Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Like a marriage of moist brownies and crisp chocolate cookies, these crinkle cookies are delightfully crisp around the edges and perfectly fudgy in the center. Plus, each cookie has plenty of powdery crinkles, AKA chocolatey caverns, to explore and enjoy.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
It’s the crisp, cracked exterior and melty soft center that make crinkle cookies deliciously unique. To achieve this contrast in textures, firm cookie dough is shaped into balls and rolled in powdered sugar. As the cookies bake, they puff up and create cracks in the powdered sugar. Always stunning, and always irresistible.
I’m confident you will adore this recipe for a few reasons. First, you need a handful of pantry staples, and you may already have everything you need. Second, this recipe is quick and easy. Yes, you need time to chill the cookie dough, but it comes together in minutes, and you can prep it up to 3 days in advance. Third, these cookies store incredibly well, whether that’s at room temperature or in the freezer. So, when you’re looking for a memorable cookie for your next party, special event, or holiday gathering, this one fits the bill in every way.
Here’s what you need for these chocolate crinkle cookies
- Flour. Choose your favorite all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour alternative.
- Cocoa Powder. Use unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe. For a more intense, semisweet cookie, choose dark chocolate cocoa powder.
- Granulated Sugar. Granulated sugar not only sweetens the cookie dough, it caramelizes and crisps the edges of the cookies as they bake.
- Baking powder. Two teaspoons of baking powder lift the dense cookie dough into puffy masterpieces. Pro tip: Check the expiration date of your baking powder to ensure the best results.
- Salt. A smidge of salt counters the sweetness of the sugars and elevates the nuances of the cocoa powder.
- Vegetable oil. We use vegetable oil instead of butter in these cookies because it’s neutral in flavor and lets the flavor of the cocoa shine. You can also use canola oil or avocado oil.
- Eggs. You need four large eggs for this recipe, and they should be room temperature before adding them to the batter. Why? Room temperature eggs incorporate better. If you forget to pull them from the fridge, place the cold eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Vanilla extract. Choose pure vanilla extract for its superior flavor.
- Powdered sugar. Also called confectioner’s sugar, this sugar is definitively powdery and makes a great coating for the cookies. It’s also what gives crinkle cookies their characteristic appearance.
A few tips for ensuring you have flawless crinkle cookies
- Don’t rush the chilling time. As tempting as it may be to bake these cookies right away, let the dough chill for at least 3 hours. Why? The dough needs time to firm up, which makes it easier to shape into balls, and prevents the cookies from spreading during baking. In addition, when the dough has time to chill, enzymes spring into action and develop more flavor.
- Refrigerate uncooked cookie dough between batches. As mentioned above, chilled dough is best for these cookies. Dough at room temperature will yield flat cookies. Refrigerate the dough (or the shaped cookie balls) between batches.
- Sugar coat the cookies just before baking. Wait to coat the dough balls with powdered sugar until just before baking. This isn’t a problem for the first batch, but in subsequent batches, the cookie dough will absorb the powdered sugar (hence no signature cracks after baking).
- Don’t overbake the cookies. If your oven is preheated to 350 degrees, and it’s accurate (use an oven thermometer to confirm), these cookies will be ready in 10 to 12 minutes. When finished, they will look firm around the edges and wet in the crinkles. They might appear undercooked, but they are not. If you overbake these cookies, they will be dry and crisp overall, not soft in the center. Note: These cookies firm up as they cool, so don’t be worried if they seem too soft when you first pull them from the oven. Five minutes of cooling on the baking sheet and they’re safe to move.
These cookies are perfect as is, but these variations are also fun
Make mocha crinkle cookies. Add 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the cocoa, sugar, and oil mixture.
Try other extracts. Vanilla extract is the classic choice, but you can also use orange, peppermint, almond, and hazelnut extracts for a unique flavor twist.
How should you store these chocolate crinkle cookies
Once cool, transfer the cookies to an airtight container at store at room temperature for up to 7 days. For the best results (and because the cookies are super moist), separate cookie layers with parchment paper. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Note, cookies that are stored in containers (and those in humid environments) may absorb some of the powdered sugar. There’s nothing wrong with that! The observable crinkles may be diminished, but the crispy/fudgy texture will live on.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and oil. Beat on medium speed until blended and shiny.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium speed until blended.
- Beat in the vanilla extract.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours, and up to 3 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the powdered sugar in a bowl.
- Using a standard cookie scoop (or 2 tablespoons), scoop the chilled dough and then shape into balls. Only make as many balls as will fit on your baking sheet. Refrigerate the remaining dough until ready to bake.
- Transfer the dough balls to the powdered sugar and turn to coat.
- Place the cookies on the prepared pan, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are firm and the center is puffed up and wet-looking.
- Cool the cookies on the pan, on a wire rack, for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.