These Chewy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are soft and turn out picture-perfect! The super easy dough make these the best Christmas cookies for your holiday baking!
Chocolate Crinkles are one of my favorite Christmas cookies. An extra-soft, chewy, fudgy cookie that’s dipped in powdered sugar before baking – what’s not to love?!
And they are so easy to make pretty: All you have to do is make sure the powdered sugar coating is thick enough before baking, and they’ll crinkle and become all beautiful during baking.
My mom used to make these every year when I was a kid, only she dipped them in granulated sugar vs powdered sugar for the crunch. She was wrong (sorry, Mom!). The powdered sugar coating is the best!
Watch the recipe video
These chocolate crinkles
- are incredibly easy to make!
- come out wonderfully soft and chewy
- have the perfect cracked pattern
- are wonderful for cookie swaps
- many readers have reported winning cookie contests with these!
Ingredients you’ll need
This is just an overview of the ingredients you’ll need (great as a visual guide at the store!). Scroll down to the recipe for exact quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Cocoa powder: Make sure to use the unsweetened kind. I used regular, but many readers have told me they used Dutch processed successfully.
- Butter: You can use stick margarine in place of the butter. Please do not use buttery spread or a spreadable margarine. I do not recommend using oil in place of the butter.
- Powdered sugar: I do not recommend using organic powdered sugar without anti-caking ingredients for these. I always get the regular powdered sugar to make sure it’s completely powdery and coats the cookie dough evenly.
How to make chocolate crinkle cookies
1) Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together.
2) Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat in until 3) just combined.
4) Combine dry ingredients and 5) add to egg mixture.
6) Slowly mix until dough forms – chill one hour.
7) Shape dough into balls and 8) roll in powdered sugar.
9) Place the cookie dough spread out on baking sheets and bake.
Recipe tips
Cookie size
To make larger cookies, use 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. They will bake in 12-15 minutes.
To make smaller cookies, use 1 generous tablespoon of dough per cookie. They will bake in around 10 minutes.
Baking time
The exact baking times will depend on your oven and how hot it runs, so remember to check on your cookies frequently.
Don’t overbake or they will be hard – they’ll be soft like pudding when you take them out of the oven, but they’ll firm up as they cool! If you overbake, they will be tough AND they will not sink back down to reveal their beautiful crinkle pattern.
Dough
- When beating in the eggs, only do them for max 10 seconds each, otherwise they will get too frothy and your cookies will blow up too much in the oven.
- Yes, it’s a sticky dough, and even after chilling it will start sticking to your palms – that’s normal. Just wash your hands after every few cookies you rolled and it will be fine.
- Make sure you stick to the ingredient amounts the recipe calls for. Otherwise the dough could be too sticky to ever roll, or you could end up with dry cookies.
Powdered sugar
Make sure you coat the cookies with a thick, even layer of powdered sugar without any gaps – that’s the only way to get that beautiful look!
How to make taller/softer crinkles
If you prefer your chocolate crinkles tall and soft, here are a few ways to achieve it:
- chill the dough for a longer amount of time
- place the cookie dough balls on a chilled baking sheet
- bake the cookie dough balls straight after rolling them without letting them come to room temperature first
- let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes without touching them before transferring them to a cooling rack
How to make your crinkle cookies more chewy
If you want your chocolate crinkles to be a little denser and more fudgy (that’s how I love them!), here’s what to do:
- chill the dough just as long as neededplace the cookie dough balls on a room temperature baking sheet
- let the cookie dough balls stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before baking
- if the cookies are still very tall when they come out of the oven, you can gently press them down with the bottom of a drinking glass – you just have to do it RIGHT as you take them out!
Storage tips
On the counter: The crinkle cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3-4 days.
In the freezer: If you want to keep the cookies for longer, they freeze well for up to 3 months (see blow).
Freezer instructions
To freeze unbaked dough:
It’s easy to freeze the rolled cookie dough balls (don’t dip them in sugar though!). Freeze on a lined baking sheet in a single layer until firm (about 2 hours, then transfer to freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.
To bake, just take as many balls as you want to make from the freezer and let sit on a plate on the counter for 30 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar and bake.
