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. 
Just made these and they came out amazing!! I’m new to baking and this was super easy to follow and they were perfectly cooked in just 10 minutes. Thank you for this recipe!!
You’re welcome! Thank you for your great comments and feedback.
Just made these – absolutely delicious! I used vegetable oil, and left in the fridge for 3 hrs. I didn’t have a mini scoop, so I used a 1/2 TBSP measuring spoon and it made 27 cookies. They baked for 10 min and are perfect! Hope this helps if you, like myself, do not have a mini scoop!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, LB!
I just baked a double recipe of chocolate crinkle cookies. They are delicious and just look perfect. I followed your directions, cooking temperature and time. Love all your recipes!
Hi Sandra! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes. Thank you for the feedback.
I am an experienced baker and I followed the recipe perfectly. Like some others, I found the dough very sticky, almost like a batter. They spread out flat, all running into each other. And even though I kept adding time – up to 14 mins – they were still gooey and very difficult to transfer, even after resting on the cookie sheet and yes, I did chill it overnight. I use the pour over method for measuring flour, so maybe if it’s more tightly packed, that would be the only difference.
Hi Sonya! I have a tutorial on how to measure ingredients here. There was an error in the recipe card which has been fixed/updated so you may be seeing some of the older comments. I have recently retested the recipe and had great results. The dough for these cookies is going to be very moist. Be sure to measure flour correctly, and it helps to roll the moist dough with wet hands. I recommend watching the tutorial to see if that helps. Also- be sure to use large eggs and not “extra large” since that can make a difference as well.
I followed the recipe exactly. They turned out o.k. Because of the oil, they were not dry, which is what I was looking for. They were hard to work with, though. Very sticky dough, even when working with wet hands. When rolling them in powdered sugar, I covered my hands with flour. That helped to keep them from sticking to me and not getting the powdered sugar all wet. The cookies spread out quite a bit and don’t hold that nice dome shape these cookies are known for. I will keep looking for a better recipe.
Hi Diana! I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. I just recently tested this recipe and made some adjustments so I know the ingredients ratios as written in the recipe card are a accurate. Did you measure everything correctly? It seems as though something is off. Also- be sure to chill the dough long enough.
Absolutely amazing… I split the cocoa powder evenly to be half regular cocoa and half dutch process cocoa (for that “black” look), and added a half a cup of Andes Peppermint Chips, topping with a Hershey’s Candy Cane kiss, and they were, hands down, THE most amazing cookie I’ve ever made (and I’ve made quite a few). Thanks so much for what will become a new holiday staple!!! <3 LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Adding pepperming I think is a great idea! Thank you so much for your review and for sharing that with us.
These came out perfectly cracked on the outside and chocolatey soft and fudgey inside.
That’s wonderful!
Is there a difference between using oil and butter? I like the flavor of butter but I know oil often lends a fudgier texture…
Hi Kristy! To be honest, I have not tested butter to know how it would affect the recipe.
I’m a bit of a butter snob when it comes to homemade cookies, but I’ve had some bad results with chocolate crinkles made with butter. These were perfect.
Hi! Can these be frozen after making? And if so, how long can they stay in the freezer?
Thank you!
Hi Christine! These are freezer-friendly before baking (see my note above). I haven’t tried freezing them after baking to advise on the outcome. I think it could work, but not sure how it would affect the texture and likely you’ll need to re-coat them in powdered sugar.
I made this recipe today and followed it exactly as written. It turned out fantastically! Slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with lots of chocolate flavor! Not to mention they were really interesting/nice-looking cookies!
So glad to hear that, Richard!
My husband is in a care home and the PSW’s made these with the residents and froze them until their tree decorating party. They froze beautifully.
I have been making this cookie for over 30 years. I was very upset to find that I had missed placed the recipe. I stumbled upon your website and almost did not use your recipe because of a comment someone posted. I am so glad that I chose to ignore the comment that these cookies were not like their “grandmother made”. I beg to differ. These cookies are EXACTLY like the cookies that THIS grandmother made. I only bake them for 11 minutes just until the sheen disappeared from the batter. Did you could see in the cracks. Are used Hershey‘s new cherry filled kisses. I make cookie trays for all my deliverymen, neighbors, and mailman. They will absolutely adore these cookies. Thank you so much Natasha!
That’s wonderful, Trish! I’m so glad you found this recipe!
These came out perfectly. Thank you for this delicious recipe. This will be my go to recipe for crinkle cookies.
So glad to hear that, Mary!
I make chocolate crinkles every December. This is a terrific recipe. Cookies came out perfect.
I added Andes peppermint chips to a few of them and that was delicious also!
It sounds like you have a holiday tradition with these, that’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Lolly!
I don’t mean to be one of those people but I did not like them at all idk why I put 50 grams or olive oil and the whole cookie tastes like oil which made it really bad other wise it would of been a really good
Hi Christina! Be sure to use “light olive oil” which is neutral in flavor.
Really disappointed, they turned out really flat and not like the picture. You can’t even see all the powdered sugar! I had to look over the recipe to make sure I didn’t do anything wrong. I’ll have to try a different recipe next time, but according to the reviews this is supposed to be the best one.
HI Adeline, it sounds like something may have been off in the proportions of wet to dry ingredients. Did you make any changes in the recipe? Also, another super important step is letting the dough chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or the cookies will be difficult to form and will go flat.
CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES
There are no ingredients listed. Directions are three though. 😁
Hi Sue, the ingredients and instructions are at the bottom of the recipe post on the recipe card. Simply click “Jump to Recipe” at the top of page. I hope this helps.
Holy moly these came out soft, chewy, and delicious. Family and friends all loved it. Definitely sharing this recipe!
Thank you for the wonderful feedback! I’m so glad you loved the recipe.
Hi Natasha,
I would like to try this recipe for the holidays. Which size baking sheet did you use, and how much space between each cookie?
Thank You!
Hi Alicia, we used this exact Wilton Baking Sheet (Affiliate Link), its dimensions are 20.35″L x 12.13″W x 1.31″H. I hope this helps.
Been making these and they’re always great. I accidentally left the dough in the fridge for two days (my kids were sick). When I finally made them, the depth of the flavour is just out of this world. ❤️ Thank you, Natasha.
Hi Lisa! I’m so glad they were enjoyed. Thank you for sharing.
Best Chocolate Crinkle cookie recipe I’ve found. They turn out perfect!
Thank you, Kate. We appreciate your excellent feedback!