Chocolate Crinkle Cookies have a rich and fudgy center with a crisp powdered sugar outer layer. Crinkle Cookies are just as important as Sugar Cookies on your holiday cookie tray.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
You know I love easy desserts with simple ingredients. These Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are no exception.
Why these are the Best Crinkle Cookies:
- Simple Ingredients: Made with just a handful of kitchen staples you probably already have on hand.
- Fast: these cookies can be whipped up quickly and you can chill them ahead.
- Fudgy & Crisp: The centers are soft and gooey with crisp edges.
- Keep Well: most cookies are best eaten fresh but these seem to get better with time.
These cookies are perfect for gifting and they are so good, you’ll want to make a double batch!
What is a Chocolate Crinkle Cookie?
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are like a cross between gooey Fudgy Brownies and crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are rolled in powdered sugar before baking so they form “crinkles” as they expand in the oven.
The best part? Just like a good homemade Baklava, these cookies get better as they get a little stale. The outer layer just gets crunchier, while the center stays so gooey. Let’s just say you’ll find yourself hanging around your cookie jar for several days.
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are a blast to make. If you have kids around, they can help make these cookies. They will love rolling the chocolatey dough into bite-sized balls and coating them with a generous amount of powdered sugar, similar to Russian Tea Cakes.
- Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, oil, vanilla extract, and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Slowly add flour mixture to the cocoa mixture. Mix well.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for 3 hours and up to overnight.
To Finish and Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Shape cookie dough into balls (a cookie scoop makes it easy to portion) and roll into powdered sugar.
- Place cookies on a baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. Cookies will come out soft but will harden as they cool down.
- Once cookies are slightly cooled, move them to a wire rack to fully cool down.
Common Questions
There are two reasons why your Chocolate Crinkle Cookies came out flat. Either the dough wasn’t chilled or you didn’t use enough flour. Make sure to properly measure flour by scooping it into your measuring cup and leveling off the top.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies first premiered in Betty Crocker’s famous cookie cookbook, “Cooky Carnival”. Crocker recounts being served the cookies by home chef Helen Fredell and begging her for the recipe. Fast forward to today and these cookies are gracing just about every holiday tray each year.
You’ll know when Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are done when they start to develop those signature cracks on top. Typically, this takes anywhere from 10-12 minutes depending on their size.
The dough for crinkle cookies should be very moist. Be sure to measure flour correctly, and it helps to roll the moist dough with wet hands.
Storing Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Room Temperature: Keep your Chocolate Crinkle Cookies stored in an airtight container on the counter. They should stay fresh for up to a week.
- Freezing: Freeze your dough balls for up to 2 months in an airtight container. When you are ready to bake, remove them from the freezer and allow them to thaw for 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling them in powdered sugar. Bake according to instructions.
Make-Ahead Tip: You can make the dough a day or two in advance. Keep it refrigerated and only bake right before serving.
Cookies Recipes You’ll Love
- Peanut Butter Cookies – These nutty cookies always hit the spot
- Snowball Cookies – Melt-in-your-mouth delicious
- Meringue Cookies – easy and so festive dusted in powdered sugar
- Madeleine Cookies – Just as good as Starbucks Madeleine cookies
- Macaroon Cookies – The mother of all coconut cookies
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, (unsweetened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, (or canola, or light olive oil)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine granulated sugar, cocoa powder, oil, vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour together, baking powder and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the cocoa mixture and stir to combine.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Scoop dough with a mini ice cream scoop for even portioning into 20 cookies then roll cookie dough into even-sized balls (it's easier to roll with wet hands) and generously roll each into powdered sugar.
- Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, being sure to leave space between each of the cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. Cookies will come out soft but will harden as they cool down.
- Allow cookies to slightly cool. Then, move them to a wire rack to fully cool down.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
Hi, i tried this recipe and generously rolled the batter to confectioner sugar but when its cooked the sugar was melted i mean it taste perfect but the appearance seems off 😅
Hi Natasha I made these cookies and they came out PERFECT ! Didn’t lasted long though 😁 How can I turn them into lemon crinkle cookies ? Maybe I substitute coconuts to choc powder ? Plus lemon zest and lemon juice ?
Thank you so much
Hi Sue, while I haven’t tried making these with lemon or coconut flavoring, one of my readers mentioned this in the comments: “I’ve also used lemon cake mix to make lemon crinkle cookies” I hope that helps!
I have been wanting to try this recipe for a while, saw your post and thought I would share ~ I love lemon too! https://orderisda.org/culture/our-recipes/recipe-limoncello-crinkle-cookies/
I make these 24/7 :))
They are AWESOME! Totally recommend them to everyone!
Thanks for the awesome review!
This is similar to another recipe I was using only with more oil. I found this made the dough easier to work with, but the cookies did not spread enough – the opposite problem of what some others were having.
