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.
My daughter took these to school for an event and they were the hit cookie!
Made these cookies and they are insanely yummy. My high schooler twin boys shared some with friends and told their classmates, in front of the teacher, that their mom made “crack cookies”!!! Oh, the phone calls that ensued! My boys thought they were being funny.
Hi just a question do you mean baking soda or baking powder? All other recipes I’ve looked at call for baking powder and when I used baking soda my cookies have spread and crinkled so much that they look like islands separated by oceans rather than the ones you have in your photos
Hi Gelo, this recipe calls for baking soda. Do not use baking powder in its place. For best results, make sure your baking soda is fresh — we find it starts to lose its freshness after about 3 months. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
i have not tried this recipe yet I would like to know if you have tried it sith sugar substitutes and if they would effect the final results?
Hi Penny, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! I saw an Instagram post from a baker who had made these cookies. I wanted to bake them simply for the way they looked, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that these taste just like powdered fudge brownies! These cookies go way beyond their looks. I’m a chocolate lover, but I don’t tend to go for double chocolate cookies – I PROMISE YOU, these do not disappoint! Even my husband (who does not share the same love for chocolate that I have) wanted to eat every last one! I brought them into work as well and a coworker/friend asked for the recipe. These are delightful and so fun to look at!!
The perfect recipe! I did end up adding about a tablespoon of milk to get all the dry ingredients incorporated, chilled, and then rolled. They had a delightful fudgy texture, and this is going to be my go to recipe from now on.
I have made these three times and they are delicious! I took them to work, and my co-workers raved about how decadent they are. The second time I made them, I baked them on 360 for ten minutes, let them set on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes before removing them from the cookie sheet, and used mini chocolate chips. They really are perfection! Make sure the butter and egg are at room temperature like the recipe says.
Tried the recipe. And waiting to cool down. I added melted dark chocolate instead of t chips. So far ive tried several recipe’s from your website. So far its been awesome.
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
These are amazing! Want to make them again for my egg allergic child, Thoughts on making these with a flax egg?
Hi Irene, we haven’t tried this recipe with any egg substitutes, but let us know if you do!
This is one of my favorite cookie recipes! They are great every time!
What is the nutrition information on these cookies?
Hi Lillian, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Oh. My. Goodness.
These just came out of the oven and I had a true moment of bliss devouring one over the kitchen sink.
They turned out perfect!
Did y’all know there’s a children’s story book about “Krinkle” cookies being Santa’s favorite cookie? I made this recipe here and followed it exactly as it is and the cookies were dee-lish.. I actually ended up leaving them in the fridge for a few days defore I got a chance to finish them up and they were fine. I rolled all of them first and then went back and rolled them in the sugars, they came out great. This recipe is a keeper!
They came out really good with the cracks and everything, but it was a little to sweet for me especially with the coatings. Would the recipe still work if I took out some of the granulated sugar?
Hi Shahab, Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture may be different than intended. You can also skip the chocolate chips with no other changes or even use dark chocolate chips for a less sweet taste.
My favorite chocolate cookie recipe! Your trick for the powdered sugar is amazing, these are like brownie cookies that look perfect for the holidays. I’m a major chocoholic and can’t stop at one of these. Easy to make with family, I’ve tried in a couple of ovens and it turns out great every time.
OMG, best recipe ever! These are so good. I added walnuts (I like texture). I am hoping I did not eat them all ❤
These cookies are amazing! I followed the recipe to a tee and they came out perfectly!
Last year when I made these they came out perfect. This time I found them to be harder and crunchier than fudgy. I wanted to try them again for NYE. Anything you can recommend to be sure to be fudgy and soft?
Hi Victoria! Be very careful not to over-bake these cookies. And make sure to spoon and level (or use a scale) when measuring to avoid adding too much flour to the dough. Enjoy!
How long can the dough last in the fridge?
Hi Ashley! Up to 3 days, see recipe notes for more make-ahead instructions.
