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Let’s dive into making the most delectable chocolate crinkle cookies. These classic Christmas treats are a notch above the rest, boasting a richness and fudginess akin to homemade brownies. With thick, soft centers and an extra dose of chocolate, they’re sure to become a staple in your holiday baking repertoire.
Today, I’m excited to share sparkling new photos and success tips for my beloved double chocolate crinkle cookies! Originally published a few years ago, these cookies have won the hearts of bakers worldwide. Readers rave about them, calling them the “best cookies I’ve ever tasted” and advising to “make a double batch right away.” These cookies disappear quickly, and for good reason.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Crinkle Cookies:
- Double the Chocolate: Including chocolate chips for an extra chocolatey experience.
- Brownie-Like Flavor: Rich and fudgy, just like a brownie.
- Soft Centers, Crisp Edges: Perfectly balanced texture.
- Extra Thick: Hearty and satisfying.
- Melt-in-Your-Mouth: Especially when warm from the oven.
As classic as Christmas sugar cookies and as sugar-dusted as snowball cookies, these chocolate crinkles will outshine every other cookie on your holiday platter. That’s a promise!
Behind the Recipe
These cookies might not be groundbreaking, but that’s what makes them perfect. You might recognize the base dough from my go-to chocolate cookie recipe, used in favorites like double chocolate chip cookies, peppermint mocha cookies, and salted caramel dark chocolate cookies.
To prevent the cookies from over-spreading due to the sugar coating, I omit the milk in this dough. This ensures a thicker, more manageable dough.
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Combine all-purpose flour, natural unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Beat Wet Ingredients: Cream together butter, white sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Using room temperature butter and egg ensures a uniform texture and greater volume.
- Combine All Ingredients: Mix the dry and wet ingredients together and add chocolate chips. I prefer mini chocolate chips for more chocolate in every bite.
- Chill the Dough: The dough is sticky, so chill it for at least 3 hours, or overnight if possible. This makes it easier to handle and roll into balls, resulting in thicker cookies.
- Roll into Balls: After chilling, roll the dough into balls, using about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie.
- Coat in Sugar: Roll the dough balls first in granulated sugar, then in a generous coating of confectioners’ sugar. The granulated sugar helps prevent the powdered sugar from melting.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 11-12 minutes. If the cookies aren’t spreading by minute 9, lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter to encourage spreading. Return to the oven for the remaining time.
They'll be incredibly thick, delightfully crackly, and irresistibly fudgy inside.
Reader tip: Swap out the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips. I can't wait to try this in my oven!
Tips for Perfect Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Blot the Pumpkin: For an even fudgier texture, blot out some of the moisture from the pumpkin puree before adding it to the dough.
- Use Melted Butter: This adds to the chewiness of the cookies.
- Skip the Eggs: Pumpkin puree replaces eggs, maintaining the perfect texture.
- Let Them Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on a rack to enhance their chewiness and flavor.
How to Prevent Powdered Sugar from Melting
To keep the powdered sugar coating from melting, roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before coating them in confectioners’ sugar. Baking on dry days also helps, as humidity can cause the sugar to melt.
Freezing Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Before Baking: Chill the dough, roll into balls, and freeze on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer the balls to a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before coating in sugar and baking.
- After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely, then freeze in single layers between sheets of parchment paper for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter before serving.
Try Them Right Out of the Oven
These cookies are pure fudge straight from the oven and will melt in your mouth! Have you tried them yet? Let me know how they turned out and if you have any tips or variations to share!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
The above recipe draws inspiration from the renowned culinary experts, Sally and Lindsay.
Ingredients
These traditional Christmas cookies are a cut above the rest because they’re as rich and fudgy as brownies. Chilling the cookie dough is important because it helps the flavors to develop, prevents spreading, and makes the otherwise sticky cookie dough easy to handle.
😎 Total Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons (51g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (180g) mini or regular size semi-sweet chocolate chips
Rolling
- 3 Tablespoons (35g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, for rolling
Instructions
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- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and then beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour into the wet ingredients. Beat on low until combined and then beat in the chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be thick and very sticky. Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this sticky cookie dough.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This makes the chilled cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Scoop and roll dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each. A medium cookie scoop is helpful here. Roll each ball very lightly in granulated sugar, then generously in the confectioners’ sugar. Place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes or until the edges appear set and the centers still look soft. Tip: If they aren’t really spreading by minute 9, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2-3x. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven to continue baking.
- Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Baked cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls (that are not coated in confectioners’ sugar) freeze well up to 3 months. See this post on how to freeze cookie dough for more information and a video tutorial.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Can I add peppermint extract? Yes, absolutely! If you want a chocolate peppermint crinkle cookie, I recommend adding 3/4 or 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract when you add the vanilla.
- Larger Batch: The recipe is easy to double in 1 mixing bowl without overwhelming your mixer. Simply double all of the ingredients. Dough chill time remains the same.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
