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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

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This classic Chocolate Crinkle Cookies recipe is fun to make, super delicious, and perfect for the holidays!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Of course, our week of classic holiday cookie recipes here on the blog would not be complete without these famous crinkles.

Who wants some Chocolate Crinkle Cookies??

Whether you’re baking up a batch for a cookie exchange, pulling them warm outta the oven for a holiday party, or leave them out with a note for Santa, I promise that these chocolate crinkle cookies are always a hit! And this specific recipe has served me well for years. The cookie batter itself is very straightforward, and quick and easy to whip up. Then once you’ve rolled the dough balls in powdered sugar, channel those Great British Baking Show vibes and plant yourself in front of the oven to watch the cookies rise and crinkle. So fun! (Especially with kiddos!)

Here’s how to make them!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies | 1-Minute Video

Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Dough

Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Ingredients:

There’s a good chance you may already have these ingredients in your pantry! You will need:

  • Flour: I typically use all-purpose, but white whole wheat flour would work too.
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder: Because…chocolate.
  • Baking powder, salt, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract: Because…cookies.
  • Oil: I grew up making these with vegetable oil, but any mild-flavored oil will do.
  • Powdered sugar: For rolling the cookie dough.

Stack of Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

How To Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies:

To make crinkle cookies, simply…

  1. Whisk together your dry ingredients. Flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
  2. Prep your dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and oil. Followed by adding in the eggs and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients.
  3. Chill the dough. Sorry, you really can’t skip this step with chocolate crinkle cookies! Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until completely chilled.
  4. Prep your dough balls. Form the dough into 1-inch balls, and roll them in powdered sugar until completely coated. Place them on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
  5. Bake. Then bake then at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool for a bit afterwards. Then…
  6. Enjoy! I highly recommend eating these warm out of the oven. But they also store well for up to 5 days, or freeze well for up to 3 months.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Milk

Possible Variations:

Looking to mix things up? Feel free to:

  • Add chocolate chips. I really love mixing 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips into this batter for that extra-gooey chocolate touch.
  • Place a Hershey’s kiss on top. Just poke the kisses right into the tops of the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven.
  • Hide a caramel inside the cookie. Once your dough ball is ready to go, poke half of a soft caramel inside the dough, and wrap/roll the dough around the caramel so that it is completely enclosed. The caramel will melt while baking, making for an extra delicious surprise inside.
  • Add ground cinnamon and cayenne. For a Mexican chocolate twist, try adding 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper to the dough. (Just whisk them into the dry ingredient mixture.)

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies on Plates

More Favorite Cookie Recipes:

Looking for more delicious cookie inspiration? Feel free to check out our full collection of cookie recipes, or any of these other favorite classic cookies:

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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 88 reviews
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 20 -22 cookies 1x

Description

This classic Chocolate Crinkle Cookies recipe is fun to make, super delicious, and perfect for the holidays!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup mild-flavored oil (such as vegetable oil, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, for coating the cookies

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until combined.  Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the granulated sugar and oil. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs and vanilla, beating on medium-low speed until combined.  Then gradually fold in the flour mixture, and beat on medium-low speed until combined.
  3. Form the dough into a large ball, and place it on a large sheet of plastic wrap.  Wrap the plastic around it so that it is sealed tightly.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 24 hours) until the dough is chilled completely through.
  4. Once you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Fill a small bowl with the powdered sugar.
  5. Remove and unwrap the dough.  Then form the dough into 1-inch round balls.  Dip each dough ball in the powdered sugar until it is completely covered on all sides, and then place them least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes.  Then remove the baking sheet from the oven, and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes.  Transfer the cookies to a wire rack, and let them cool until they reach room temperature.
  7. Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Slightly adapted from AllRecipes.

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210 comments on “Chocolate Crinkle Cookies”

  1. These cookies are realllllly really good. I found that the dough is not of the consistency as described before you put it in the fridge to chill. It’s more like a brownie recipe before you chill it. Once chilled, then you can mold the dough into balls. I wore gloves and sprayed my hand with Pam. I found that to be helpful when rolling the balls; it helped the dough not stick to the gloves. Other than that, the recipe is spot on and the cookies are seriously delicious. I only wish I could attach a picture of the cookies I made!






