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
Yup. Fantastic. I found 1tbsp balls better, but the tip of two sugar coating was perfect! Lucky co-workers get best cookies with tips honed during pandemic (social distance gift exchange).
First time making them and they turned out great! I followed the recipe – but was hesitant to roll them heavily in powdered sugar. Don’t be afraid to really get that powdered sugar on there!
Sally, I love your recipes but this came out too sweet even though I put in the exact amount of white and brown sugar called for. They looked perfect and very chocolatey but tasted much too sweet so when I make them again I will cut the amount of sugar.
Pretty happy the way mine turned out. First time ever making chocolate crinkles! I bake a ton! And everyone always loves my baking. I think they will love these too. Followed the recipe precisely and had no issues!
Made these tonight! Thank you for another great recipe, they are a big hit here in our chocolate loving house!
These cookies are delicious but I have problems getting a nice even coating of powdered sugar. It appears to almost melt in spots… I did roll it first in granulated sugar and then I tried some without the granulated sugar- that bunch had a better show of icing sugar once baked but still looked melted in spots. My sister is a professional baker and her chocolate crackles come out perfectly coated (different recipe) . I followed her suggestions and same thing – my Icing sugar looks melted in spots. It’s a real puzzle… any ideas?
I left out the chocolate chips but did everything else per the directions and they came out beautifully. Soft and chewy, perfect crinkle white top. Definite keeper!
Hi Sally,
I’m going to make some of your cookie recipes, including biscotti and chocolate crinkle cookies. I only have extra large eggs and your recipes call for large eggs. How will more egg affect the outcome? Should I reduce the amount of egg liquid or simply use the same number of eggs? Thanks!
Debora
Hi Debora, using an extra large egg in this recipe won’t really make a difference, so don’t worry about it here. But for the biscotti, which needs 3 large eggs, it may be a little trickier since 3 extra large eggs = more liquid. Do you have a scale? 1 large egg weighs about 57g or 2 ounces. If you ensure you’re using the correct amount of ounces, you’ll be all set. I found this helpful article if you want to read more: https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cooking-basics/extra-large-egg-substitutes/
Sally, mine didn’t have the pure white powdered sugar yours do – once they cooked the powdered sugar was much more yellowed/dim. Any ideas?
Hi Nick, this can happen if you don’t coat the cookie dough balls heavily enough in confectioners’ sugar. Make sure you roll them in granulated sugar first, then a very heavy coating in confectioners’ sugar. See How to Prevent the Powdered Sugar from Melting in the blog post above.
Could I skip the chocolate chips and add M&M white chocolate peppermint candies? Have always loved these cookies.
I can’t see why not, sounds delicious to me!
Would it be ok to use cocoa powder instead of powdered sugar for the coating? If so, still pre-roll in regular sugar?
Thank You,
Marisol
Hi Marisol, I can’t see why not. It may not show up much after the cookies bake and cool though. (May be absorbed by the cookies’ moisture.) But yes, a roll in granulated sugar before cocoa powder would help prevent the dough from absorbing the cocoa powder.
I chilled them for 4 hours, covered in plastic wrap, and the dough seemed very dried out when I rolled the balls. They aren’t spreading enough, either. I enjoyed the tip about rolling them twice in sugar but not sure this will be my go-to crinkle recipe.
you could try adding a tablespoon or two of milk to the mixture. as Sally said in the notes the original recipe called for that but depending on exact brands/types of ingredients it isn’t needed for everyone.
Hi Sally,
This is such a beautiful cookie! I was curious with this cookie if it’s possible to make it larger? Is it okay to scoop the dough with any size I like? Thanks kindly!
Hi Jennifer, You can make larger cookies if you wish. The bake time will be a minute or two longer depending on how large you scoop them – keep your eye on them as they bake and enjoy!
Do the chocolate chips completely melt while the cookies bake?
Hi John, Chocolate chips contain stabilizers so that they hold their shape when baked. They will stay as chips much the same way they do in a chocolate chip cookie 🙂
Hi Sally,
We loved the idea and ease and look of these cookies, but found the final product too sweet!
is there a way to reduce the sweetness? but maintain the consistency?
