sugar will get moist & sort of soak into the cookies over time.
Suzanne says
These look delicious! Thank you for sharing!
shiphrah thomas says
These look delicious! Looking forward to making them today! I just wanted to know how long can they be stored in an airtight container at room temperature?
Gina Kleinworth says
These should keep for up to 3-4 days depending on how warm you keep your house. They might dry out a bit faster if you live in a warm climate.
Jennie @ TheHousewifeModern says
I wanted to let you know I loved your idea! I included it in my post “40+ Christmas Countdown Activities Jar {Free Printable}”. If you would like me to include an image- to encourage viewers to click through and pick this one out of the options I listed- you can leave a comment on the blog post or e-mail me.
Thanks! This was a beautiful idea and I hope my readers like it.
Lindsey says
These look amazing! I’m going to make them with my kids later today!
Melissa says
Love them!!! Taste is like a brownie but light like a cloud !
Connie Reynolds says
I made these at Christmas and they were a hit. I made larger cookies so I doubled the recipe. They also froze nicely after I baked them.
Melodye says
Just wondering how long you baked your bigger cookies…15 minutes?
Gina Kleinworth says
Yes – 12-15 minutes for larger cookies.
Connie Reynolds says
I baked these and they were a hit!!! I did freeze them for about a week after I baked them the powdered sugar was fine after they thawed.