To freeze baked cookies:
Place the cooled cookies in layers in freezer containers, separating layers with baking parchment. Label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months).
To defrost, put them on a wire rack and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Do not let them sit in the container or on a plate, or they will get soggy.
If you want warm, freshly-baked cookie flavors, you can place the thawed cookies on a baking sheet and warm them at 275°C for 5-6 minutes.
More chocolate cookies
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Chewy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Recipe details
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder I recommend sifting it if it is very lumpy
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup butter softened
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients: Combine cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cream wet ingredients: Place butter, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on medium-low speed just until combined – about 10 seconds each.
- Make cookie dough: Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated.
- Chill cookie dough: Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least 1 hour or up to overnight (the longer you chill, the thicker the cookies will be).
- Roll cookies: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and cover them well with the sugar.
- Bake cookies: Place on a lined baking sheet with enough space between them (bake in batches) and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until spread and crackled. Cookies will still be soft, so let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Baking tips
Cookie size: To make larger cookies, use 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. They will bake in 12-15 minutes. To make smaller cookies, use 1 generous tablespoon of dough per cookie. They will bake in around 10 minutes. Baking Time: The exact baking times will depend on your oven and how hot it runs, so remember to check on your cookies frequently. Do not overbake. Dough:- do not overheat the eggs or the cookies may be tough
- dough will be sticky, that’s normal
- it helps to slightly dampen hands OR cover them liberally with powdered sugar when rolling cookies
How to make taller/softer crinkles:
If you prefer your chocolate crinkles tall and soft, here are a few ways to achieve it:- chill the dough for a longer amount of time
- place the cookie dough balls on a chilled baking sheet
- bake the cookie dough balls straight after rolling them without letting them come to room temperature first
- let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes without touching them before transferring them to a cooling rack
How to make your crinkle cookies more chewy:
If you want your chocolate crinkles to be a little denser and more fudgy (that’s how I love them!), here’s what to do:- chill the dough just as long as neededplace the cookie dough balls on a room temperature baking sheet
- let the cookie dough balls stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before baking
- if the cookies are still very tall when they come out of the oven, you can gently press them down with the bottom of a drinking glass – you just have to do it RIGHT as you take them out!
Storage tips
On the counter: The crinkle cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3-4 days. In the freezer: If you want to keep the cookies for longer, they freeze well for up to 3 months (see blow).Freezer Instructions
To freeze unbaked dough: Freeze rolled cookie dough (do not dip in powdered sugar!) on a lined baking sheet in a single layer until firm (about 2 hours), then transfer to freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months. To bake, just take as many balls as you want to make from the freezer and let sit on a plate on the counter for 30 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar and bake. To freeze baked cookies: Place the cooled cookies in layers in freezer containers, separating layers with baking parchment. Label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months). To defrost, put them on a wire rack and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Do not let them sit in the container or on a plate, or they will get soggy. If you want warm, freshly-baked cookie flavors, you can place the thawed cookies on a baking sheet and warm them at 275°C for 5-6 minutes.More recipe information
This is one of the cookies we usually leave out for Santa, and he takes his with a mug of Hot Chocolate and a Snickerdoodle on the side ???
I hope you’ll love these as much as we do! Enjoy!
Recipe first shared on December 3rd 2018. Updated to make the post more helpful on 07/14/2020 (recipe unchanged and as good as ever!).
Aisha says
They are delicious and so pretty! Loved this recipe and will be gifting them out along with the red and green crinkle cookies I’m baking ?
Nora Rusev says
Aisha, I’m so happy to hear the cookies turned out well for you! And those festive red and green crinkles sound so perfect ??
Marylou says
Great cookie recipe. Mine were a little larger than yours so I didn’t get nearly as many but the texture was soft and chewy and perfect. I made these for a charity bake sale and they went fast! Thanks for a great recipe.
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Marylou! I love them even more when they are made into large cookies, because they are even softer than the smaller ones. Thank you so much for putting your trust into my recipe, and for coming back to leave a review – I appreciate your time so very much.
