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, chocolate frosted cookies, peppermint mocha cookies, and Andes mint chocolate cookies. I even turned it into chocolate raspberry crinkles 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!
Print
Double 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Any tips for high altitude? 🙂
Hi Rachel, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Hi Sally,
I’m baking these cookies this weekend and there was a request to make them gluten free. Do you have any suggestions on how to adapt the recipe to use almond flour?
Hi Veronica, We don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different baking properties and is not always a 1:1 swap. We haven’t tested it, but you might have success experimenting with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. If you give anything a try, we’d love to know how it goes for you!
Great taste, but mine got really hard. What did I do wrong?
Hi Amy, they may have been slightly over-baked–it’s hard to tell with dark-colored chocolate cookies! An easy fix for next time.
Can I leave my cookie dough in the fridge overnight after mixing?
Hi Hortence, absolutely. You can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I accidentally added 1/4 vegetable oil….are my cookies going to be ruined 🙁
Hi Sally!
I’ve made countless of your cookie recipes and they always turn out amazing.
When I made these, I followed all the directions really carefully but after baking they totally flattened, got crispy, and lost their shape. They also looked too buttery, but I’m sure I added the correct amount. Where do you think I went wrong? Or what can I do differently?
Hi Ann, happy to help! If you decide to try these again, we recommend adding an extra tablespoon or two of flour to your dough. And here are our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading. Thank you for making and trusting our recipes!
Hi All! I’m planning to make these for a party in a few days. Can I bloom the cocoa in the butter before beating with the eggs and sugar instead of adding it in the dry ingredients? Will it affect the texture? Thanks!
Hi Cas, you need room temperature butter (not melted) for these cookies, so you won’t be able to bloom the cocoa in the butter. We recommend following the recipe as written for best results. There is plenty of deep chocolate flavor!
I’m excited to bake these but can I use the small cookie scoop (1”) & get more cookies from the recipe?
Hi Judie, you definitely can. Bake time will be a little shorter. Enjoy!
I only had dutch process cocoa on hand, so I switched out the baking soda for powder. Turned out amazing…never had them before to compare the results though. I live in Olympia WA so our humidity is always pretty high, I just dusted them with sugar on top of the melted powdered sugar afterwards.
Not as pretty but amazingly delicious
Love these cookies, such amazing flavor! They are hard to scoop after being in the fridge for a day or two — any way I can pre-roll them in both sugars after mixing then refrigerate them overnight (up to 3 days)?
Thanks for all of your great recipes, Sally!
Hi Jessica, you can let the dough sit out at room temperature for about half an hour before scooping and rolling. If you decide to shape the cookies in advance and roll them, we wouldn’t recommend rolling in the powdered sugar before refrigerating, as it will likely just disappear into the cookie dough. Best to roll them right before baking. Hope this helps!
Can I chop a semi sweet chocolate bar instead of chips
Hi Ashlee, yes, you can do that. Hope you love the cookies!
I’ve never left a comment on someone’s blog before, but I bake a lot and this is my go-to place for my recipes. And, they always come out amazing…so thanks. Not sure which cookie recipe is my favorite, but this one and the Andes mint are top two. Also, perfect scone recipes! Hats off to you, SBA!
About how many grams is 1.5 tablespoons of dough? I want to be as accurate as possible. Thank you!
Hi Alkie, it’s around 35-40g. Hope this helps!
Hi! Can you add crushed candy canes into the dough as well as the peppermint extract? Thank you!
Hi Maddie! We would reduce the amount of mini chocolate chips if you add crushed candy canes – sounds delicious!
Such a good recipe! I only had dutch processed cocoa so i substituted baking powder for the baking soda (3:1 ratio, so 3 tsp.) and they turned out great! They really do need to chill for at least three hours (Sally knows best) 🙂 Giving these as a gift and they smell so good I’m having to stop myself from eating them right out of the oven!
I have been hesitant to make these because so many chocolate crinkle cookies just fall flat in the flavor department… nobody wants that! But after so many successful baking adventures with Sally’s recipes, I gave it a go. In short, they’re delicious and will be a welcome addition to Christmas cookie plates in the years to come. Colleagues raved. And I especially appreciate the tip to roll them in granulated sugar first. Genius. Thanks Sally!
