Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate crinkle cookie are the sweet treats your cookie tray needs.

By
Garrett McCord
Garrett McCord
Garrett McCord
Garrett has been writing about food and sharing recipes for 15 years. He is the author of Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese.
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Updated November 14, 2023
Garrett McCord

One of the best parts about any celebration—be it Christmas, Thanksgiving, a birthday, Diwali, office party, whatever—is that you get an excuse to eat some of your favorite foods. For me, that means chocolate.

Now, I'm generally not a big chocolate eater during the year, but when December rolls around, it's totally game on. The chilly weather and holiday spirit just make me crave it for some reason. That craving means I'm whipping up old favorites like chocolate peppermint bark cookies, truffles, and homemade hot chocolate.

A plate of crinkle cookies.
Cambrea Bakes

Chocolate Crinkles: A Holiday Favorite

It also means it's time to make these adorable cookie-fiend favorites: chocolate crinkles.

These chocolate crinkles are a holiday staple in winter, but are great any time of the year. Soft, devil's food-like cake-y cookies are rolled around in powdered sugar. When they bake, the dough rises and the chocolate dough peeks out in little crinkled fissures beneath the powdered sugar.

Overhead view of a baking sheet with crinkles on it.
Cambrea Bakes

Easy to Make, Easy to Eat!

Crinkles are easy-peasy to throw together and make for a flashy addition to any cookie platter. A warning though: these cookies are so good and chocolaty they may not make the hot cocoa cravings go away. In fact, they might just make them worse.

How to Work With the Sticky Dough

This is a sticky dough, no doubt about it. Chilling it at least 4 hours before shaping the cookies really helps.

If you're still having trouble, here are a few more things that will help:

  • Work fast and wash your hands between each tray that goes in the oven.
  • Roll several cookie dough balls at once and then dredge them in sugar together so there’s less time for the dough to thaw.
  • A small cookie scoop helps speed things up.

Oil Or Wet Your Hands

Our readers find that greasing their palms lightly with cooking spray or oil helps the dough not be so sticky. You can also shape the dough more easily if you lightly dampen your hands with water.

A plate of chocolate crinkle cookies with a bite taken out of the cookie on the top.
Cambrea Bakes

How to Freeze Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These cookies freeze well, either unbaked or baked. Freeze the unbaked balls of dough without powdered sugar on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Let the dough balls thaw for a few minutes on the counter while the oven pre-heats, then roll in powdered sugar and bake. You may need to add an extra minute or two to the baking time.

Ways to Adapt Chocolate Crinkles

Try these fun variations!

  • Double Chocolate: Add a cup of mini chocolate chips.
  • Black Forest: Add a cup of chopped dried cherries or cranberries
  • Mint Chocolate: Swap 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla for mint extract, and add some crushed candy canes to the powdered sugar
  • Orange Chocolate: Swap 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla for orange extract
A tan plate of crinkle cookies
Cambrea Bakes

How To Store Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for at least a week before starting to become crumbly and dry. For freezing tips, scroll up to the article.

More Christmas Cookies:

Reader Tips and Variations

  • Ilive4rain: "I skipped the espresso and added cherry infused dried cranberries this year. Tastes like a Christmas Black Forest Cake."
  • Melissa: "I've tried making it both with and without coffee powder. The one with coffee powder definitely tastes richer (I used decaf Nescafe instant coffee), but I still ate the one without like crazy. Super tasty! "
  • Karynsue: "I use high-end EVOO elevating the final taste. Have adapted for my botanical (non-dairy dessert-bar) My tip is to use fine baking sugar to dust your hands a little and the dough ball."
  • Jackie: "Today, I used medical "latex exam gloves" while I shaped the dough that chilled for 2 hours and there las barely any wasted dough stuck to the gloves! A big improvement."
From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 13 mins
Chilling 4 hrs
Total Time 4 hrs 28 mins
Servings 50 (1 cookie/serving)
Yield 50 cookies

If you want, you can jazzify these cookies in a number of ways. Add some cinnamon to the powdered sugar. Or pulse the powdered sugar in a food processor with 2 teaspoons of loose-leaf Earl Grey tea or chai tea, or matcha powder.

Cook time is for each sheet of cookies. You will cook 3 or 4 sheets with these recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 4 large eggs

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Method

  1. Beat together the cocoa powder, white sugar, and vegetable oil:

    In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beat by hand with a wooden spoon) beat together the cocoa powder, white sugar, and vegetable oil until it comes together into a shiny, gritty, black dough of sorts.

    Cocoa powder, white sugar, and vegetable oil resting in a stand mixer
    Cambrea Bakes
    Cocoa powder, white sugar, and vegetable oil mixed together in a stand mixer
    Cambrea Bakes
  2. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla:

    Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds each. Add the vanilla and beat in thoroughly.

    Adding eggs to a stand mixer to make chocolate crinkles.
    Cambrea Bakes
    Eggs mixed in to the batter for chocolate crinkles.
    Cambrea Bakes
  3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder:

    In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder if using.

    Whisking dry ingredients to make chocolate christmas cookies.
    Cambrea Bakes
  4. Beat the dry ingredients into the cocoa-oil mix:

    Mix into the chocolate mixture on low speed until just combined. Do not over-beat.

    Adding dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer to make chocolate christmas cookies.
    Cambrea Bakes
  5. Cover and chill:

    Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill the dough for four hours or overnight.

    A bowl with dough to make chocolate christmas cookies.
    Cambrea Bakes
  6. Preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheets:

    Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the powdered sugar in a wide bowl.

  7. Roll the cookies:

    Using a rounded teaspoon, scoop out clumps of the chilled dough and roll them into 1-inch (2.5 cm) sized balls using your hands. Do several at a time and drop them into the powdered sugar as you go. The dough will be quite sticky, so it's useful to roll the dough in batches.

    Roll the balls in the powdered sugar and place on the cookie sheets spaced a few inches apart. (You should be able to get 12 to 16 on each sheet).

    Scooping dough for chocolate crackle cookies with an ice cream scoop.
    Cambrea Bakes
    Rolling dough for chocolate crackle cookies into a ball.
    Cambrea Bakes
    Rolling dough for chocolate crackle cookies in powdered sugar
    Cambrea Bakes
    Baking sheet with chocolate crackle cookies ready to be baked.
    Cambrea Bakes
  8. Bake:

    Bake at 350°F for 10 to 13 minutes. Allow to cool a minute or two on the sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with any remaining batter.

    Did you love the recipe? Leave a comment and give us some stars below!

    A baked sheet of chocolate crackle cookies.
    Cambrea Bakes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
82 Calories
3g Fat
13g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 50
Amount per serving
Calories 82
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 4%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 47mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 14mg 1%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 11mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.