These chocolate crinkle cookies are classic Christmas cookies. They’re quick and simple to make — perfect for the holidays.

Plus, they’re delicious, have the most amazing texture, and are perfect for satisfying any sweet tooth! Your family will love them!

Sweet Homemade Chocolate Crinkle Cookies in a Baking Rack

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Powdered Sugar

Chocolate crinkle cookies are perfect for those who dislike making decisions. They’re kind of like all your favorite desserts rolled into one.

Ultimately, they’re soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies, but that’s not all.

They also have a thick, fudgy consistency like brownies and taste almost like chocolate cake. You’ll never have to choose between cake, cookies, and brownies again!

They’re rich, chewy, downright delicious cookies with delightfully crisp edges. If you love devil’s food cake, you’ll go nuts for them.

They’re easy to make and have a gorgeous, cracked, crinkly appearance. Especially once you dust them in confectioner’s sugar.

Trust me, everyone who tries them this holiday season will love them.

Homemade Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Powdered Sugar

How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Making chocolate crinkle cookies is a breeze.

You’ll need fewer than ten ingredients, most of which you likely already have in your kitchen. Then, it’s a simple process: mix, chill, shape, and bake. Here’s how:

1. Combine the “wet ingredients.” Mix the sugar, cocoa, and oil in a medium-sized bowl. Then, add the eggs one at a time.

Completely incorporate one before adding the next. Finally, stir in the vanilla.

2. Combine the “dry ingredients.” Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a second medium-sized bowl. Mix well.

3. Combine the two. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix well, but don’t overmix.

4. Chill. Cover the dough with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.

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5. Prepare to bake. Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Roll the dough into separate, one-inch balls and dust each in confectioners’ sugar.

6. Bake. Place the cookie dough balls on the baking sheets, leaving space between each one. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

7. Cool. Once the cookies are done, remove them from the oven. Let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.

Then, transfer them to cooling racks to finish cooling.

8. Repeat. Continue baking until all the cookies are done. OR freeze the remaining dough before adding the confectioners’ sugar.

9. Enjoy! That one is pretty self-explanatory!

Why Are My Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Flat?

These cookies should be thick, round, and slightly dome-shaped when ready. If they’re flat instead, you might wonder where you went wrong.

There are three reasons this can happen.

You flattened the dough on the cookie sheets. Don’t do that. Instead, leave them in round ball form. If you mash them flat, they won’t bake into their perfectly plump shapes.

You needed more flour. Be sure to measure your flour carefully. Use a spoon to gently transfer flour into the measuring cup. Once the cup is full, give it a slight shake to level the top. That’ll ensure you have the right amount.

You didn’t chill the dough long enough. Remember, this dough needs to hang out in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Skipping this step, or not leaving them in the fridge long enough, will almost guarantee flat cookies.

Fudgy and Chewy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Tips for Making the Best Cookies

Here are a few final tips for making the best chocolate crinkle cookies:

Don’t forget to chill! It’s imperative that you don’t skip or rush this step. The dough must stay in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Otherwise, it’s too sticky to work with, and the cookies won’t rise properly.

Use room-temperature ingredients. Things just don’t mix as well when they’re cold. So, use a little forethought and set your ingredients out to warm up beforehand.

Use a cookie scoop. Use a small to medium cookie scoop to shape the dough. It scoops out precisely the right amount.

Be generous with the powdered sugar. When covering the dough balls in sugar, cover them completely. If you can still see the dough in places, they aren’t covered well enough.

Freeze leftover dough before sugaring it. If you plan to freeze the cookie dough, do so before coating it in the confectioners’ sugar. You can go ahead and roll it into balls, but freeze the balls pre-sugar coating.

Experiment. Try different add-ins if you like. Add some cinnamon and nutmeg for spicier cookies. You could also add a minty extract or a dash of ginger.

Sweet and Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

How to Store

If you have leftover crinkle cookies, you have a few options for storing them.

To store. Store cooled cookies in a Ziploc bag or airtight container at room temperature for 5-6 days. Refrigerate them for a few extra days.

To freeze. Place cooled cookies in a freezer-safe, airtight container. Freeze them for up to 3 months.

To thaw. Let frozen cookies thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours (or overnight). Reheat them in the oven (350 degrees/5-6 minutes) or enjoy them chilled.

Remember, you can also freeze unbaked cookie dough. Here’s how:

Follow the steps for making the dough.
Stop before covering them in confectioners’ sugar.
Wrap the uncooked, unsugared dough tightly in plastic wrap.
Freeze for up to 3 months.

Let the cookies thaw in the fridge for 24 hours when you want to bake them. Then, dust them in confectioners’ sugar and bake as directed.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (Best Recipe)

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

kcal

These chocolate crinkle cookies are a must for the holidays! Learn how to make the easy recipe. And get tips for making the very best cookies.

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

Using a medium-sized bowl, mix the sugar, cocoa, and oil.
Add the eggs, vigorously mixing each one into the batter before adding the next.
Add the vanilla and stir.
In a second bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, slowly combine this mixture with the first mixture. Ensure the two are thoroughly combined.
Cover the dough and move it to the refrigerator to chill for 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
Roll the dough into separate, one-inch balls. Cover each in confectioners’ sugar. Then, transfer them to the cookie sheets. Be sure to leave at least an inch between each one.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 10-12 minutes. Then, remove the sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes. Finally, transfer them to cooling racks to cool completely.
Repeat steps 8 and 9 to prepare the rest of the cookies. Alternatively, you can freeze the remaining dough for up to 3 months.

Notes

If freezing the remaining cookie dough, do so BEFORE dusting it with confectioners’ sugar.

NaTaya Hastings

NaTaya Hastings is a food and recipe writer for Insanely Good Recipes. She’s an educator, boy mom, dog mom, and whatever-stray-enters-the-yard mom. As a result, she's constantly cooking for both humans and animals.

Luckily, she enjoys it!

Though born, raised, and still living in Alabama, her specialty is NOT down-home Southern cooking. Instead, she loves to experiment with Asian, Mexican, Italian, and other ethnic cuisines. She has two mottos when it comes to cooking. “The more spice, the better!” and “There’s no such thing as too much garlic!”

She’s also pretty good with desserts. Especially the easy, no-bake ones.