One of my all-time FAVORITE recipes! Chewy double-chocolate cookies baked to warm, fudgy perfection with crackled tops that provide just the right amount of crunch. Then, roll and dust with powdered sugar for the ultimate wintery dessert. Don't be surprised if your entire first batch is snapped up right out of the oven!
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Baking cookies is a staple in many holiday traditions around the world. They are fun and simple to make (especially with family and friends!), and offer a coziness that helps combat the chill of the colder autumnal and wintery months. Sugar cookies are especially popular around Christmas, and now you can add this recipe to your holiday repertoire!
This recipe tastes so much better and fresher than the boxed mix since it uses Dutch-processed cocoa powder and dark brown sugar that creates a depth of chocolaty goodness!
What Are Chocolate Crinkle Cookies?
A holiday classic, crinkle cookies are chewy and chocolaty with a brownie-like texture, crackled tops, and are rolled in and dusted with powdered sugar.
Why Chocolate Lovers Make This Recipe
- Fudgy -- chewy cookie lovers, rejoice! These lovelies almost venture into brownie territory with their fudgy centers, yet you never forget you're eating a scrumptious cookie. Win, win!
- Addictive -- this is one of those recipes where you should automatically scale up, as the first batch will disappear within minutes. Ask me how I know...
- Holiday classic -- due to their near-universal appeal (who doesn't like chocolate and powdered sugar together!?), bake these for your next Christmas party, holiday office potluck, or similar occasion.
- Aesthetically-pleasing -- these cookies have a lot of visual appeal due to the dark, chocolatey cookie contrasting with the bright powdered sugar that accentuates every crackle you worked so hard to craft!
Ingredients and Variations
These cookies come together so quickly, and with just a few pantry staples. Some notes on a few ingredients below:
Dark brown sugar -- I find that adding dark brown sugar adds another complementary note to cocoa, while prohibiting the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. If you don't have dark brown sugar, you can substitute 1-1 with light brown sugar.
Whole egg and an extra egg yolk -- the combination of a whole egg with an additional yolk ensures these cookies build structure while maintaining their gooey, fudgy interiors.
Bread flour -- for the chewiest cookies, use a flour with a high protein content for pillowy cookies with warm, fudgy centers.
Cocoa powder -- I always try and use Dutch-processed cocoa powder whenever possible since it has a more intense chocolate flavor. Whichever cocoa powder you decide to use, just make sure it's high-quality.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips -- adds extra texture and gooeyness.
Powdered sugar (along with granulated sugar, if needed) -- rolling the dough balls in powdered sugar (and granulated sugar, see "Tips for Success") creates a beautiful visual contrast of light and dark, with the powdered sugar accentuating all of those beautiful crackles and crinkles on top of each cookie.
Tips for Success
- If you find that your cookies absorbed a lot of the powdered sugar during baking, sift some more powdered sugar overtop and they will look good as new. Additionally, roll any remaining balls of cookie dough in about ¼-cup white granulated sugar before rolling in powdered sugar. Don't worry about the cookies becoming too sweet with this extra step-- you will find that this step allows for the powdered sugar to remain mostly intact after baking.
- Do not overmix the ingredients. Overworking the dough will create dense, unappetizing cookies.
- While not inherently necessary, I strongly advise to chill the dough for a few hours (I usually lose patience at the 15-hour mark, but try to go for the full 24 hours 😀 ). The longer you let the dough chill in the fridge, the more time the flour has time to absorb the liquid in the dough, creating the perfect, chewy cookie.
- Whether you are using a cookie scoop, a tablespoon, or a digital kitchen scale, you want to roll each cookie into similarly-sized dough balls so that they all bake evenly.
- I recipe tested baking these cookies at 10, 11, and 12-minute increments, and found that 11 minutes produced the best results: not too ooey-gooey, but not too "cakey," either. Of course, every oven is different, so experiment with a few cookies first to see how long your oven takes to achieve the texture you are after.
- Allow the cookies to remain on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes after they first come out of the oven before (gently!) transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Store these cookies in either an airtight container or a resealable bag and keep in a cool, dry place for up to one week.
To return cookies to their first-day glory, simply wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 15-30 seconds. Allow to cool for a minute or two, then enjoy!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- 1 electric mixer or stand mixer
- 1 medium-sized bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 sheet plastic wrap
- 2 small bowls
- 1 cookie scoop
- 2 baking sheets
- 2 sheets parchment paper
- 1 small sifter
Ingredients
- 113 grams salted butter, chilled and cubed
- 100 grams granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
- 100 grams dark brown sugar
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 125 grams bread flour, sifted
- 50 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 75 grams powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix on low speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, while periodically scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Pour in the vanilla extract and whole egg and mix on low until just incorporated. Add in the additional egg yolk and mix until incorporated. Do NOT overmix.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the bread flour, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three stages, rather than adding all at once.
- Sprinkle in the chocolate chips and mix until the chips are evenly dispersed throughout the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. When ready to use, remove the dough from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 ℉.
- Pour about 50g of granulated sugar in a small bowl and 75g of powdered sugar in another. Use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to measure out each dough ball before generously rolling in the granulated sugar, then the powdered sugar, until fully coated.
- Place dough balls on a lined cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until centers are fudgy but don't look raw (I had great success at 11 minutes).
- Allow cookies to cool on the tray for five minutes before dusting with more powdered sugar. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack until cooled completely.