    • Oh my lord these cookies are so good! Im going to share them with my family and friends, thank you so much for making this recipe!

      (If anyone runs out of powdered sugar you can just blend granulated sugar on high in a vitamix blender and poof you have powdered sugar….Just putting this out there for some of you who had this problem)






  2. Delicious! But I experienced technical issues. The dough ended up being more like a thick brownie batter and 1 cup of powdered sugar is too much, I’d suggest 1/2 or 3/4 cup instead.






    • I used melted butter for my oil (closer to 3/8 cup to bind the sugar) and doubled the salt out of habit. They came out great! Another commenter suggested Pam and gloves, but I just dusted my hands lightly with powdered sugar to keep the dough from sticking.

      Great recipe, thanks!!

    • I noticed everyone had the same problem of not being able to roll the dough into balls before it is chilled. It actually says, FORM DOUGH INTO LARGE BALL, CHILL FOR UP TO 24 HOURS. ONCE CHILLED, ROLL INTO 1 INCH BALLS.

      HOW DID EVERYONE COLLECTIVELY SKIP AHEAD A STEP ?! THAT IS SO BIZARRE TO ME!!

      PS, IF YOU MAKE THE RECIPE CORRECTLY, THESE COOKIES ARE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!






  3. Oh, and I used a cookie scoop to drop several at a time into a dish of powdered sugar, used a spoon to move the sugar on top of the cookie balls, put a little of the sugar on my hands, picked up the balls one at a time, rolled them smooth, and set them on the baking mat. Very little mess at all. ( Looks like there s no way to attach a photo so I guess you ll just have to believe me that they re beautiful!)

  4. Newbie here so forgive my mistakes. i followed the instructions but when it came to forming the dough into a ball, it was much too runny to do that. Do I just add more flour and cocoa?






    • Did you give it enough time to chill in the fridge? This dough definitely needs to be pretty chilled/firm in order for it to roll well. :) Best wishes!

    • You’re right – this forms a brownie like batter, not a dough you can roll up in a ball to chill. While I won’t be making this one again, I just poured the batter into a tupperware container and put it in the fridge overnight. Used a cookie scoop and dropped the ball right into powdered sugar and used a spoon to completely cover it. THEN I was able to roll it into a ball but that was a total waste of time because by the time I got my cookie sheet halfway filled, the first ‘balls’ were total blobs.

  5. So many commenters had the same issue, it’s quite obvious that it’s not a matter of that many people getting the measurements wrong bur rather; the dough will not form into a ball to wrap in plastic *before* it ever goes into the fridge to chill for a couple hours, which is what the recipe says. But if anyone’s reading this, just Saran Wrap your mixing bowl to chill and the texture after chilling is just fine for rolling. Other than this, cookies came out amazing and I love the recipe!

  6. Personally, I’m very disappointed by this recipe. The dough is very sticky even after being chilled for hours, so it’s difficult to form balls. I was looking forward to a decadent chocolate cookie, but these do not have the rich chocolate taste I was looking for. Be careful not to overbake, otherwise they become very dry and cakey. If baked just right, they are on the chewy side, but lack great taste. I think it’s because the recipe has a lot of eggs and flour and not enough fat, hence the cake-like texture and taste. On the bright side, they are very beautiful once baked. I will not make them again.






  7. Everyone loved this recipe the most out of my Christmas cookie boxes, so I made another batch and gave them away too. They are not too sweet, soft, and taste like a mixture of a brownie and a cookie! Like others have said the dough is similar to brownie batter before it is chilled, but is very easy to form into a ball afterwards. Just put icing sugar on your hands to avoid the batter sticking.






  8. I make these every year and love them. I changed my cocoa powder this year to “premium ghirardelli” and they lost the rich chocolate taste! Hershey does a better job. Also, like others advised, I use a scoop to drop my dough balls directly into the powdered sugar. I also spray my hands with Pam because I still have to touch the dough to sugar it. It’s a difficult dough for sure, but my kids love these and they are an easy crowd pleaser.






