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!).
Lovely Milles says
Hi Nora! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Everybody loves it. ❤️
Andrea Ponce says
Hello!!! For this recepie do I need salted or unsalted butter?
Nora Rusev says
Hi Andrea, it’s unsalted butter here.
Maddie says
Made these yesterday and they are so good! Recipe is super easy which is obviously a plus. Will definitely be making these again and checking out some other recipes:)
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Maddie! These are one of our favorite cookies, so I’m happy you enjoyed them as mush as we do.
Marisa says
These are so amazing. They’re not overly sweet, super easy to make and are visually very pretty! Thanks for the recipe!
Nora Rusev says
Thank’s for making them, and for coming back to leave a review, Marisa! I appreciate it.
Katie says
First time I made them they turned out perfectly and tasted great, but the second time I made them the icing sugar on the outside melted and became clear. Super weird as I made them exactly how I made them the first time. Oh well still good
Nora Rusev says
Katie, did you bake two trays at the same time by any chance? Or did you leave a baking sheet in the oven? Someone else sent me a message about this on Instagram, and then noted how she did some research and this is what caused it for her. She tried again a few times with just one baking sheet in the oven at a time, and it never happened again.
Valentina says
easy to make and super delicious!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear this, Valentina! Thank you for leaving a review – it’s much appreciated.
McKensie says
Girl; these were fantastic!!
I made them with my little boys tonight for Santa. They were fluffy, gooey, and chewy! Your recipe is now going to be a Christmas Eve tradition.
(I’m an avid baker, and these are THE BEST crinkle cookies!)
Thank you for sharing!
Nora Rusev says
So so glad to hear this! My kids love making these, too, and it always makes me so happy when our recipes bring joy to other families, too. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Marijan Favetti says
This is the first time I tried to make a Chocolate Crinkle cookie and followed the instructions which are clear and easy to do… the cookies came out of the oven exactly at pictured and the taste is fabulous. Thank you Nora and a Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Marijan. Thank you for coming back to add your review, I appreciate it so very much. And a very Merry Christmas to you, too!
Natalia says
Thank you for this amazing recipe! All family love them ?
Gabby says
Hubby and I loved them! We divided the recipe and added semi sweet morsels to half and reeses peanut butter chips to the other half and they both were fabulous! We’re already making them for the 2nd time in a month!
Melody says
Better recipe than I had, they are delicious
Tracy says
Hello Nora!
It looks like in the video you had sifted the cocoa. Would you advise to sift the flour as well?
Nora Rusev says
Tracy, I don’t sift the flour, only the cocoa if it is lumpy. I forgot to add a note about the cocoa to the recipe, fixed that ASAP!
Ameen says
Made these for my colleagues for Christmas this year. Taste great and soft! Love it
Claire says
If I wanted to add peppermint extract, how much should I add for a hint of mint?
Nora Rusev says
I would do 2-3 drops! Hope that helps, Claire.
Tess says
Delicious cookies! Excellent detailed instructions. Thank you! Much appreciated.
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Tess! Thank YOU for making them!
Gail says
I am on my second batch right now. Soon as I remove from the cookie sheet I stick a hot cocoa Hershey kiss in the middle and call em hit cocoa cookies. They are soooooo nummy!!!!
Nora Rusev says
I love them with chocolate kisses! I have yet to try hot cocoa though, but that sounds fantastic.
Alora says
Can you use gluten free flour?
Nora Rusev says
Alora, if it’s a cup-for-cup mix with something like Xanthan gum added, I’d say yes. Cookies are generally a great bake to make gluten free, because they don’t need the structure. A gluten free friend of mine wanted to try these with cup-for-cup flour and thought they would definitely work out, but she hasn’t made them yet. I would think these turn out pretty well with gluten free flour. Do let me know if you end up trying!
Chloe says
This is probably a dumb question but do you need baking powder in these?
Nora Rusev says
Not a dumb question at all, it’s easy to
miss something on a screen 🙂 the baking powder
Is the third ingredient listed, 1.5 teaspoons
Nora Rusev says
Or did you mean if you can leave out the baking powder? That I‘d err on the day of no, but I haven’t tried. I would imagine they turn out a lot more dense without. You’d be free to try, they do have a lot of eggs that should give them some lift, too.
Chloe says
Haha sorry i wasn’t real specific, and thank you.(I also find it really nice and cool that you reply to people it’s really helpful.)
Nora Rusev says
Of course! That’s what’s the best part of sharing my recipes here 🙂
Kristi says
These are perfect! Couldn’t be better. Thank you so much for the great recipe!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear this, Kristi! Thank you for coming back to share your feedback, I appreciate your time.
Oli says
Excellent recipe, they always come out perfectly!!! Tip for the sticky hands, if you pure a bit on icing sugar on your palms before rolling it works just like a flour!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad you enjoy the cookies, Oli! And great tip with the powdered sugar – I’ll try that next time!
Lindsey says
I baked them for 11 min. So good! Like a brownie bite cookie! And they’re pretty too! Thanks for sharing!
Abby says
Took these to a holiday cookie exchange and won “most beautiful cookie”. They were a hit.
Carmen says
I followed the directions but my dough is not sticky. It is dry. Any suggestions?
Nora Rusev says
Carmen, I just made these last week and the dough should definitely be very sticky. Did you use large eggs? And did you measure your flour and cocoa powder correctly (spoon it into the cup, then level with a knife – it shouldn’t be tightly packed)? I’m so sorry you didn’t have a better experience! But I’d love to figure out the culprit with you.
Nancy says
These are great! The first batch I baked for 12 min and they were good, but cakey. Second batch 10min and for me, perfect! Like a rich brownie bite!!
Nora Rusev says
Glad to hear it, Nancy! The baking time depends a lot on the exact oven you have and the exact size of your cookies, so I’m very glad you figured out how to bake yours to perfection! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, I appreciate it!
Ash says
Super easy and yummy! Made it for a cookie exchange and for work and everyone loved them. My trick to dealing with the sticky dough was to cover my hands in powdered sugar before I started rolling a cookie. Worked for me!