Let’s make chocolate crinkle cookies. These traditional Christmas cookies are a cut above the rest because they’re as rich and fudgy as homemade brownies. They’re thick and soft-baked in the centers with a little extra chocolate for good measure!
Today I’m showing off sparkly new photos and success tips for my classic double chocolate crinkle cookies! Originally published a few years ago, these classic Christmas cookies have become a staple in many of your kitchens. Readers have said they’re the “best cookies I’ve ever tasted” and “make a double batch right away.” These cookies disappear.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Crinkle Cookies:
- Double the chocolate—chocolate chips included!
- Taste like brownies
- Soft centers, crisp crackly edges
- Extra thick
- Warm from the oven, they melt in your mouth
As classic as Christmas sugar cookies, as sugar-dusted as snowball cookies, and as irresistible as peanut butter blossoms and pinwheel cookies, these chocolate crinkles will outshine every other cookie on your Christmas cookie platter. And that’s a guarantee.
Behind the Recipe
These chocolate cookies aren’t anything new or groundbreaking, but that’s why they’re perfect. You might actually recognize the base dough because it’s my go-to chocolate cookie! It’s the chocolate cookie recipe I’ve been using for years in recipes like double chocolate chip cookies, inside out chocolate chip cookies, peppermint mocha cookies, Andes mint chocolate cookies, and let’s not forget about the epicness that is salted caramel dark chocolate cookies.
Some of you were having trouble with these cookies over-spreading as a result of the sugar coating on top, so I leave out the milk in this dough.
How are these different from Chocolate Crinkle Cookies in Sally’s Cookie Addiction? Glad you asked! The recipes are a little different. The cookbook version uses melted butter in the dough, so the cookies are a little chewier. Both super moist cookies with excellent chocolate flavor. The cookies in the book are a little thicker in the centers and crumblier on the edges. Today’s cookies—again—taste like moist brownies!
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Mix dry ingredients together. You need all-purpose flour, natural unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Beat wet ingredients together. You need butter, white sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Room temperature butter and egg will mix more evenly into each other, creating a uniform texture among all the cookies. Additionally, both whip into a greater volume when at room temperature, producing a softer-crumbed cookie.
- Combine all ingredients. And don’t forget to add the chocolate chips! I like to use mini size so there’s more in every bite.
- Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator. The cookie dough is sticky and unmanageable, so chilling is necessary. Sometimes I chill it overnight, but 3 hours is perfect. Chilled cookie dough is not only easy to handle and roll into balls, it also bakes thicker cookies.
- Roll cookie dough into balls. After chilling, roll the cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie.
- Coat in confectioners’ sugar. Roll the cookie dough balls into granulated sugar, then a hefty dunk in confectioners’ sugar. Why granulated sugar first? That’s a new trick I discovered! See below. 🙂
- Bake. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. If the cookies 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 for a couple more minutes.
They’ll be extra thick, extra crackly, and extra fudgy inside.
Recommendation from a reader: substitute the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips. I honestly can’t preheat my oven fast enough to try these that way!
How to Prevent the Powdered Sugar from Melting
Before today, I only rolled these chocolate crinkle cookies in confectioners’ sugar. This works great for lemon crinkle cookies, however these particular crinkle cookies are extra moist so the confectioners’ sugar always ends up melting a bit and/or turns yellow-ish as a result from melting. Not a problem, but if you want stark white confectioners’ sugar on top, coat the cookie dough balls in a little granulated sugar first. Just a light layer, then go heavy on that confectioners’ sugar topping. I learned this tip from the wonderful chefs at America’s Test Kitchen and it’s the same process we use to coat Nutella crinkle cookies.
It’s also helpful to bake these cookies on dry days. Any humidity in the air will soak into the confectioners’ sugar, slightly melting it. Sometimes you can’t avoid humidity, but if you’re wondering why the sugar melts, it could be the weather. Again, go heavy on that confectioners’ sugar layer.
As the cookies bake, the confectioners’ sugar coating crinkles and cracks as the cookies take their shape. Hence, the cute crinkle name. I love these.
How to Freeze Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
You can freeze chocolate crinkle cookies before or after baking. To freeze the baked cookies, let them cool completely first. Freeze in single layers between sheets of parchment paper for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter.
How to freeze chocolate crinkle cookie dough: Chill the cookie dough as directed in the recipe below. After that, roll into balls, and chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Then place the solid and cold cookie dough balls into a large zipped-top bag. Freeze cookie dough for up to 3 months. When it’s time to bake the cookies, remove them from the freezer and thaw on the counter for at least 30 minutes. Roll into granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar as instructed in the recipe. Bake as directed.
