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!
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
I bake these all of the time. They’re highly requested, especially for tge holidays. For a more festive look, is it possible to use holiday m&m’s (red & green) instead of chocolate chips?
Hi Stephenie, sure!
Loved this recipe tasted amazing! one problem tho is I didn’t have the crinkle effect on top even tho I rolled em .help me please?
Hi Blaze, We’re so glad you loved the taste of these cookies. Did you roll the cookie dough balls into granulated sugar, then a hefty dunk in confectioners’ sugar?
I followed the recipe carefully and used a scale to measure all ingredients. I did freeze the cookie dough balls before baking. When baked, the cookies kind of exploded…they didn’t have the shape and nice crackle pattern shown in the photos. After baking the first tray I thought this might have happened because they went into the oven shortly after being frozen, so I tried letting the next tray sit at room temperature for about 20 min before baking. That actually made the problem worse. The flavor was pretty good but not the classic chocholate crinkle taste I was going for—that said, a chocolate lover tasted them and said they loved it!
Hi Sally! How does freezing the baked cookies change the texture???
Thank you!
Hi Michelle, if stored and thawed properly, cookies should have the same great texture if frozen!
Can these be made dairy free by substituting coconut oil?
Hi Kara, we haven’t tested it, but you can certainly try creaming the solid coconut oil with the sugar. The taste will, of course, be a bit different. Let us know how it goes!
This recipe is super easy to make and tastes incredible. One of the three recipes of yours I used today for Christmas parties. All were easy and hubby’s eaten a bunch of them without milk. That never happens so he really liked them. Glad I doubled the recipe on all of them. I will be using this recipe from now on. I did add 1 TBS milk powder to it after seeing someone posting about it. Made these really good like they said it would…
This recipe is PERFECT and delicious. Thank you, and Merry Christmas!
I just made these and pushed a candy cane kiss in them after they cooled for about 5 minutes so they were peppermint blossoms. They are so good!
I followed the directions and chilled overnight. Came out flat like pancakes, taste good, but not presentable.
I am going to try this today, as I have success with your recipes. My son wants malted powder flavor with chocolate, I am going to add 2 tbsp of it to the dry ingredients. Hope that is a correct amount. (I make chocolate malted biscotti which he loves, but does not drink coffee.)
Hi Patricia, we haven’t tested the addition of malt powder to these cookies so we’re unsure of the best amount. It may take a bit of tinkering, but let us know what you try!
I made these and they basically didnt spread at all. Just wondering where I went wrong…?
Hi Cec, How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Hi Sally, thank you for your response. I am quite precise about measurements but it got me thinking and I looked back at he recipe, ready to attempt it again. Turns out I forgot the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and only used the brown sugar. Glad I figured out where I went wrong because I will be making the lemon ones next 🙂
How would I make red and green (matcha and red velvet) variations of this?
Hi Sean, I’m unsure about matcha, but you can use this red velvet cookie recipe, leave out the chocolate chips, and roll in confectioners’ sugar like you do with these cookies.
Can I substitute the flour with gluten -free flour? I made these last year and loved them, but have since had to go gluten free.
Hi Andrea, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Hi Sally! Great cookie. Hoping you can advise. I froze the dough overnight and thawed for about 30 minutes and it was solid, very challenging to scoop. Any tips? Froze the dough in a metal bowl. The cookies still turned out great and the double sugar roll tip was awesome! Thx!
Hi Rebecca! You can let the dough sit at room temperature for a bit longer next time. Glad you enjoyed them!
I chose a different recipe because I couldn’t find the actual recipe on this insanely long web page. I get that content makes recipe sites more visible to search engines but holy moly this is ridiculous.
You can use the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page next time. Thanks!
Making these for a work cookie exchange but just wondering how many cookies it makes so I can be prepared with ingredients? Thanks so much
Hi Ashley! See the top of the recipe card – this recipe yields 20–22 cookies. Happy baking!
Any changes needed for making these at high altitude…6000 ft?
Hi Kellie, 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
HiSally, can I use mini m&m’s instead of chocolate chips?
Thanks
Can’t see why not!