Christina Wooldridge says
They came out fabulous, looked and tasted great, not too sweet! I chilled the dough overnight and cooked about 12 mins to perfection!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear this, Christina! I just made a batch yesterday and wondered how long they’d need to bake after an overnight chill, so thank you for letting us know what baking time you figured out.
Amanda Walsh says
First two trays are done and cooling. My family of course couldn’t wait to start eating them. These are awesome. I only had Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder on hand so it made them all the more decadent!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear this, Amanda! I just made these with my kids today, too, but I need to try them with Hershey’s dark cocoa powder next time. Thanks for coming back to leave a review, I appreciate your time so very much.
Kathleen Pretty says
Oh my gosh! I love these cookies! They turned out beautifully.
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear this, Kathleen! Thank you for coming back to leave a review, I appreciate your time.
Debbie says
Can I make these ahead of time and freeze the dough? I do that with chocolate chip cookies so hoping I can make these ahead too!
Nora Rusev says
Debbie, yes absolutely! If you scroll down in the recipe to the notes, the instructions for freezing the dough are in the last section right before the nutrition facts. Hope that helps!
Sara says
Very good, but the bottoms sticked to the pan any tricks to avoid that?
Nora Rusev says
Sara, did you line the baking sheet like the recipe says? I just went to look and realized that the image of my unbaked cookies might be a little confusing there. I put them on a dark surface so there was more contrast to better show how much powdered sugar I use. Let me know if that was too confusing, and I’ll re-make and add a new photo! They definitely shouldn’t stick to the pan if you use nonstick parchment paper. Sorry you didn’t have the best experience!
Kat says
My husband and kids loved it! They eat it as soon as it cools that i had to make another batch the next day for them to eat. The chocolate was not too sweet which I love with just a hint of sweetness from the powdered sugar. Thank you for sharing your recipe! ?
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad your family enjoyed the cookies, Kat! Thank YOU for making these, and for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it!
Subramanian.s says
Thank you for a excellent recipe
Crystal says
What does this yield? I can’t find it. Excited to make these for our cookie exchange.
Nora Rusev says
Crystal, if you stick to 1 tablespoon of cookie dough per cookie, they make about 32. The number is on the right hand side right at the top of the recipe, below the recipe name. If you need a different number of cookies, you can click on the blue number and adjust it to what you need, and the recipe will automatically calculate the new ingredient amount. Hope that helps!
Anka says
Could I add peppermint extract and make them mint chocolate?
Nora says
Yes absolutely, Anka! I’d only do a few drops so you don’t go into mint overload 😉
Petra says
Unsalted or salted butter for these? :p
Excited to try this kind of cookie for the first time!!
Nora says
Petra, I used unsalted! Hope that helps, let me know how they turn out for you!
Esther says
haven’t made these yet,but l will for a cookie exchange l am going to soon, How many does this recipe make? I need six dozen!Help
Nora says
Wow Esther, you’ve got a lot of cookies to bake! This recipe makes about 32 cookies. Hope that helps!
Patti says
OMG, so delish!!!! A bit or work rolling in my hands but well wroth the trouble. Messy, messy
and messy. So worth the extra trouble. Magnificent!!!!!
Nora says
Definitely a little messy, but messy-good, right?! 😉 I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies, Patti, and thank you so much for combing back to leave a review!
Janae says
Perfect! Hubby can’t wait for Christmas now, lol!!
Nora says
Haha Janae, I’m glad!
Monica Fisher says
Just made these to keep my granddaughters occupied, and oh my! We already finished them off. Will save this recipe to make for our annual church cookie exchange.
Nora says
I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed the cookies, Monica!
Lauren says
Omg the BEST I’ve ever made. Made with my 6 year old son and he had so much fun, thanks for sharing the recipe!
Nora says
Glad you enjoyed the cookies, Lauren!
Ashleigh says
To the commenters who found these too dry, you definitely made Them too small. I thought I could eyeball one tbsp, but they turned out bone dry. So I got out my scoop and oops, I had made them half the size I was supposed to!!!! The next batch turned out SO chewy, they’re perfect!!’ So use that measuring spoon people lol
Nora says
Thanks for sharing your experience, Ashleigh! I’m glad you figured out what the issue was for you!
peg says
Hello, I was wondering if the cocoa used in the ingredients us Natural or Dutched?