See more in my How to Freeze Cookie Dough post.
Try these right out of the oven—they’re pure fudge. They will melt in your mouth! Have you tried these before? Let me know!
PrintDouble Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
- Yield: 20-22 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
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.
Ingredients
- 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
- 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.
Hi. Merry Christmas. I made these cookies last night. They are so yummy. I had a hard time telling if they were done. So I wound up baking them a little longer. They turned out slightly crunchy, which I love for dunking in coffee. Next time, I’ll stick to your recommended time to make them softer. They are so good and so pretty too. Thank you.
These cookies are amazing! I made them for our neighbors and friends’ treat packages and they turned out perfect. I used Ghirardelli peppermint chunks instead of the mini chocolate chips and holy holiday, they were fantastic. Merry Christmas, Sally!
I’m considering trying half chocolate and half peppermint chips for this recipe- any thoughts (or warnings!) about this concept?
No warnings at all – this sounds delicious!!
Can I double this recipe? I have 16 grandchildren to bake for.
Yes, you can double this recipe. Enjoy!
I don’t normally comment on recipes but I just made these today and had to thank you for the great recipe. They’re absolutely delicious and without a doubt will be a hit at my family Christmas dinner. Hope you have a great holiday season!
Hi Sally, I made these once before the recipe was updated and they were delicious – but I believe the baking time was quite a bit shorter, maybe 8-9 minutes? Is there a reason for the longer baking time? Thanks!
I made these tonight for the first time and they are excellent! Initially I was nervous because the batter was SO thick, I looked back through the comments to see if anyone else had that issue. (I noted in the recipe that it said it would be thick, but mine seemed like they would come out dry). When I was looking through the comments, I noticed someone ask about Dutch vs. Natural processed cocoa and realized I totally breezed over that step and accidentally used Dutch processed They turned out great still, I’m not sure if I got lucky or what! Thanks for a great recipe!
My cookies turned out beautifully, and I followed the directions carefully. But these are so so sweet. I don’t think I would make them again for that reason.
The dough was sticky but worked out fine after some time in the frig ! Chewy and yummy!
Any different instructions for baking after the dough has been frozen?
Other than what’s listed, not really. 🙂 When it’s time to bake the cookies, remove them from the freezer and thaw on the counter for at least 30 minutes. Roll into granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar as instructed in the recipe. Bake as directed. Sometimes they need an extra minute, but usually the bake time suggested is plenty.
I’m so stressed. This has been my go-to crinkles recipe for YEARS every Christmas. And today, it completely failed. I tried baking them in a larger size (2 oz. balls) instead of the usual 2 tablespoons and I’ve had them at 2 oz. before and they had come our perfect. I don’t think that’s it. Everything was measured to scale. Timings were between 10-12 minutes. But today they came out dry. I’m so disappointed and stressed and I don’t know what to do with the remaining cookies. On top it all, for the first time I couldn’t really taste the chocolate like I used to. If I refrigerate them would they become “moister”?
Hi Charm! This recipe hasn’t changed over the years, except I did add the layer of granulated sugar before the powdered sugar to help that powdered sugar stay white. But that doesn’t dry out the cookies. I’m wondering if yours were over-baked? Are you using a convection oven? You may want to lower the oven temperature and bake for 1 minute less next time. I hope this helps.
These get hailed as the best cookies ever made whenever I bake them. They really are. I don’t waste my calories on chocolate unless pb is involved but for these I will all day. My 6 year old says the batter is “indescribable” lol lol. I did these and the PB cup cookies for my neighbors’ Christmas treats this year, quadruple batch of each and they are all going to go crazy. So worth the time consuming rolling 200 balls of dough lol, labor of love baby. As always, a special thank you for recipes that I can feel confident and excited about that I KNOW will make for special and memorable treats for our friends. Tis the season!
Hello …I’ve just read your wonderful article on the differences between dutch cocoa & natural cocoa. If I understand correctly, the 2 are not interchangeable; however in your Chocolate Sugar Cookie [https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/chocolate-sugar-cookies/] you note either can be used. So, I’m wondering if I can use dutch cocoa in these Double Chocolate Crinkles? Thanks in advance.
Hi Teresa, great question! Either can be used in my chocolate sugar cookies recipe since we’re leavening the sugar cookies with baking powder. Here we need the acid from natural cocoa powder. Follow this recipe as written.
