Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
This elegantly simple recipe for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies combines common pantry ingredients to create a fluffy, moist chocolate cookie that is so much more than the sum of its parts. Pretty to look at and fun to eat, these are sure to become a favorite!
Are you looking for a way to step up your cookie game? Then these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are just what you need! These delicate cookies are easily made with common ingredients and will absolutely steal the show at your next cookie exchange, baby shower, or dinner party. You can even make them well in advance so there’s no need to stress on the morning of a big event.
These distinctive-looking cookies are beautiful with their chocolate cookie bases peeking through the crinkled powdered sugar coating in a way that is sure to make your mouth water. No one would believe that you whipped up these delightful little cookies with pantry ingredients you already had on hand!
🛒 Ingredient Notes
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- Flour – Plain all-purpose flour is standard, but a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend may be substituted.
- Butter – Softened and salted is best!
- Granulated and Dark Brown Sugars – A mixture of granulated white sugar and dark brown sugar gives the perfect balance of sweetness and richness.
- Eggs – Add moisture to the dough and gives the finished cookies a nice chewy texture.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Adds a rich chocolate flavor to these crinkle cookies.
- Vanilla Extract – Enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Baking Powder – Helps the cookies to rise and be fluffy.
- Powdered Sugar – Creates the beautifully crinkled finish.
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
🍳 Equipment You’ll Need
You’ll only need a few simple pieces of kitchen equipment for this recipe — a large mixing bowl, an electric mixer, a cookie scoop (or just a spoon), parchment paper, and a cookie sheet.
🥄 How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a mixer to cream together the butter, dark brown sugar, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. Set aside the additional 2 tablespoons of sugar for later.
- Whisk in the eggs until they are fully incorporated into the creamed butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Gently whisk in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder until no clumps of dry flour or cocoa powder remain in the cookie dough.
- In a small separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar and the cornstarch. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Divide or scoop the dough into balls, approximately 1 ½ tablespoons each.
- Roll each ball in the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and then in the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture.
- Place 6 cookies at a time on a cookie sheet and bake on the top rack of the oven for 11 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Makes about 16 cookies.
🍚 Storage
Completely cooled cookies may be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week. Alternatively, you can freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Enjoy them at room temperature, or slightly reheated in the microwave or oven.
❗ Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip rolling the cookies in granulated sugar. The granulated sugar forms a barrier between the cookie dough and the powdered sugar that helps give the cookies the distinctive crinkled look.
- If you’re a big fan of chocolate, try using Dutch process cocoa instead of regular cocoa powder for a deeper, richer chocolate flavor.
- I recommend baking only six cookies at a time. Crinkle cookies spread a bit in the oven, so be careful not to overcrowd the cookie sheet!
- For easy cleanup, line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend using butter for this recipe. Not only does it taste better, it also results in a more crinkled top on the cookies.
There are several reasons why your crinkle cookies may not be properly forming crinkles. Some of the most common problems and their solutions are:
1) The oven isn’t hot enough. These cookies need an initial blast of heat for them to crinkle properly. Make sure that the oven is completely preheated before you place the cookies in and be sure to bake in the highest rack position.
2) The powdered sugar coating is too thin. If the powdered sugar coating isn’t thick enough, the cookies won’t crinkle properly.
3) The cookie dough is too cool. Unlike most cookie doughs, this one doesn’t need to be chilled before it’s baked. In fact, if the dough is too cool when it goes into the oven, it won’t spread and form crinkles properly.
Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
📖 Recipe
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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a mixer to cream together the butter, dark brown sugar, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. Set aside the additional 2 tablespoons of sugar for later.
- Whisk in the eggs until they are fully incorporated into the creamed butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Gently whisk in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder until no clumps of dry flour or cocoa powder remain in the cookie dough.
- In a small separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar and the cornstarch. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Divide or scoop the dough into balls, approximately 1 ½ tablespoons each.
- Roll each of the cookie dough balls in the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and then in the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture.
- Place 6 cookies at a time on a cookie sheet and bake on the top rack of the oven for 11 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Makes about 16 cookies.
Notes
- Don’t skip rolling the cookies in granulated sugar. The granulated sugar forms a barrier between the cookie dough and the powdered sugar that helps give the cookies the distinctive crinkled look.
- Completely cooled cookies may be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week. May be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.