  9. These cookies are easy and look great! My family loves them because they are not too sweet. I did find them a tad dry but ex elle y addition to the multitude of Christmas sweets this time of year!






  10. I had never made Crinkle cookies before, but wanted to try them. As I was making this recipe, I wasn’t convinced it was going to come out right. As other reviewers stated, after mixing it resembles a brownie batter more than a cookie dough. Also, I was worried that I wasn’t going to get very many cookies out of this, but after refrigerating for a day and then scooping them into 1-inch balls, I did get 24 cookies. I wish I would have doubled the recipe because they are so delicious! The consistency is perfect like a chewy, fudge-y brownie and the powdered sugar crinkled perfectly. They also stayed round and puffy and did not flatten out. I will stick with this recipe in the future and double it every time! My first time trying a recipe from this site and I am currently searching for some more to try. Thanks!






  11. My cookies taste slightly salty, even though I followed the recipe.

    • I just made these and they are salty. So go easy on the salt but other than that the texture is good, easy to make, taste good (minus the salt).






  12. These cookies are awesome! My hubby would like me to make these every Christmas. Had to add a little more flour because the dough was a little wet after mixing??⛄️?






  13. Thank you for this! I’ve never baked cookies before so I was sure I was going to screw these up. But they turned out awesome and the family loved them. I had the same issue as others here – with the dough being like batter, so I added a little more flour (like I would do when making bread) and it worked out fine. Thanks again!






  14. My new FAVOURITE cookie recipe. I’ve made 12 dozen batches this season alone and they have all gone into the fridge differently, but once chilled and baked they are all the same (DELICIOUS). I do add a cup of chocolate chips to the dough and Oh My Goodness, perfection! I’m making one more batch tonight for Gramma and Santa. Merry Christmas ???

  15. Hello,
    Thank you for the recipe! Cookies were delicious!
    I had the cookie batter stay overnight in the fridge and used powered sugar on my hands when rolling them. Thank you for the tips and everyone who commented.

  16. My all time favorite cookie. #1






  17. This was, hands down, the BEST chocolate crinkle cookie recipe I have ever tried! They stay fresh and they are very moist with a decadent texture. I highly recommend this recipe! Thanks for sharing!






  18. What size scoop did you use? I have oxo small medium Nd large, I typically use medium for cookies but I don’t think I can only get probably 12 cookies.

  19. The most delicious crinkles I’ve ever done! So satisfied that I tried it!






  20. This is the recipe I have been looking for! Delicious, soft and chewy!






  21. I actually didn’t have a problem with the dough being too runny or sticky, and I only had to chill for an hour. It was delicious, and these are definitely some of my favorite cookies.






  22. This is the first time my two teenagers tried this recipe and the cookies were delicious, crumptious. The only change the made was unsalted butter instead of oil. We will double the quantity next time. Thank you.






  23. These cookies are delicious! If people follow the recipe and CHILL the cookie dough, they shouldn’t have a problem. Yes, the dough is a bit sticky, but just dust your hands with powdered sugar or spray a bit of oil on rubber gloves and roll away. They are worth putting in your cookie collection.






  24. Please, for those of us who actually weigh our ingredients, please list the amounts in grams/ounces. I also found this to be more of a thick brownie consistency than a dough you could roll into a ball. Use a cookie scoop once chilled for easier shaping.






  25. The recipe was actually perfect for me. I didn’t even chill the dough longer. I put it in the freezer for about 30-40 mins and it was completely chilled. The dough was not soggy and had a perfect consistency. Even if I didn’t chill it, it already had a perfect consistency. I didn’t want it too sweet so I only added about 1/2 plus 1/8 cups of granulated sugar. I baked it at 150 degrees Celsius or about 300 degrees Fahrenheit and it turned out perfect, a little bit crispy in the outside and soft in the inside chocolate crinkles. It’s also good when you add a little bit of cinnamon in it. Thanks for this awesome recipe!