So delicious! I decided to make them “Mexican hot chocolate” crinkle cookies by adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper. I also rolled them in cinnamon sugar before the powdered sugar. They were a hit!
A few years ago, I tried your original recipe. I wanted to compare it with another recipe that was similar. Yours tasted good, but I didn’t like how the powdered sugar absorbed into the cookie and didn’t have that stark contrast between dark and white. But recently, I saw that you revised your recipe, so yesterday on a whim, I decided to do a side-by-side taste test between the recipe I had been using and your new version. The other recipe used oil (not butter), BUT, the powdered sugar didn’t melt into the cookie, so that’s why I preferred it previously, because it had a better appearance. After doing the taste test between the two recipes, it’s no contest! Your recipe is by far superior, and hallelujah, with your new trick, your cookies were more visually pleasing and appealing to the other one. The flavor and texture of your recipe was SO much better! I’m eager to bake more this week. I’m SO happy you revamped your recipe! It is delicious!
The cookies were amazing !!!
These taste delicious and I really enjoyed making them. However, my cookies came out yellowish on top not white. Sally what can I do to prevent this?
Hi Kimberly! It’s the powdered sugar absorbing some of the moisture from the cookie. Make sure you roll in granulated sugar first and roll GENEROUSLY in powdered sugar after that. 🙂
I’ve never made Chocolate crinkle cookies before…now I’ll be making them regularly. These are amazing and even better on day 2
This recipe of yours was filled with your love and joy of baking and it showed as I made them for my own family! So thank you! These were tasty, easy and delicious to make. If you follow your directions, they turn out perfect! ❤
Literally just made these and we’ve each had about 3 each-so delicious! Really chocolatey and a bit of sweetness on top! Thank you for your consistently wonderful recipes! You’re still my go to! Merry Christmas, Sally!
These cookies remind me of the corner piece on a brownie!! So yummy!! Thanks for the recipe so easy to follow and make. My new go to Christmas cookie.
I already gave a glowing review earlier this week after the first time I made these cookies. Well I have now made four batches and these are my new favorite cookie. The chocolate flavor is perfect and I really love the little crunch that rolling in granulated sugar first gives them. Without a doubt the best recipe ever for chocolate crinkles. I follow the recipe exactly as written. Thanks again Sally!
I don’t comment often but had to on this recipe! These cookies are SO good and turned out perfectly-exactly as described. I’ve been baking for 40+ years but have had mixed results with some online recipes. The difference is you took the time to provide detailed instructions and updated to remove the milk when some weren’t achieving the same results. THANK YOU for the fantastic recipe and the great instructions!
These were super good and super easy and I had no problems with spreading. I watched this on America’s Test Kitchen and couldn’t wait to make them. Thank you for the great cookie recipe!
We made this for the first time as part of our work gift baskets! The flavor was OK, and we liked the chew, but they were FLAT! We tried them twice, and both times – flat. We replace our leveners each year for the holidays. Any idea on what was going on?
Hi Amber! I’m so happy to help. Sorry you’re having trouble here! First, I recommend reviewing my Tips to Prevent Cookies from Over-Spreading article. I list everything out in detail, so I won’t repeat myself here but one thing to point out– make sure your butter isn’t warm. Room temperature is actually much cooler than most think, about 65F and pretty solid. A firmer butter creates a firmer base, whether or not you chill the cookie dough, and helps prevent the cookies from over-spreading. I hope you find the article helpful!
Just baked these cookies tonight. It’s my first time making crinkles, and they turned out fudgy in the center, and crispy on the edges. Just like the recipe said! Thanks for the recipe!
When freezing these dough balls I know it says to hold on the powdered sugar, but what about the granulated?
Yes, don’t roll in anything until partially thawed. 🙂 So hold off on the granulated sugar rolling too.
Hi! I’m super excited to make these at home – if I wanted to add some peppermint extract for a holiday twist, how much of it would you add in?
YUM! I recommend adding 1 teaspoon peppermint extract.
You might also enjoy this recipe!
Hi Sally,
I made these Chocolate Crinkles. I used dark chocolate chips. They came out rich, gooey, and yummy.
First time with these cookies and they turned out great. We tripled the recipe, the only trouble we ran into was getting all dry ingredients to mix thoroughly! When it came to baking, we weighed our dough out to 1.13 oz per cookie, and it took just around the 12 minute mark for each batch – 5 dozen cookies all said and done.
Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Tripling the recipe is a lot of dough to work with at once and will certainly be more difficult to mix (without over-mixing!). I recommend doubling next time! 🙂