This classic Chocolate Crinkle Cookies recipe is fun to make, super delicious, and perfect for the holidays!

Of course, our week of classic holiday cookie recipes here on the blog would not be complete without these famous crinkles.
Who wants some Chocolate Crinkle Cookies??
Whether you’re baking up a batch for a cookie exchange, pulling them warm outta the oven for a holiday party, or leave them out with a note for Santa, I promise that these chocolate crinkle cookies are always a hit! And this specific recipe has served me well for years. The cookie batter itself is very straightforward, and quick and easy to whip up. Then once you’ve rolled the dough balls in powdered sugar, channel those Great British Baking Show vibes and plant yourself in front of the oven to watch the cookies rise and crinkle. So fun! (Especially with kiddos!)
Here’s how to make them!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies | 1-Minute Video

Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Ingredients:
There’s a good chance you may already have these ingredients in your pantry! You will need:
- Flour: I typically use all-purpose, but white whole wheat flour would work too.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Because…chocolate.
- Baking powder, salt, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract: Because…cookies.
- Oil: I grew up making these with vegetable oil, but any mild-flavored oil will do.
- Powdered sugar: For rolling the cookie dough.

How To Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies:
To make crinkle cookies, simply…
- Whisk together your dry ingredients. Flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- Prep your dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and oil. Followed by adding in the eggs and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients.
- Chill the dough. Sorry, you really can’t skip this step with chocolate crinkle cookies! Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until completely chilled.
- Prep your dough balls. Form the dough into 1-inch balls, and roll them in powdered sugar until completely coated. Place them on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
- Bake. Then bake then at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool for a bit afterwards. Then…
- Enjoy! I highly recommend eating these warm out of the oven. But they also store well for up to 5 days, or freeze well for up to 3 months.

Possible Variations:
Looking to mix things up? Feel free to:
- Add chocolate chips. I really love mixing 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips into this batter for that extra-gooey chocolate touch.
- Place a Hershey’s kiss on top. Just poke the kisses right into the tops of the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven.
- Hide a caramel inside the cookie. Once your dough ball is ready to go, poke half of a soft caramel inside the dough, and wrap/roll the dough around the caramel so that it is completely enclosed. The caramel will melt while baking, making for an extra delicious surprise inside.
- Add ground cinnamon and cayenne. For a Mexican chocolate twist, try adding 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper to the dough. (Just whisk them into the dry ingredient mixture.)

More Favorite Cookie Recipes:
Looking for more delicious cookie inspiration? Feel free to check out our full collection of cookie recipes, or any of these other favorite classic cookies:
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- No-Bake Cookies
- Brown Sugar Cookies
- Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup mild-flavored oil (such as vegetable oil, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar, for coating the cookies
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the granulated sugar and oil. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla, beating on medium-low speed until combined. Then gradually fold in the flour mixture, and beat on medium-low speed until combined.
- Form the dough into a large ball, and place it on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic around it so that it is sealed tightly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 24 hours) until the dough is chilled completely through.
- Once you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Fill a small bowl with the powdered sugar.
- Remove and unwrap the dough. Then form the dough into 1-inch round balls. Dip each dough ball in the powdered sugar until it is completely covered on all sides, and then place them least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Then remove the baking sheet from the oven, and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack, and let them cool until they reach room temperature.
- Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.





Perfect for Christmas :) Thank you so much. I hope mine turn out as good as these on the pictures. The kids will love them and i’m sure i’ll have to make quite a lot of them.
Question: Do you think i can add some mint flavor to them? Or i should replace the vanilla with mint? Or mint is not a good idea at all? Thanks
You’re very welcome Shirley, we hope you and your kiddos love these! We think you could totally add some mint extract to these. You could do half vanilla and half mint, or just replace the vanilla with the mint if you like. We think they would be really yummy with some minty flavor! :)
These look amazing! And so simple too. Do you think they’d work with melted butter instead of oil?
Thanks Brigid, and yes, we think so! We hope you enjoy these!
These are GORGEOUS! I wish I could have one right now. So chocolatey. So crinkly. Sometimes the simple original recipe is just the best!
Thanks Lindsey, we hope you love them! :)
These are so.dang.pretty. I can’t get over that crinkly powdered sugar beauty!
Thanks Senika, we hope you enjoy them! :)
Definitely one of my fav Christmas cookies! These look great!
I had just come back to your website to double check the chewy ginger molasses recipe I am making from you tonight when I saw this lovely new post! These are gorgeous. I don’t really recall eating these cookies before but they look delicious and tempting. Maybe if I have extra ingredients leftover I will make a batch of these to add into my gift cookie tins :)
Thank you for the inspiration!
Thank you Devin, we hope you enjoy these (and the molasses cookies)! :D
These are gorgeous! Light & fluffy in the middle, crispy on the outside, easy to make too. Might add some chopped must next time – there will be next time very soon!
Thank you Amanda, we’re so happy you enjoyed them! :D
These look fab! Love your photography too.
Thanks Amelia, we hope you enjoy them!
Thie mixture did not form into a ball of dough, but I put the mixture not to the plastic wrap and chilled it. And although it was sticky to divid the dough, the cookies turned out wonderful and looked just like the pictures and tasted just as good.
That’s strange Sandra, we haven’t had trouble getting it to form into a ball of dough before. We’re not sure what the issue could have been. We’re happy they turned out well regardless, and that you enjoyed them! :)
These are so much prettier than my crinkled ever turn out! And I’m totally drooling over the pb chip suggestion….
Thanks Odessa, we hope you enjoy them!