Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are soft and moist with a brownie-like texture and a cracked sugary shell. They are quick and easy to make — no need for a mixer!
If you like chocolate, you might also like S'mores Brownies from Brownie Mix, Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting, M&M Cookies, or Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies.
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Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Use Dutch-process cocoa powder for darker, fudgier cookies. Hershey's "Special Dark" Cocoa Powder is an example.
- Instant coffee: You won't taste the coffee in the cookies but a more intense chocolate flavor. Half as much espresso powder can be used.
- Oil: Use a neutral or mild-tasting oil like canola, avocado, or other vegetable oils.
How to make this recipe
Prep and organize
- Measure the ingredients accurately with a kitchen scale. If using a measuring cup, don't pack the flour and level the top off with a flat edge.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bring eggs to room temperature. You can submerge them in warm tap water until no longer cool to the touch.
Step 1: Sift 1 cup flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon instant coffee, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (use half for table salt) into a medium bowl using a strainer.
Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients until combined.
Step 3: Combine 2 eggs, ¼ cup oil, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl.
Step 4: Whisk the wet ingredients until well combined.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients (flour mixture) to the wet ingredients.
Step 6: Mix with a spatula until just combined, and no more flour is visible. The dough will be very moist and sticky.
Step 7: Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 2 to 4 hours. It has to be firm enough and manageable to roll into balls. You can also freeze it for 30 minutes to an hour and reduce waiting time.
Preheat the oven to 350° F (177° C).
Step 8: Make 12 to 14 cookie dough balls using a #40 cookie scoop or about 1½ tablespoons (30 to 35 grams). When the dough is firm enough, it keeps its shape when you scoop them—no need to shape them with your hands.
Step 9: Coat the dough balls generously with powdered sugar.
Step 10: Arrange them on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Step 11: Bake the cookies for 9 to 10 minutes, depending on your oven. They are ready when the tops have cracked and the center looks slightly glossy.
PRO TIP: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies bake in no time, so keep an eye on them. Overbaking can result in dry cookies.
Allow the cookies to cool before serving. Store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. Refrigerate them for up to 2 weeks or freeze them for up to 2 months.
Make-ahead
Place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze them for about an hour. When no longer sticky, gather them in a resealable bag or an airtight container. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Roll them in powdered sugar right before baking. Let them thaw on the baking sheet while your oven is preheating. You may need to extend the baking time by 1 or 2 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
While there are recipes where eggs can make or break a recipe, this isn't one of them. Cold eggs won't make them taste bad.
The extra step of bringing them to room temperature will reward you with fluffier cookies. Eggs at room temperature will mix evenly with other ingredients and help the dough rise.
Confectioners' sugar, powdered sugar, icing sugar, and 10X sugar are all the same. It is essentially granulated sugar ground up into a fine powder.
Commercial products sometimes contain cornstarch to prevent caking or large clumps.
If you measured the ingredients correctly, the issue of dry cookies could stem from either overmixing the dough or overbaking them.
More about chocolate crinkle cookies
If you'd like to know more, here are frequently asked questions about Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, including extra tips, troubleshooting, and more.
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
- #40 (1½ tablespoons) cookie scoop (optional)
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder preferably Dutch-process (see note)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt use half for table salt
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- ¼ cup neutral or mild-tasting oil (see note)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar for coating
Instructions
- Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, instant coffee, and salt into a medium bowl using a strainer. Whisk them together.
- Combine eggs, oil, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk them together until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients (flour mixture) to the wet ingredients. Mix with a spatula until just combined and no more flour is visible.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 2 to 4 hours. You can also freeze it for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Make 12 to 14 cookie dough balls using a #40 cookie scoop or about 1½ tablespoons (30 to 35 grams).
- Coat them generously with powdered sugar and arrange them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake in a 350° F (177° C) preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes, depending on your oven. They are ready when the tops have cracked and the center looks slightly glossy.
- Allow the cookies to cool before serving.
Video
Notes
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Use Dutch-process cocoa powder for darker, fudgier cookies. Hershey's "Special Dark" Cocoa Powder is an example.
- Instant coffee: You won't taste the coffee in the cookies but a more intense chocolate flavor. Half as much espresso powder can be used.
- Oil: Use a neutral or mild-tasting oil like canola, avocado, or other vegetable oils.
Bim
Wow, these chocolate crinkle cookies are the best! My grandchildren loved it. I don’t have to buy cookies anymore, just make it myself. Maybe these cookies will sell fast compared to other kind of cookies. Thank you again Nora.
Nora
Thank you!