Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These soft and light classic chocolate crinkle cookies are rolled in powdered sugar and have a brownie-like texture. Perfect for holidays, snacking, or gifting.
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Jump to What You Need
- About Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Do you have to chill the dough?
- What can you substitute for vegetable oil?
- How long are chocolate crinkle cookies good for?
- Can you freeze chocolate crinkle cookies?
- How long does the powdered sugar coating last?
- Notes & tips for this crinkle cookie recipe
- Other choclate recipes
- More fun cookie recipes
- How to make chocolate crinkle cookies
- Recipe Details
About Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Even with all the fun, new desserts in the world these days, I’m still more of a traditionalist. I lean toward (and crave unconditionally) the classics.
Because you can’t fix what isn’t broken, amirite? And is there really anything more “not broken” than delicious chocolate cookies?
Not in my book!
It’s always a good time to have a deliciously simple chocolate cookie.
That’s what I love about recipes like this – they’re genuine crowd-pleasers.
And better yet, these chocolate crinkle cookies taste like brownie cookies, and trust me – that’s exactly as awesome as it sounds. They’re not as thick or moist as a brownie, but the inside is just as light, flavorful, and crumbly.
These timeless cookies really are the best of both worlds and easily hold their own with all the trendy desserts of today.
Do you have to chill the dough?
This particular recipe calls for chilling the cookie dough for a minimum of one hour (or ideally up to eight hours). The primary reason for this is to make the dough more manageable for rolling and coating in powdered sugar.
If you’re curious about the purpose (and benefits!) of doing this, check out this article: Chilling Cookie Dough: Does it Make a Difference?
What can you substitute for vegetable oil?
Since posting this recipe, many readers have asked if there’s a substitute for the vegetable oil.
I’ve only ever made these crinkle cookies with vegetable oil, so I don’t have any personal experience with this, but you can check out these articles for some guidance: Can I Substitute Butter for Vegetable Oil in Cake Mix? and How to Substitute Coconut Oil for Vegetable Oil.
How long are chocolate crinkle cookies good for?
Once prepared, these cookies can be stored in a sealed container on the counter for up to four or five days.
Can you freeze chocolate crinkle cookies?
If you’d like to always have a batch of these cookies on hand, the easiest way is to freeze them for later. There are two ways you can do this.
To freeze the raw dough:
- Mix all ingredients, then use a cookie scoop to scoop out about one tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball (the same way you would before baking). Coat the cookie dough ball with powdered sugar.
- Place cookie dough balls on a tray and freeze for at least two hours or until the outside is no longer tacky. Once firm, transfer to a freezer bag or a storage container with a sealable lid.
- Cookie dough can be stored for up to six months. When ready to bake, arrange the frozen cookie balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed, bake as directed.
To freeze the baked cookies:
- Bake and allow to cool completely.
- Store cookies in a single layer in a freezer bag or storage container. If you need to stack the cookies, separate each layer with a sheet of wax paper.
- Baked cookies can be frozen for up to three months.
How long does the powdered sugar coating last?
These cookies have a soft, yet dry, texture, so the iconic powdered sugar coating for these crinkle cookies should last – however, this could easily be impacted by temperature. If the cookies will be above room temperature at any time, they could begin to absorb the powdered sugar coating.
To avoid this, you could try any of the following:
- Store the cookies in the refrigerator or the freezer until ready to eat.
- Coat the cookies in a thin layer of granulated sugar, then coat in a thick layer of powdered sugar.
- Use a “non dissolving” powdered sugar coating instead of standard powdered sugar. I’ve personally never used a product like this, so I don’t have first hand knowledge on whether this will impact taste or texture, but I have heard good things from others who have tried it. King Arthor makes a brand of powdered sugar that does this.
Notes & tips for this crinkle cookie recipe
- If you’re doing a lot of baking, I highly recommend having some silicone baking mats on hand. Baking cookies takes enough time without having to cut or measure parchment paper. Or if you prefer using parchment paper, you can try using pre-cut parchment paper sheets instead.
- Plus, some quality baking sheets are a must for a cookie baking extravaganza!
- For this recipe, I highly recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. This recipe would be difficult to make by hand with a whisk.
- Other readers have said they had issues with the cookies going flat. Before baking, be sure to check out this article – it could be a big help! One Reason Cookies Spread.
Other choclate recipes
More fun cookie recipes
How to make chocolate crinkle cookies
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – In a medium bowl, whisk together the following ingredients: cocoa powder, granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2 – Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), whip together the vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla.
Step 3 – While continuing to mix, add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until a sticky batter forms.
Step 4 – Chill the dough for about one hour.
Step 5 – Use a cookie scoop to scoop up some of the cookie dough, drop it in powdered sugar, then toss to coat. Use your hands to smooth the cookie dough into a ball, then place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat this step until all the cookie dough is used.
Step 6 – Bake!
Step 7 – Serve and enjoy!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), add vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix on low just long enough to break the egg yolks, about 10-15 seconds.
- Keeping speed on low, pour in 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, blending for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Continue adding the rest of the dry ingredients until cookie batter is thoroughly mixed. Batter will be dark and sticky.
- Cover and chill cookie dough for at least 1 hour, ideally 4 hours, or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and keep it handy for the next step.
- Scoop 1-2 tablespoons of cookie dough with a cookie scoop and roll it into a ball. Drop ball in powdered sugar and toss to coat. Place sugar coated cookie ball on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this step until all the cookie dough batter is used, spacing cookies 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for 10-13 minutes or until tops of cookies are lined with cracks (as pictured).
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Serve as desired.
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
