Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
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These chocolate crinkle cookies are traditional Christmas cookies that resemble homemade brownies. They are rich, fudgy, and have soft-baked centers. With a dusting of confectioners sugar, they are festive and delicious.
I know I have thrown a lot of cookie recipes at you recently. Did you try my icebox cookies yet? Aren’t they delicious – do you see why I love them so?
I just made another batch of oatmeal scotchies to hand out as neighbor gifts. And I feel like I make peppermint meringues once a week during December!
But when push comes to shove and I have to pick my favorite cookies to include in the cookie tins I give out around the holidays, I almost always fall back on my simple favorites.
I usually include my soft and chewy molasses cookies, my icebox cookies with festive sprinkles of course, snickerdoodles, peanut butter blossoms (though if I can work up the nerve I might make peanut butter buckeyes instead this year), and these chocolate crinkle cookies.
These cookies are rich and chocolatey and go oh so well with a mug of hot chocolate. Because I roll them in powdered sugar before baking, they look like they have been dusted with snow. They’re so fun and festive. Every time I make these, people go crazy for them.
These cookies look like a cookie but are dense and rich like a brownie. The recipe calls for four eggs. If you have made a lot of my cookie recipes, you’ll know that is more than my cookies usually call for. The eggs really add to the fudge-like chewy texture here.
I use unsweetened chocolate in this recipe. I think it gives these cookies just the right amount of chocolate, and the granulated sugar adds the sweetness.
Semi-sweet chocolate, often in the form of chocolate chips, is more sweet and less rich. But, if it’s the only kind of chocolate you have in your pantry, go for it. These cookies won’t be quite as deeply rich and delicious. But we’re talking chocolate holiday cookies, so they won’t be bad.
Once you make these cookies, you’ll know why they are one of my most requested recipes from family and friends.
Give these a try – and if you do – post your cookie tin on social media and tag me in it! I’d love to see how good yours look!
Recipe Snapshot
- TASTE: Rich chocolate flavor
- TEXTURE: Fudge or brownie-like
- EASE: Easy!
- TIME: Just under a half and hour, plus chilling time.
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – You can use 1:1 Gluten Free flour if you are gluten free.
- Baking powder – For leavening.
- Salt – Kosher salt.
- Sugar – The dough calls for white granulated sugar and you will roll these cookies in confectioners’ sugar.
- Butter – I always bake with sweet cream unsalted butter.
- Unsweetened baking chocolate – Not semi-sweet or bitter sweet. Use a bar and finely chop the chocolate.
- Eggs – This recipe calls for 4 eggs which give it the rich fudgy texture that make these cookies so delicious.
- Vanilla extract – I make my own using this recipe but use the highest quality real vanilla extract – not an imitation flavor version.
Recommended Tools
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cookie scoop
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These fun and festive – not to mention decadently delicious – are not difficult to make but they do require chilling time, so plan ahead! When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
- Mix dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- Melt chocolate. In a 2 quart saucepan, heat granulated sugar, butter, and chocolate over medium heat and stir until melted and combined. Remove from heat. One by one, add eggs and vanilla. Mix after each egg is added.
- Combine. Add the flour mixture and stir until no streaks of dry flour are visible.
- Chill. Transfer dough to a medium or large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 4 hours or overnight.
- Prepare the dough balls. Scoop the chilled dough and roll into 1-inch sized balls. Do several at a time and drop the dough balls into powdered sugar as you go. Roll the balls in the powdered sugar and place them on the prepared cookie sheets spaced 2-inches apart.
- Bake. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with any remaining batter.
Handy tip:
These are great make-ahead of the holiday rush cookies! Unbaked cookie dough balls (that are not coated in confectioners’ sugar) freeze well up to 3 months. When it’s time to bake the cookies, remove them from the freezer and thaw on the counter for at least 30 minutes. Roll into confectioners’ sugar as instructed in the recipe. Bake as directed.
Tips For Success
If the dough gets too sticky when you are rolling it into balls, pop it back into the fridge for a few minutes to chill.
Also, keep you hands wet with water when rolling the dough balls. I don’t understand the chemistry of it, but it does keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
This recipe makes about 48 cookies. If you want to make less, you can cut the recipe in half. Or you can bake half now and keep the other half of the dough balls in the freezer for the next time you have a craving!
If you can’t find a bar of unsweetened chocolate you may be able to find unsweetened chocolate chips – those can be used in place of shaved or chopped chocolate.
Do not overbake these cookies. You want the rich, fudgy texture – so they will almost look a little bit underbaked when you remove them from the oven. That’s ok! They’ll set as they cool and will be delicious.
Storage & Freezing
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Baked cookies freeze well up to 3 months.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 4 ounces (113 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together; set aside.
- In a 2 quart saucepan, heat granulated sugar, butter, and chocolate over medium heat. Stir until butter and chocolate are melted then remove from heat.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture and stir until no streaks of dry flour are visible.
- Transfer dough to a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out clumps of the chilled dough and roll them into 1-inch sized balls using your hands. Do several at a time and drop them into the powdered sugar as you go. The dough will be quite sticky, so it's useful to roll the dough in batches.
- Roll the balls in the powdered sugar and place them on the prepared cookie sheets spaced 2-inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with any remaining batter.
Notes
- Smaller batch: The recipe can be halved if you desire fewer cookies.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Baked cookies freeze well up to 3 months.
- Unbaked cookie dough balls (that are not coated in confectioners’ sugar) freeze well up to 3 months. When it’s time to bake the cookies, remove them from the freezer and thaw on the counter for at least 30 minutes. Roll into confectioners’ sugar as instructed in the recipe. Bake as directed.