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.
Gina’s Recipe Rundown:
Texture: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies have a soft, fudgy center with a slightly crisp, crackled exterior dusted in powdered sugar.
Taste: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies taste like rich, fudgy brownies with a hint of bittersweet cocoa and a sweet powdered sugar finish.
Ease: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are easy to make with a simple dough that chills well and bakes into beautiful, crackled cookies with minimal effort.
Why I love it: I love Chocolate Crinkle Cookies for their rich, brownie-like flavor, beautiful crackled tops, and how effortlessly they impress with every bite.
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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.
- Gina’s Recipe Rundown:
- Christmas Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
- Do I really need to chill the dough?
- chocolate crinkle cookie recipe
- Can these cookies be made ahead of time?
- HOW DO YOU MAKE Chocolate Crinkle Cookies?
- chocolate crinkles
- What if you want them normal-size cookies… do they take longer to bake?
- Why We Love These Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- What is the best way to store chocolate crinkle cookies?
- best chocolate crinkle cookies
- Can these cookies be frozen?
- To make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies you will need…
- chocolate cookies with powdered sugar
- chocolate crinkles recipe
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- mixer
- hand mixer
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
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 the cocoa, granulated sugar, and butter in a mixing bowl. Beat together on medium speed. Reduce the speed to low, add the eggs, mixing until just combined.
- Mix in the vanilla, salt, baking powder, and 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, and then coat each with confectioners sugar.
- Place the dough 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
Nutrition
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 Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
I have heard these are very hard to make and come out looking right. Although the process is definitely messy this recipe turned out perfect and they look just like the picture!
These are so delicious. Chocolate , moist and fudgy. Our faves to bake especially at Christmas 🎄
What kind of mixer? Burnt out my hand mixer and my stand mixer by doing a double batch
Any Kitchenaid stand mixer should be able to handle it. How did you measure the ingredients? If you did not spoon and level thedry ingredients, it was probably over-measured, making the dough too dry and difficult to mix.
Easy to make and absolutely fantastic cookies! Any idea what can be substituted for eggs and wheat flour as I’d like to make these for my friend who is allergic to eggs and can’t eat wheat either.
I’m so glad you like them. I don’t have a recommendation for you to replace the eggs and flour in these. That has not been tested with this recipe, so I can’t say the result would be comparable at all. I know there are ohter sites that specialize in that kind of thing, they might have a similar recipe -but again, they wont’ taste just like these when replacing those two key ingredients.