I made these for work and everyone loved them!!! The manager went out of his way to compliment them multiple times and one coworker said it was the best cookie he’d ever had!!
If you or your family love chocolate, these are for you! The recipe was very easy to follow and the results delicious. Sally, this is yet another recipe of yours going into my rotation. Thank you! I’m off to pour a big glass of milk and grab a few cookies
In preparation for Christmas, I have been trying new (to me) cookie recipes. I made this one today, and it is wonderful! The cookies are chewy chocolatey delicious and so pretty! I have quite a few lemons, so tomorrow I’m going to try your lemon crinkle cookie recipe. Thanks so much!
My cookies ended up tasting amazing, but didn’t flatten out quite like your pictures! The dough was also very hard to scoop out after chilling (even though I left it on the counter for 20 minutes before trying to scoop). Any tips?
Hi Abby! How did you measure the flour and cocoa powder? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Hi Sally! Can you use Dutch cocoa instead of natural if it’s all you have? Thanks!
Hi Marissa, since this recipe uses baking soda you want a natural cocoa powder. If you’re interested in more about the differences between the two, you might find this post helpful: Dutch-process Vs Natural Cocoa Powder.
Hi Sally, love these cookies. I just made them and instead of chocolate chips or peppermint I added a cup of chopped up andies candies. They turned out delish. I love your recipes.☺️
This is the absolute best recipe for this amazing cookie.
Chilled them overnight, let set a bit on the counter to warm up and cooked per instructions. Perfect. Thank you!
Best crinkle cookies ever. How long will these last in a sealed container in the refrigerator?
Hi Pennie! Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Great recipe and a real crowd pleaser. Couple tips: make sure the icing sugar is piled on top. You can use the cup swirl to make it pretty and round. They get hard after a couple days post baking and the bread technique will make the icing sugar translucent and ugly. I ball them all out and bake a few at a time as needed.
If I wanted to make these without rolling them in sugar, could I? Or would that change anything? I’m looking for a moist chocolate cookie.
Hi Sammie! You can skip rolling these in sugar if you would like. You may also love these double chocolate chip cookies or brownie cookies.
Hi! I’m currently baking these now but my batter is crumbly – not sticky like you described. Is that going to cause a problem?
Hi Abigail! A crumbly dough can be caused by over-measuring the flour or cocoa powder. Make sure to spoon and level or use a kitchen scale next time. For this batch, you can try adding a splash of milk to bring the dough together.
Hi!
I love these cookies and make them all the time! My question is, im baking them for work. How long can I keep the dough in the fridge? I’m trying to plan ahead so I can bake a little every evening. Thank you!
Hi Amanda! You can chill the dough up to three days.
I made this recipe and the cookies did not turn out. In reflection, I suspect the use of baking soda, as opposed to baking powder, impacted the quality of the cookies. I tripled the recipe to give out as Christmas gifts at work, however, I had to throw them out.
Hi Maria, baking soda is correct in these cookies. How did they not turn out for you? We’re happy to help troubleshoot.
Never have my crinkle cookies turned out so great! I did exactly as you said, making sure to chill them for at least 3 hours. I coated in sugar then added an out of powdered sugar and they are perfect. I live in FL so I was worried about humidity. A slight bit did go into the cookie but only about 5% of it. I also make sure to use a scale when measuring. I find it has really helped my cookies.
I made these cookies over the weekend. They came out delicious but not moist in center. Maybe I over baked them????? When I checked them in oven, I wasn’t sit if the edges were set so I left them I a little longer. Do you think that was my mistake? Still good though!
Hi Susan! They may have been slightly over-baked – it’s hard to tell with chocolate cookies!
How can I add espresso powder to your recipe?
Hi Kelly, We’d recommend 1-2 teaspoons of espresso powder. You can add it with the other dry ingredients.
Can I replace the cocoa powder with dark cocoa powder?
Hi Kelly, as long as it is unsweetened natural cocoa powder that will be fine!
These might be the best cookies I’ve ever had! You cannot go wrong with one of Sally’s cookie recipes. Thanks so much!