Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Posted Dec 09, 2020, Updated Mar 16, 2024
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These Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are chewy & fudgy with a deep chocolate flavor. Chocolate Crinkles are an easy-to-make, classic Christmas cookie recipe for chocolate lovers!
Chocolate crinkle cookies are crispy on the outside, fudgy on the inside and coated in layer of powdered sugar reminiscent of freshly fallen snow – the perfect Christmas cookie for chocolate lovers.
This chocolate crinkles recipe is easy to make and turns out perfectly every time! They are always quick to disappear from holiday cookie trays because of their deep chocolate flavor and brownie-like texture.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
Before we jump in and discuss how to make these crinkle cookies, let’s chat about the ingredients. As always, I recommend making this chocolate cookie recipe as written for the best results.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter or vegan butter can be used in these crinkle cookies.
- Canola oil. The oil is important to the spreading/cracking of these crinkle cookies. You can substitute vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- White Sugar. organic cane sugar is a good substitute.
- Brown sugar. I recommend using light brown sugar in this recipe for the best results.
- All-purpose flour. Use an unbleached, all-purpose flour to make these chocolate crinkle cookies. I don’t recommend making any substitutions.
- Cocoa powder. feel free to use a special dark cocoa powder for an even deeper chocolate flavor.
- Fine Sea Salt. If you use regular table salt (iodized) cut the amount in half.
- Chocolate Chips. You can use chocolate chunks, chopped chocolate, or chocolate chips of variety of chocolate (milk to dark).
How to Make Crinkles
This chocolate crinkles recipe is easy to make! As always, we’ll walk through the steps and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by combining flour, baking soda, sea salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder in a medium bowl, then set aside.
Then, either in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter, canola oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Then, beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy.
Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until combined.
Once the mixture is mixed, stir in the chocolate chips on low speed until they are evenly distributed in the dough.
Chill the Dough
Once the dough is finished, transfer it to an airtight container and chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight. After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, then set them aside.
Portion, Bake & Cool
Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out dough and roll it into balls, then form each ball into a flat disc. It’s important to form the balls into discs (instead of leaving them spherical) so the crinkle cookies spread and crack.
Next, take each disc of chocolate crinkles dough and coat it with a thick coating of powered sugar on all sides. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the chocolate crinkle cookies in the preheated oven for approximately 8 minutes. Take them out when they are just set, and crackled – do not over-bake.
Serve
Once they have finished baking, let the chocolate crinkle cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Eat these chocolate crinkles slightly warm or at room temperature. If you are including them on a holiday cookie platter, wait to add them to the tray until they are completely cooled.
Store
Store these chocolate crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Freeze
- Freeze the dough. Roll the dough into balls, shape them into discs and place them on a large baking sheet. Transfer to the freezer to flash-freeze. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container to freeze for up to two months. To bake, remove dough from freezer and let it come to room temperature, then roll in powdered sugar and bake according to the recipe interactions.
- Freeze baked cookies. Transfer baked and cooled crinkles cookies to an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.
Crinkles Recipe FAQS
Adding a small amount of oil to these crinkle cookies makes them spread slightly during baking which results in beautiful chocolate crinkles.
This recipe yields crinkles with chewy, fudgy centers and crisp exteriors. The only way they could become hard is if they are over-baked or over-mixed.
These crinkles don’t spread very much (which is why the instructions call for pressing them into flat discs). So if you use this recipe you should not have flat cookies unless you don’t add the correct amount of flour or your leavening agents are expired.
Absolutely, this recipe doubles very well. You can click on the “2X” button in the recipe card for ingredient measurements of a double recipe.!
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
- ½ cup powdered sugar (for coating)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, sea salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter, canola oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat until combined.
- Add chocolate chips and stir them in on low speed until evenly distributed.
- Transfer dough to an airtight container and chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
- After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Put powdered sugar into a small bowl.
- Use a 1½ Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out dough and roll it into balls, then form each ball into a flat disc.
- Coat each cookie dough disc in powdered sugar. Place on prepared cookie sheets evenly spaced, with at least 2” between the cookies.
- Bake in preheated oven for approximately 8 minutes. Take them out when they are just set, and crackled.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to cooling rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter or vegan butter can be used in these crinkle cookies.
- Canola oil. The oil is important to the spreading/cracking of these crinkle cookies. You can substitute vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- White Sugar. organic cane sugar is a godo substitute.
- Brown sugar. I recommend using light brown sugar in this recipe for the best results.
- All-purpose flour. Use an unbleached, all-purpose flour to make these crinkles! I don’t recommend making any substitutions.
- Cocoa powder. feel free to use a special dark cocoa powder for an even deeper chocolate flavor.
- Fine Sea Salt. If you use regular table salt (iodized) cut the amount in half.
- Chocolate Chips. You can use chocolate chunks, chopped chocolate, or chocolate chips of variety of chocolate (milk to dark).
- Freeze the dough. Roll the dough into balls, shape them into discs and place them on a large baking sheet. Transfer to the freezer to flash-freeze. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container to freeze for up to two months. To bake, remove dough from freezer and let it come to room temperature, then roll in powdered sugar and bake according to the recipe interactions.
- Freeze baked cookies. Transfer baked and cooled cookies to an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved your chocolate chip cookies recipe. So I decided to try this one as well! ❤️
I’m so glad you love this one too, Chamaicca!
I have made these many times and they crinkled perfectly. These last two batches do not look crinkled what is wrong?
If you’re making them the same, I’m guessing your baking soda or baking powder need to be replaced.
These turned out so good!
Thank you so much Grace, I’m so happy you love them!
Easy to make, and delicious!! Chocolate lover