These 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 hand or stand mixer!
If you like chocolate, you might also like s'mores brownies from brownie mix and chocolate shard cake.
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What makes a good chocolate crinkle cookie
Chocolate crinkle cookies should have a crisp outer layer and a soft, moist center. They should taste chocolatey, but not overly sweet.
Coffee enhances their chocolate flavor and tones down the sweetness. A thick layer of powdered sugar gives them that distinctive cracked surface as they bake.
Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: I recommend Dutch-process cocoa powder for darker, fudgier cookies. Hershey's "Special Dark" Cocoa Powder is an example.
- Instant coffee: There won't be coffee taste in the cookies but more chocolate flavor. You can use half as much espresso powder.
- Oil: Use neutral-flavored canola or other vegetable oils. You can use mild-tasting olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil.
How to make this recipe
Prep and organize
- Measure the ingredients accurately with a kitchen scale. If using a measuring cup, remember not to pack the flour. Level the top off with a flat edge.
- Prepare a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
- Bring the eggs to room temperature. Submerge them in warm tap water for a few minutes until no longer cool to the touch.
The dry ingredients
(1)Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, instant coffee, and salt into a medium bowl using a strainer. (2)Whisk them together.
The wet ingredients
(3)In a large bowl, combine the eggs, oil, granulated sugar, and vanilla. (4)Whisk them together until well combined.
Combine the dry and wet ingredients
(5)Add the dry ingredients (flour mixture) to the wet ingredients. (6)Mix together with a spatula until just combined or no more flour is visible. The dough will be very moist and sticky.
Chill (or freeze) the cookie dough
(7)Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. It has to be firm enough and manageable to roll into balls.
You can also freeze the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour to reduce waiting time.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 350° F (177° C).
(8)Make 12 to 14 cookie dough balls using a #40 cookie scoop or about 1½ tablespoons (30 to 35 grams).
If the dough is firm enough, it keeps its shape when you scoop them — no need to shape them into balls with your palms. (9)Coat them generously with powdered sugar.
(10)Arrange them on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. (11)Bake for 9 minutes, plus or minus 1 minute depending on your oven.
Chocolate crinkle cookies are ready when the tops have cracked and the center is slightly glossy. They will continue to bake as they sit on the baking sheet.
PRO TIP: Chocolate crinkle cookies bake in no time so pay attention; it's easy to overbake them, resulting in dry cookies.
Allow them to cool before serving.
How to store
Chocolate crinkle cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container, ideally for up to five days.
They may be refrigerated for up to two weeks. You can also freeze them for up to two months in an airtight container.
Make-ahead
Freeze the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet 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 three months. Roll them in powdered sugar just right before baking.
Let them thaw on the baking sheet while your oven is preheating. You may need to extend the baking time by one or two minutes.
Frequently asked questions
While there are recipes where eggs can make or break a recipe, chocolate crinkles cookies aren't one of them. Cold eggs won't make them taste bad.
But if you take the extra step of bringing them to room temperature, you'll be rewarded with fluffier cookies. Room temperature eggs mix evenly with other ingredients making the dough rise more.
Confectioners' sugar, powdered sugar, icing sugar, and 10X sugar are all the same. It is essentially granulated sugar ground up into a fine powder.
Cornstarch is added to commercial powdered sugar to prevent caking or large clumps from forming.
If you measured the ingredients correctly, overmixing the cookie dough or overbaking the cookies could be the problem.
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.
Watch how I make it here
Other dessert recipes you may like
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
- #40 (1 ½ tablespoons) cookie scoop
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (128 grams)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (40 grams) preferably Dutch-process
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee or ¼ teaspoon espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt use half for table salt
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- ¼ cup canola or other vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (133 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar (57 grams) for coating
Instructions
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, instant coffee, and salt into a medium bowl using a strainer. Whisk them together.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, oil, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Whisk them together until well combined.
- Combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients until no more flour is visible.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. You can also freeze the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (177° C).
- Coat them generously with powdered sugar and arrange them on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 9 minutes, plus or minus 1 minute depending on your oven.
- Allow them to cool before serving.
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!