Hi Fiona, You can try slightly reducing the sugar but keep in mind that sugar is also used for texture and moisture so if you reduce the sugar you will notice a change. You can top the cookies with coarse salt to help cut the sweetness! You can skip the added chocolate chips if you wish and also use a bit less confectioners sugar for the outside coating.
These look great, I haven’t made them yet — I’m wondering if, without the powdered sugar, they would be a good base for a Chocolate Mint Blossom cookie, if I stuck a mint hershey’s kiss on top once they’re out of the oven? Thoughts?
Hi Stacey, Yes you can use this cooke base for blossom cookies. OR see how we made these Candy Cane Kiss Cookies (scroll down for the chocolate version).
Have made these for years, always delicious! For a yummy Christmas variation, I omitted the powdered sugar and after baking them, frosted with peppermint buttercream and sprinkled with peppermint candy pieces. Everyone LOVED them! Thanks for many all-time-favorite recipes, Sally!!
The kids loved when I made these! Now they want me to try and experiment using chocolate kisses for christmas. I think I want to give it a try.
Hi Sally!
I found this recipe last year and I’d like to say thank you! I’ve always had these when I lived in the Philippines every Sunday after church, my mom bought me some from a bakery. Anyways, I’d never been able to find a recipe that reminded me of home and thanks to you, I have. I made these for my co-workers last year and they asked for them again this year! I’m gonna try to make your dark chocolate caramel cookies too! Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you and happy holidays!
Fantastic! As my 6 year old son said after his first bite “when you put them in your mouth it’s like you are eating happiness!”
Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies: My first time making this recipe. I followed it exactly. They are delicious!
My cookies flattened more than I would like. What can I change to get the dome like cookie, as in the picture? Thank you.
Lyn Jessee
Hi Jessee Lyn, You can use the post 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookies From Spreading to help you troubleshoot. I hope it helps!
Yours is my absolute favorite chocolate crinkle recipe! They turn out perfect every time. Since there is so little flour in them, I’m going to try gluten free next time to see how they taste. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi! My grandma used to make these but they were minty! I can’t find her recipe anymore, do you think I could replace the vanilla with mint or would that be weird?
Hi Megan, We love adding peppermint! I recommend adding 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (not mint extract) in addition to the vanila. You might also enjoy this recipe!
My new favorite cookie recipe!!!! Follow the directions and they come out perfect. I always had a problem with the 10x sugar getting funky on the cookie, but not with this recipe. I even tried freezing and they are perfect. Thank you!!!!!
I made these last night and like a previous reader commented the dough was yummy but the cookie itself wasn’t as soft as I expected the following morning. I saw your bread tip in the container but I’m wondering if there’s anything I did wrong? I followed the recipe to a T!
Hi Deanna, If the cookies wasn’t as soft as you would like it’s possible they are a little over-baked. If you try them again, remove from the oven a minute or 2 earlier– the centers can still look a little soft.
Hi Sally,
Can I mix these cookies by hand? I don’t have a stand mixer and my hand mixer is unreliable at the best of times! I typically cream my butter and sugar by hand using a wooden spoon or spatula. Will this work?
Thanks!
Hi Sam, It would take a lot of arm muscle to make these by hand but it’s not impossible 🙂
Hello Sally, these look amazing! Can I ask if it would be possible to add some whiskey or Baileys? If so, how much would you recommend? Thank you, I cannot wait to try these!
Hi Jana! I haven’t tested anything like that, so I can’t be sure. You’d likely have to play around with the flour if you add a liquid!
Just made these last night and they are so good. Honestly, may make them without the chocolate chips next time to make them a bit less sweet, but they are totally delicious as is too. I also baked a couple without the powdered sugar and some just rolled in the granulated (just out of curiosity) and all three options were awesome.
Hello! I made these cookies after chilling the dough, but they came out crunchy and pretty dry. The second round I made I cooked less but had the same problem. I can’t figure out what I did wrong, would you have any suggestions for having them come out soft? I ate these kinds of cookies out somewhere a while back and remember them being so soft and almost cake like. That’s what I was hoping to go for.
Just a recommendation, but these are absolutely DELICIOUS if you substitute candy cane bits for the chocolate chips! It makes them taste even more festive and Christmasy.