Thank you.
Nora says
I just used a regular old natural cocoa!
Annabelle Puentes says
I made these cookies yesterday. They were an instant hit! I shall be making these cookies very often now because my grandsons and neighborhood kids are already asking for more. Some of the adults who tasted them say, “The cookies taste like brownies, but are more beautiful and appetizing to look at than just plain brownies.”
Nora says
So glad to hear this, Annabelle! I’m glad the cookies were a hit with everyone.
Christine MacDougall says
Fun to make, looks wonderful, and tastes delicious!
Nora says
So glad to hear this, Christine! Thank you for taking the time to review the recipe, I appreciate so very much. Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Kelly A says
Love these cookies! I used Pernigotti Cocoa (Italian cocoa), came out great. I will be sharing this batch at our churches Christmas Eve service
Nora says
So happy to hear this, Kelly! I’m glad the cookies turned out well, I hope they will be well loved after your church service. Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Shreemayee says
Hi Nora,
What is the ideal size of the balls to be made? I see a previous poster may have made them too small — what’s too small though?
Happy holidays!
Nora says
Hi Shreemayee,
I recommend 1 generous tablespoon of dough for smaller cookies and 2 tablespoons of dough for larger cookies. Cookies made from 1 tablespoon of dough will bake in around 10 minutes, and ones made with 2 tablespoons of dough in around 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven. I’ll add this to the recipe as well, my apologies this isn’t in the instructions as clearly yet!
Hope that helps, and Happy Holidays!
Katheryn says
not sure what happened but mine turned out hard. I even way underbaked my last two batches. any ideas for troubleshooting? Thanks 🙂
Nora says
Hi Katheryn, that sounds so strange. I already had a number of people message me that these turned out very well for them, and I made them again myself just last Sunday. We still have some, and they’re super soft and fudgy even a few days later.
Did you maybe add more sugar than the recipe called for? Forgot the baking powder? Or not enough butter? Or accidentally made them smaller (this happens to me all the time – I actually have to measure out every cookie I make, I absolutely can’t eyeball)? Do you have an oven thermometer? Your oven might run hotter than it indicates.
Or maybe you slightly overmixed the eggs, or the dough when you added the dry ingredients – this can make cookies turn out too hard, too, and it happens really fast when working with an electric mixer or a stand mixer.
Otherwise I really don’t know what could have happened! You can try storing them in an airtight container for a few days to see if that softens them up. Sorry you didn’t have a better experience!
Katheryn says
They did soften after night in airtight storage but they were pretty dry. I wonder if I made them too small. Thank you so much for all of the suggestions! I plan to try to make them again because they tasted amazing despite being a little bit dry. I don’t often hear back when I ask questions. Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Nora says
The size could definitely have been an issue! I hope they turn out softer next time – just make them a bit bigger than what you think is sensible, that’s what usually does the trick for me 😉 glad they tasted nice anyways. And Happy Holidays to you, too!
Lauren says
These are amazing! I tried the trick with pushing them down a little just after baking, and they are the fudgiest chocolate crinkles I’ve ever made. Keeping this recipe!!
Nora says
Thank you so much for that nice comment, Lauren. And so glad that little trick worked out for you!
Claire says
Hello! Thanks for the beautiful recipe 🙂 Any advice for folks hand-beating the ingredients?
Nora says
Hi Claire. Yes! Because actually my hand mixer has been broken since the summer, and I only ordered a new one last weekend 🙂 Cookie recipes in general are great for hand-beating ingredients, because your goal is just to combine everything until smooth, you don’t need to aerate and whip the eggs. It makes it a lot easier if your butter is very soft – I left mine out on the counter for several hours. Use a whisk or a wooden spoon and beat the butter and sugar until well combined, then beat in the eggs until incorporated, but no need to overwork your arm – again, it just needs to be mixed, not foamy. The dry ingredients you can just stir into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon, it takes a little more work because the dough is sticky, but it works just fine! Hope that helps 🙂