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!
Ali, two or three years ago when I discovered you somehow I came upon your original story of how you met your husband and eventually move to Barcelona etc. being computer illiterate I’ve never been able to find it again is it possible that you could instruct me how to go win and find it I love your blog in all your recipes but I’d love to know the background story hope to hear from you
I just made these. This is the BEST CRINKLE COOKIES RECIPE EVERRRRR!!!!!❤
Cookies were great. My batter also came out looser but after refrigerated for 3 hours it was just fine for forming into balls. I found 10 minutes cooking was a lot, so my second batch cooked for 7 minutes and were much better. I also replaced the vanilla extract for coffee extract in second batch and had a very mild coffee taste. I’ll definitely make them again. Thanks for the recipe.
Every time i make these I get nothing but compliments. My boyfriend LOVES them and the last time he left them unattended at work, they disappeared!! This is my go to cookie!
This is my second year in a row making them for Christmas, and they’re delicious (and a new family favorite)!
O.M.G. These cookies were amazing. We’re making cookie boxes for our children’s teachers and I wanted to give them something more than sugar cookies. I wasn’t sure about the addition of the chips fearing the chocolate taste would be too strong but I am glad i threw them in! They add the perfect melted texture, it’s like biting into a frosted brownie. I packaged them before realizing we hadn’t even tasted them and I panicked because I’ve tried a previous recipe that failed. I am so glad we packaged them first because we would have likely eaten them all. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe!
I tried these tonight and subbed eggs for silken tofu to make them vegan and they were INCREDIBLE!! Cooked a little longer to give them more time to flatten but otherwise followed the recipe to a t and they were perfect!
I have never made Chocolate Crinkle cookies before and these are delicious. Moist and chewy. They are sticky to roll out so I followed a previous recommendation and sprayed my hands lightly with cooking spray. Worked great. I also upgraded to a more pricey Dutch processed baking cocoa.
Hi , i would like to know if we can use durch processed cocoa powder in this recipe ….
Thank you for all these wonderful recipes, my family enjoys them all …
Nathalie
I am so happy that I’ve made these and to top that my 8-year old and 2-year old sons loved ‘em.Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. It was easy for someone who’s just starting to bake and delicious. Now, I’ll be making another batch for my son’s birthday.