I’ve made these two years in a row. They are delicious. However, each year the powdered sugar coating has looked sticky. The dough was chilled as stated and I rolled it in regular sugar first. Any idea what causes this to happen?
Hi Anne! These can be temperamental cookies. Even baking them on a humid day can lead to a sticky exterior. You can always try another roll in powdered sugar or even a different brand of sugar. Make sure to go very heavy on the confectioners’ sugar roll. Glad you enjoy these cookies!
They sound delish, however I neglected to get unsalted butter. Will it be just as good with “regular butter” or should I sub veg oil? Thanks and hope you have a Merry Christmas!
Hi Teresa, you can use slated butter in this recipe – we would omit the added salt.
Hi Sally, can I add a little instant coffee? just to add a little bitter taste. Thank you.
Hi Myk, Absolutely! We recommend 1-2 teaspoons of espresso powder – instant coffee will work as well, but you get more flavor from espresso powder.
What’s the purpose of First rolling the dough in granulated sugar?
Hi Jen! See the blog post above – it helps keep the powdered sugar from melting.
I’ve made this recipe twice hoping I messed something i up p the first time but I got the same results both times. The cookies turned out flat and crunchy. They don’t look at all like the photographs in the recipe. I’ve made several recipes from this website and this is the first one that is disappointed.
I made this recipe for the first time today; as with all of Sally’s recipes, it was a breeze to follow. I baked by weight and had no problems with spreading. I used regular (as opposed to mini) chocolate chips, and some of my cookies came out less than perfectly round – this was easily corrected using my favorite cookie hack (a 4” round cutter swirled around each cookie just out of the oven). I appreciated the tip about dipping into granulated sugar before the powdered – it made a big difference!
These are totally great even without the chocolate chips!
Thank you! I don’t have any chocolate chips, and was wondering if I could make them anyhow…this is very helpful!
I just pulled my first batch out of oven and they spread too much .
The butter and egg were at room temp, chilled dough over night and dough chilled when rolling- why did they spread so much??
Hi Marie, there are quite a few different factors that can go into flat cookies. For troubleshooting flat cookies you can take a look at 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookies from Spreading. Hope this helps!
These are literally the best cookies I have ever baked or eaten. LITERALLY.
I have the dough ready but it is too sticky. Shold I leave it over night or add something (flour) I put in the refrig. for an hour but still too sticky.
Hi Helen! This dough needs to be chilled for at least 3 hours – see step two.
How many cookies does this recipe typically make
Hi Sally…..I have started my baking for the Christmas season. Every year I ship cookies to my son and his husband in Portland, OR from Texas. My son loves Chocolate Crinkles, but I have avoided making them because I was unsure if they shipped well. Can you give me any tips on this? I used your sandwich method last year, and it worked like a charm. Just wondering if this cookie is different.
Hi Denise, these cookies should ship well using that same method. Hope they’re a hit!
Please tell me the sandwich method as you referred to above
Here’s our post on the best way to ship cookies!
Good morning! Do you see any issues with making these in a giant version? I am thinking 3-4 tbs and increasing the time to 15-18 min. Thank you 🙂
Hi Carolyn, I haven’t tested it. I fear the cookies may either puff up too much or spread too much, but again, I haven’t tried it. You can try baking just one cookie that way and if it works, use the remaining dough to make more. And if it’s not working, just make the remaining cookies as instructed.
Can the dough be made ahead of time and frozen? Trying to plan ahead!!!
Absolutely! See detailed Freezing Instructions above.
Whenever I bake cookies they flatten out. Any tips?
Hi Poppy, here’s our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading. Hope they’re helpful!
I made these last night and came out really good. Chocolatey and delicious.My husband and son loved it.
But it’s kinda sweet for me is it possible to lessen the sugar without compromising the outcome?Planning to make these for Christmas.Thank you
Hi Karen, so glad these cookies were a hit! Sugar plays an important role in the texture and structure of baked goods (in addition to taste), so reducing the sugar will change the overall outcome of the cookies. You can certainly experiment, but just keep that in mind. You could, of course, forgo the rolling in sugar after, although you’ll lose the crinkle effect.
I was thinking of adding dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet for the same reason.