I made these for the New Year! I made a mistake, because I don’t think they will last that long. My family loves them. They came out perfect. This will be a holiday keeper. Thank you so much for the recipe.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Linda!
Hi Natasha!
Have you tried adding chocolate chips and walnuts to these cookies?
Thanks,
Inna
Hi Inna, I haven’t tried that yet but feel free to experiment. I think that could work! Please let us know how it goes if you try it.
I noticed you said to “roll out the dough”. But if you are making balls why would you roll it out? I just used a cookie scoop. Maybe it’s a misprint?
Hi Lois, you are correct. Those instructions could have been written more clearly. I have updated the print friend recipe to be more clear. Thank you for pointing that out.
This was the first year trying the Chocolate Crinkle cookies. My granddaughter and I made them and were really impressed with their rich flavor and unique “look”. Some of mine looked like your picture but others seemed to suck the powdered sugar into the cookie. Maybe I just need to be sure there is a thick coating of powdered sugar on them. But, they were great!!! The combination of crispy and fudgey was a real winner. Everybody loved them and I can’t keep grabbing one every time I pass by.
Hi Lois, great to know that the recipe was a success! Thank you for your good comments and feedback, we appreciate it.
Cookies are delicious. Definitely a keeper and a family favourite.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
This is pretty much the same recipe I’ve seen in so many other sites….but I go to yours because I appreciate and always find your additional notes and photos helpful. That was the case with these cookies as well. I made note that the flour measurement may impact the end result as did the refrigeration time. I also did not overmix. They turned out perfectly and will become a staple year round. Thank you 🙂
I’m so happy you love our recipes! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment
This is by far the best Crinkle cookie recipe. Thank you so much for this recipe. Was a big hit in my Christmas cookie trays.
I’m so happy you loved the cookies!
I made this yeasterday and the result was amazing 😍 very easy to follow. I used olive oil and chilled for 5 hrs. Thank you Natasha ❤️
You’re welcome, Jazzy. Good to know that you loved the result!
Love your recipes.
Keep them coming.
But as for all the pop ups, adds ouff hard to focus.
Hi Jocelyn, since we don’t sell anything on our site and our recipes are completely free for readers, the ads are what make it all possible and also create jobs (we have 3 team members) in addition to supporting my own family. Unless we moved to a paid subscription (which no one is asking for), the ads are a necessary thing.
Hi Natasha!
These cookies are amazing, my whole family loves them and they are a big hit everywhere I take them! I have a question tho… I want to make these for Christmas but I want to make them red. Would adding food coloring alter their taste? And how much would you recommend adding? Thanks in advance!
Thank you for your awesome feedback, Madelene. I honestly haven’t tried making these cookies red to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Food coloring has no taste so should not affect the cookie flavor. However, I don’t know how much that extra liquid would do to them cause you’d probably have to add a whole bottle of red coloring.
I followed the recipe to a tee, refrigerating the dough overnight. They are delicious. I’ll be sure to be extra generous with the powdered sugar next time.
That sounds like a great plan, April. Thank you so much for the review!
These cookies can be tricky. I chilled the dough for 30 hrs, and put the bowl of dough in the freezer between batches. The dough was still quite soft, but manageable. I made very small balls..large marble size, and still baked 10 mins. They were a bit flat, but the powdered sugar stayed, and the flavor was there.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Kathy! I would recommend looking through the tips to ensure adjustments weren’t made resulting in a different outcome. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor!
Hi, Can this cookie be made into a thumbprint? – I wanted to add a rasperry jam to the middle.
Hi Kim, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Follow recipe and turn out great. Hubby loves them. Very easy to make and I am not a baker!
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Ginny!
My dough has been refrigerting for almost four hours. It is very gooey and hard to roll into balls. Do I need to refrigerate longer?
Hi Katherine, You may cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
Hii Natasha! HUGEE fan of your recipes!
Tried this one, followed recipe and measurements exactly but cookies turned out flat and started to burn from the bottom quite early on – what could I be doing wrong
Hi Zara, there are a couple of reasons why the dough might seem flat. Please see the common questions section titled: “Why are my Chocolate Crinkle Cookies flat?”
Yeah I think perhaps the dough didn’t chill for long enough, but what can I do about the bottom burning within 5 mins of the baking time, please help
Hi Meen, if cookies are not spreading, it could be due to using too much flour. Check out our post on how to measure ingredients for baking. Also, make sure you are not using convection oven settings. This recipe is written for a conventional oven.
Can I bake with a different oil? Such as butter/ ghee or coconut oil? I don’t consume vegetable oil and wanted to know if alternates
Hi Natasha, I honestly haven’t tried using butter, ghee, or coconut oil yet to advise. I’ve tried 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola, or light olive oil)