Accidentally added a teaspoon of peppermint extract and it was a wonderful addition! Mint chocolate chip crinkle cookies were a hit.
These came out perfect for Christmas goodies. I only used 1/2 cup of mini chips. I also ran out of regular cocoa so I used 1/2 cup of regular unsweetened cocoa and 2 tbsps of unsweetened Special Dark cocoa. They were delicious and eaten up quickly.
Hi Sally,
I baked these cookies for holiday gifts Your hint for powder sugar sticking is genius. Also baked Andes choc chip fudge. Your recipes are amazing- easy to follow and never fail. Bake your recipes weekly for my co- worker. I would like to buy your candy addiction book- Amazon is selling for 100.00 and
Barnes and Noble is nook.
Any other suggestions for purchasing your book? Respectfully, GayLynn
Hi GayLynn, We are so happy that you have been enjoying these cookies! Unfortunately there won’t be any more copies of Sally’s Candy Addiction printed, but it is available on Kindle if you have that option.
How long will these keep in a sealed container?
These are so good! Could I omit the chocolate chips or just use 1/2 cup, or would it affect the recipe? They’re a little to rich for me!
Hi Gracie, You can leave them out with no other changes.
These are so tasty! I followed the recipe exactly (including refrigerating the dough overnight) and love how the bottoms crisp up a little like brownie edges. Will definitely make these again!!
Thank you for sharing your recipes. I understand why you omitted the milk, but why do you add it in the first place?
I made these exactly per recipe and they were amazing. The powdered sugar did get a little wet and dull, but they were still pretty and delicious 🙂
Will they work with gluten free flour? I have lots of gluten free friends so I want to find recipes that will work with both.
We haven’t tested them with GF flour but let us know if you do!
Loved these. I followed the recipe to the gram, chilled 4 hours and they came out beautiful and delicious. Thank you!
I doubled the recipe and it all seemed good after chilling yet the cookies totally absorbed all the sugar and they were left looking super lame with no powdered sugar coating left. Also, I had to bake for a few minutes longer. I don’t understand why this occured, as I followed the directions. I have made these cookies (different recipe) many times before.
If I wanted to have just a hint of peppermint taste in these, how much peppermint extract would you suggest?
Hi Amanda, We love adding peppermint! We recommend adding 1 teaspoon peppermint extract in addition to the vanilla. You might also enjoy the recipe for Peppermint Mocha Cookies.
I want to make these today but the ingredients don’t add up. For example 1 cup of flour is not equal to 125 grams of flour. Please advise if you use grams or cups etc to make the cookies so I can achieve w the correct consistency.
Hi Laurie, 1 cup of properly spooned and leveled flour is 125g – you can read more about measuring baking ingredients in this post!
Thank you. I am a baker and I am aware of how to measure and it’s not the same for me. So just in case would you suggest using grams or cup?
Gram measurements will always be the most accurate – happy baking!
I only ask because there are a lot of people that comment on the texture not being right and I want to get it right 😉
I too have some issues with the gram weights, what brand of butter are you using that comes in 115g sticks? All the butter I see comes in 113(.4)g sticks. When I went to 115g there was more spread than expected, they were still great, but I find this particular weight confusing.
Hi Doug, I wouldn’t think that the difference of 2 grams would make that much difference in the outcome of cookies. Most important is the temperature of your butter – here’s more about room temperature butter!
Hey there wondering if I can use salted butter to make the crinkle cookies would i omit the salt?
Hi Carol, you can omit the salt in this recipe. See our salted vs unsalted butter post for more details.
So I made a bug mistake when I made the dough for these and accidentally added all the dry ingredients including sugar and brown sugar and now its just all dry and crumbly, and ideas on how I could fix it as I doubled the recipe and don’t want to throw it away?
Hi Sarah, We apologize we are just getting to your question. How did the dough turn out? Creaming the butter with the sugars is key to the dough’s texture. If this ever happens again you can try to keep mixing to see if it all comes together, and it would certainly be worth it to see how they bake up instead of throwing it all away!