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.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I love these! i didn’t have canola oil so used coconut oil. They turned out great! Also, I wanted to make them carmel filled so i added carmel in the middle. Delicious. Thank you! I hope you don’t mind I mentioned you on my blog with a link to your site and your recipe! xo sammi
We’re so glad to hear that, Sammi! And we bet they were especially awesome with that caramel you added in the middle! :) And of course, you are most welcome to mention us on your blog — that’s very kind of you! :D
Brilliant recipe! Have made these quite a few times now and they always turn out great. Thanks!
Wow! At first, the dough was sticky and more like batter, and it looked like it would only make a couple of cookies, but I was wrong! I coated my hands with powdered sugar which made it much easier to roll the balls, and it ended up making 20 of the most amazing cookies I’ve ever eaten, not to mention that they were gorgeous. This blog is amazing, and I have spent the past couple hours making lists of all of the recipes I need to make! Thanks for giving us such scrumptious and easy recipes!!!
Thanks for sharing with us Gabi! We’re so happy to hear you loved these! :D
Ops.. Hayley.. Thank you both. :)
Well, well Hayley… I am NOT your best baker, but I must say that I made this cookies the other day for my family.. and they loved it. I am that baker that burned everything, because i think is not cook completly.. lol.. but this one came out sooooo good. I didn’t put the chocolate chips and they were delicious.. I even made some extra cookies for my co-workers.. and we have in our dept really good bakers and I got the stamp of approval from them.. Thanks so much for another great recipe.. so far all the recipes that I have made from your site are delicious. THANK YOU!!! :)
Hi Annette, this is actually Ali’s blog, I just help out with things. :) But we’re so happy you, your family and your coworkers loved these cookies! Thanks for sharing with us! :)
I made these on Christmas Day. They were phenomenal! A huge hit. I will DEFINITELY make these again. Probably very soon. Lol.
Thanks for sharing Kristen, we’re so glad to hear that! :D
I wish i had seen this recipe before Christmas, but it’s never too late to try. Thanks for sharing :)
I made these for a Christmas Party and they were a HIT! Not one was left. Thank you so much- I love your entire blog! Every recipe I’ve tried has been incredible!
Thanks for sharing Kristin, we’re so glad to hear that! :)
This kind of cookie reminds me of my childhood, my mom used to make a lemon version of this each and every Christmas. SO good!
Josh | The Kentucky Gent
https://thekentuckygent.com
Thanks Josh, we hope these cookies bring you back! : ) We bet the lemon version of these is insane!! :D
These look easy to make :) And fast! :)) Thank you
We hope you love them! :)