  26. Best crinkle cookie recipe ever! Been making these non stop lately. Thanks for sharing!






  27. Made these for the first time they were delicious. Taste more like a little brownie dusted with icing sugar than a cookie. I was wondering if you could put crushed candy cane on top? To make them a peppermint chocolate crinkle cookie, has anyone tried this?

  28. So yummy, tastes like a 2 bite brownie






  29. I made these today and I was skeptical about making cookies with no butter and just oil. They turned out FABULOUS! The only thing I did different was roll the dough in sugar first then powdered sugar. This recipe is a keeper! :)






  30. My friends and family love these. I’ve made them two years in a row. This will be the third. Last year I used mint extract in place of the vanilla and they flew off the plate!

    Question though;
    Can I freeze the dough to prepare ahead of time?






  31. Can I use self rising flour?

  32. These are by FAR one of my most favorite recipes to make at Xmas! They’re super easy to make,(minus the chocolate goop I have to scrub off my hands after rolling dough?), they’re deeelicious, like the best brownie cookie thing you’ll ever have in ur life & so chewy/soft! Plus its super easy to freeze the balls & pop em out to cook when u need them for a sweet treat for friends & fam(like I’m doing right now?) Lol Thanx for the recipe we love it!?






  33. Dough came together nicely and smelled lovely baking. Unfortunately, they didn’t taste like anything really and we will move on to another recipe and try again.






  34. Wow, the perfect chocolate crinkle cookies!! My family loves these!!! I don’t think they will last until tomorrow. ? Thanks so much Ali! Happy holidays! Merry Christmas! ?






  35. They taste like brownies, but with a whole lot more work & mess Should have made brownies.






  36. Just pulled mine from the oven and they look perfect! I genuinely think the recipe is great! I think the issue people have with baking is that they don’t measure correctly and baking tends to work better when you can weigh it vs just using the US measurements. I only chilled my half batch for the minimum and while a little sticky, it rolled just fine. Definitely will make more!






  37. Okay..I followed the recipe exactly, but my “dough”, is not like a dough at all. It’s like brownie batter. Help!!!

  38. The BEST Chocolate Crinkle recipe I’ve tried! ?






  39. Not sweet enough, too heavy. The chocolate crinkles of my youth were light and fluffy. Will keep trying. But these were a waste of time.






  40. The best chocolate cookies I have made in my LIFEEE






  41. I’ve been making these for a few years now because it’s one of my husband’s favorite cookies. I’m wondering if I would need to reduce the amount of cocoa powder to make “red velvet crinkle cookies.” Also, how much red food coloring will I need to add?

  42. Easy and delicious!!’ Family loved them!!!

  43. These cookies were great, I needed them quickly so only chilled them for half an hour. BUT they turned out perfect! I added chocolate chips which made them really gooey and yum.






  44. These are very good. I used Trader Joe’s cocoa powder. Made them for Easter as a second dessert choice with pie. I placed a Cadbury Chocolate egg in the middle about 3 minutes after coming out of the oven. They looked very festive.






  45. I’ve made these a couple times, and my brother loves them! The recipe works for me, and the dough is think and not at all batter-like. Anyway, you’re not supposed to roll into balls until after it’s chilled. Great recipe though!






  46. I’m disappointed in these. They didn’t spread out and just stayed as balls, and they weren’t sweet at all.






  47. These turned out just perfectly! Exactly what we were craving. 😍






  48. Delicious! We added chocolate chips and slightly undercooked the cookies at 9 minutes. The inside was still slightly gooey, which my daughter says she prefers! This was a win for our first batch of Christmas cookies of the season.






  49. Thank you for the awesome cookie recipe 🥳
    Followed the directions and they are perfect – like a truffle.

  50. Lost my old recipe. So frustrating after picking up the ingredients. Fortunately, these are even better! Wish I could add a picture to show you how perfect they came out! And this is with a new convection oven. I’ve been baking cookies for 50+ years, so I’ve made alot of mistakes. These seem to be fool proof. I did let them sit well wrapped in the fridge for almost 24 hours.