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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are one of those classic recipes that I remember from my childhood. They’re rich and chocolatey, soft, and are so pretty with the crackled powdered sugar tops. Your family will love these as much as mine does!

chocolate crinkle cookies covered in powdered sugar.


Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I remember making these cookies as a kid during our Christmas cookie baking sessions – I always loved how chocolatey they were! I’ve perfected the recipe so that they’re perfectly soft. Plus they’re so pretty – and I’ve tested them a few different ways so you know they’ll work perfectly.

ingredients chocolate crinkle cookies laid out on a marble counter.

Ingredients Needed

  • All-purpose flour – be sure to measure it correctly.
  • Cocoa powder – Use unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Baking powder – makes them nice and soft – normally cookies use baking soda, but we want a soft cake-like cookie for these.
  • Vegetable oil – makes these mix up easy.
  • Brown sugar- I love the softness that brown sugar brings to the cookies.
  • Powdered sugar – For coating; the confectioners’ sugar gives tehm that crinkley look.

Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

How to make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

  1. Combine dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, then set aside.
  2. Combine wet ingredients: Using a hand mixer, mix oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract together. Slowly mix in the previous dry ingredients until you have a dough.
  3. Mix wet and dry ingredients. Chill your dough for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 
  5. Coat the cookies in powdered sugar: Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Scoop cookie dough balls and roll them in the powdered sugar until they are coated. Then, evenly space them on the cookie sheet.
  6. Bake: Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking for an even bake. Serve and enjoy!
chocolate crinkle cookies covered in powdered sugar.

Expert Tip

  • Don’t over bake these – they’ll get dry if they cook too long.
  • Normally I chill cookie dough after scooping but these are too soft to roll right away. Chill the dough at least 30 minutes before scooping.
  • I recommend using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop for these. They’ll spread a little bit and 2-tablespoon size cookies might get too big.
  • You can freeze these cookies for up to a month.

FAQs

Why are my chocolate crinkle cookies flat?

There are generally two reasons why cookies go flat, one is that the butter you used was too soft or downright melted even. The other is that not enough flour was used. 

How long do chocolate crinkle cookies last?

They will last about 5 days when stored properly.

Can you freeze crinkle cookies?

Yes, you can! They will stay good in the freezer for up to a month. 

chocolate crinkle cookies covered in powdered sugar.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe

4.84 from 25 votes
Chocolate crinkle cookies are a classic chocolate cookie and always a holiday favorite! No cookie platter is complete without a few of these crackle-topped cookies coated in powdered sugar. 
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Yield 30 1 tablespoon size cookies
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

  • 1 ½ cups (186g) all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (118ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar for coating
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Instructions

  • Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • Using a hand mixer, mix oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Slowly mix in dry ingredients. The dough is very wet.
  • Chill the bowl of cookie dough at least 30-45 minutes, or until you're able to scoop and roll the dough without it falling apart.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  • Place powdered sugar in a small bowl. Scoop 1 or 2 tablespoon balls of dough. Roll the cookies in the powdered sugar then evenly space them cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  • Bake for about 7-10 minutes depending on size, rotating pans halfway through baking.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • Normally I scoop cookie dough before chilling but for this recipe it’s important to chill it first, otherwise the dough is too wet to roll in powdered sugar.
  • I recommend making 1 tablespoon size cookies – these will spread just a bit and they’re rich, so 2 tablespoon cookies might be a bit large.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

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Last Updated on November 19, 2023



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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21 Comments

  1. Awful recipe! I have made crinkle cookies before and never had so much difficulty making them, even after the batter being in the fridge for over 2 hours! The flavor wasn’t rich either. Good thing I have a fantastic backup chocolate crinkle cookie!

  2. On another note, the dough is super sticky if you rub your hands in some powdered sugar and then pick up the dough, and roll a couple, and do the same again it helps tremendously!

  3. Perfect cookie. I did substitute half a cup of oil for half a cup of melted butter because I had no oil and they came out just fine! Thanks!!

  4. Yes, the dough is gooey & messy but a great tasting cookie, I topped mine with Hershey’s Peppermint Kisses for the holidays…deep chocolate flavor cookie, not too sweet with the peppermint topping yum!