Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

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.

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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.

Who wouldn’t love a soft & chewy chocolate cookie smothered in confectioner 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.

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’.

FAQs about Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

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.

Equipment Needed

• Mixer
• Large Bowl
• Cookie Scoop
• Baking Sheets

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! 

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.

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.

Why did my Chocolate Crinkle Cookies not crack?

They may not have cracked if the dough was too warm or too wet—make sure to chill it thoroughly before baking.

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.

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.

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.

Why are my cookies dry or cakey?

They may be overbaked—remove them when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft.

How long do they stay fresh?

Stored in an airtight container, they stay soft and fudgy for up to 5 days.

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DON’T MISS MY HOLIDAY E-BOOK!

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• mixer
• hand mixer
• parchment paper
• baking sheet
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons

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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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