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Chewy, fudgy, and dusted with a snowy powdered sugar coating, chocolate crinkle cookies are a quintessential holiday treat that never goes out of style. With their iconic crackled exterior and brownie-like texture, they deliver indulgence in every bite. Whether you’re prepping for a festive cookie exchange, looking to elevate your Christmas cookie tray, or just want to satisfy a chocolate craving, these cookies are sure to delight. Let’s dive into the step-by-step process and uncover the sweet science behind crafting the perfect batch of crinkle cookies.

three chocolate crinkle cookies on a wooden tray

The Chemistry of Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

The distinctive cracks and fissures on the surface of crinkle cookies aren’t just visually appealing – they’re a testament to the baking science at work. Ss the dough bakes, the leavening agents (baking soda and baking powder) release carbon dioxide gas, causing the dough to expand. The powdered sugar coating, which dries out faster than the moist dough underneath, stiffens and splits as the cookie spreads and rises. The result? A beautifully cracked exterior that contrast with the fudgy, soft interior.

Another crucial component is the cocoa powder. Its fine texture and rich flavor contribute to the deep chocolate taste and help absorb moisture, keeping the dough sticky enough to hold its shape during baking. The brown sugar plays a key role in creating the chewy texture, as its molasses content traps moisture, ensuring the cookies don’t dry out.

What is in chewy chocolate crinkle cookies?

Cocoa Powder

Provides a rich, sweet chocolate flavor. Creates a dark brown color in your treat. Absorbs water in your batter or dough at the same rate as flour. That means, if you add too much, you could end up with a dried, crumbly finished product.

Granulated Sugar

Adds sweetness, provides a caramelized flavor and crisp texture. Sugar assists with rising when creamed with butter. It helps add moisture to your treat and helps it evenly spread as it melts into a liquid in the heat of the oven. Sugar also helps with naturally preserving your baked treat.

Brown Sugar

Is granulated sugar with a little molasses mixed in. Molasses is a somewhat smoky flavored natural sweetener, which makes brown sugar a bit sweeter than granulated sugar. Brown sugar draws more moisture into your treat, keeping it softer for longer. It’s also more acidic, which means it will help activate your baking soda.

Unsalted Butter

It is always important to use unsalted butter when baking. If you use salted butter, you have no way of knowing how much salt you are adding to your dough or batter and it will result in an overly salted treat.

Butter adds fats to your dough or batter which helps with moistness, flavor and texture. Butter melts at body temperature, which creates a ‘melt in your mouth’ sensation.

When baking with butter, the temperature is important. If the butter is too warm, your treat will melt too fast and overspread in the oven, leaving you with a greasy, flat mess. If your butter is too cold, it will have the opposite problem and not melt down enough, leaving your treat too thick.

Eggs

Adds both a protein (egg whites) and fat (egg yolks). The egg whites help with rising because, when foamed, little air pockets get trapped inside the egg white mixture. The water content in egg whites encourages steam while baking, which helps with gluten formation, resulting in nice and thick treats. Egg yolks have emulsifying properties that bring batters and doughs together and help them from collapsing. Unless otherwise specified, always use large eggs.

Vanilla Extract

When using pure vanilla extract, as opposed to imitation flavoring, it will add the deep rich flavor that everybody wants in a treat.

All-purpose Flour

Builds structure as it absorbs liquids and expands. All-purpose flour falls in the middle of bread flour (high in gluten) and cake flour (low in gluten). It’s exactly what it is named, all-purpose, the most universal flour that can be used in most baked goods.

Baking Powder

Puffs up your batter or dough instead of spreading it out. Baking powder contains a little bit of baking soda, an acid & cornstarch. Because of this, it only needs a liquid to react. It also consists of two different acids, so it’s double reacting. It reacts as soon as it’s mixed with a moisture and then again when it’s heated up.

Baking Soda

Elevates the pH level of your batter or dough. It increases the spread in your treat and encourages browning, which gives the crispy outside and soft inside texture that everyone loves. Baking soda needs both an acid and a liquid to react. Things that will activate your baking soda are: vinegar, fruit juice, molasses, brown sugar, tartar, buttermilk and sour cream. Baking soda only reacts once, which is right when it’s mixed into your batter or dough. The soda creates little air bubbles all throughout your treat. When the air bubbles get heated up in the oven, they expand.

Fine Sea Salt

Enhances flavor, adds balance, masks any bitter flavors. Salt is the most powerful and oldest preservative. Always make sure to use fine sea salt so it melts down at the right speed in the heat of the oven. If you use larger granule salt, it will not melt down fully when baked and will leave salt crystals throughout your treat, making it crunch like you dropped it into sand. All of my favorite salts are from Redmond and I have a discount code for you to get 15% off.

Powdered Sugar

Is just finely ground granulated sugar. It will absorb moisture in your batter or dough. It dissolves easily, ensuring a smooth texture without grittiness. Because it is so fine, it can melt quickly in the oven and spread cookies out more. Powdered sugar also stabilizes and thickens the frosting, thanks to the small amount of cornstarch it contains.

three chocolate crinkle cookies on a wooden tray

How do you make homemade chocolate crinkle cookies?

Cookie Dough

  1. Prepare the butter and sugars. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the 1/2 cup room-temperature butter, 1 cup granulated sugar (white sugar), and 1 cup brown sugar on medium speed until lightly fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. You could also use a large bowl and hand mixer.
  2. Add cocoa powder. Gradually mix in the 1 cup cocoa powder, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even distribution.
  3. Incorporate eggs and vanilla. Beat the 4 eggs one at a time, followed by the 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix until the batter is smooth and well combined.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a separate medium bowl.
  5. Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until just combined. The dough will be sticky.
  6. Chill the dough. Transfer the dough to plastic wrap, shape it into a disc, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Chilling allows the flavors to develop and makes the dough easier to handle.

Baking

  1. Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees when ready to bake—line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Shape the dough. Using a cookie scoop, portion the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball between your palms until smooth.
  3. Coat generously in powdered sugar. Measure 1 cup of powdered sugar into a small bowl. Roll the cookie dough balls thoroughly in powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar), ensuring a thick, even coating.
  4. Bake cookies. Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are set and slightly dull. The centers should remain soft.
  5. Cool completely. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Storage, Freezing & Making Ahead Chocolate Crinkles

Storage: Store cooled chocolate cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freezing: Arrange baked cookies in a single layer in a freezer-safe container, using parchment paper to separate layers. They’ll keep for up to 3 months, so make a double batch! To freeze the cookie dough, after rolling the dough into balls, freeze them on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and bake them straight from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.

Make-Ahead: The dough can be prepared up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator, making holiday baking stress-free and efficient.

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Why make these easy chocolate crinkle cookies?

These easy chocolate crinkle cookies are beloved for their rich flavor and soft, fudgy centers wrapped in a sweet, powdered sugar exterior. Their festive look makes them a staple for holiday season baking, and their easy preparation ensures you can whip them up with minimal fuss. These cookies strike the perfect balance between a rich, chocolatey brownie and a classic cookie, making them a favorite for any occasion. Plus, they’re freezer-friendly, so you can always have a stash ready for unexpected guests or spontaneous dessert cravings.

Chocolate crinkle cookies are brownie-like cookies and a perfect blend of festive elegance and irresistible flavor. Whether you’re baking for a party, gift-giving, or a quiet evening treat, these cookies will never disappoint. Happy baking!

FAQs

It’s best to stick with softened butter for this recipe. Softening butter creamed with sugar traps air, helping the cookies achieve their light yet fudgy texture. Using melted butter could result in denser cookies with a less pronounced crackle.

The key to a dramatic crinkle is a generous coating of powdered sugar. Roll each dough ball thoroughly in powdered sugar to ensure a thick layer that accentuates the cracks as the cookies bake.

Delicious Frostings to Pair

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chocolate crinkle cookies

Chewy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Author: Madison Reid
Total Time: 3 hours 27 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chill Time: 3 hours
Servings: 18 large cookies
Chewy chocolate crinkle cookies rolled in powdered sugar

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  • In a standing mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, add the 1/2 cup of room temperature butter with 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar. Mix until combined.
  • Add the 1 cup of cocoa powder and mix until combined again.
  • Fold in 4 eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp of fine sea salt.
  • Turn the mixer on low and slowly pour in the dry ingredients.
  • As soon as a dough forms, turn the mixer off and scoop the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the dough up and place in the fridge for 1-3 hours to chill.
  • When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  • Prepare light metal cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Scoop the dough with a large cookie scoop onto the prepared cookie sheets.
  • Roll all the cookie dough balls in the 1 cup of powdered sugar.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are set and a little dully on top.
  • Remove and allow the cookies to rest on the pans for 5-10 minutes before removing and allowing to fully cool.

Nutrition

Calories: 237kcal Carbohydrates: 43g Protein: 4g Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 4g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0.2g Cholesterol: 50mg Sodium: 169mg Potassium: 120mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 30g Vitamin A: 210IU Calcium: 39mg Iron: 2mg

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