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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

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Satisfy your cravings with chocolate crinkle cookies—the love child of rich, fudgy brownies and chewy cookies.

chocolate crinkles on serving plate.

With their rich chocolate flavor and chewy center, chocolate crinkles are a cross between a brownie and a cookie. The secret to their crinkled appearance? A simple trick: rolling the dough balls in confectioners sugar before baking. As the cookies puff up in the oven, the sugar cracks and reveals the dark chocolate center. For best results, be sure to make the dough a few hours ahead of time and chill it in the refrigerator before baking. This will allow the dough to firm up, making it easier to roll and ensuring that the cookies have a perfect crinkled texture when they come out of the oven.

What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

chocolate crinkle cookies ingredients

Step-by-Step Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

whisked dry ingredients in bowl

Combine the chocolate and butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between each bout of heat, until almost melted. The chocolate will continue to melt as it sits. (This technique ensures the chocolate mixture will not get too hot and scorch.) Add the espresso powder and stir until completely melted and smooth.

melted butter and chocolate mixture with espresso powder added
In a large bowl, combine the eggs with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.

eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla in large bowlWhisk well to combine.

whisked egg and sugar mixture

Add the melted chocolate mixture.

whisking in the melted chocolate mixture

Whisk until evenly combined.

chocolate crinkle batter with chocolate whisked inAdd the flour mixture.

adding the flour mixture to the chocolate crinkle cookie dough Whisk until evenly combined. (Note that the mixture will be very wet, more like cake batter than cookie dough.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until firm enough to roll — at least 2 hours or longer if necessary.

wet chocolate crinkle cookie dough before chillingPosition two racks in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and place the Confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Roll the chilled dough into 1½-inch balls, then roll each ball in confectioners sugar. (If the dough gets sticky, wash your hands and then dust them with confectioners sugar before proceeding.) Arrange 12 balls evenly on each baking sheet, then place remaining dough back in the refrigerator.

rolling the dough balls in confectioners' sugar Bake the cookies for 9 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, or until puffy and almost dry between the cracks.

baked chocolate crinkle cookies on cooling rackCool the cookies on the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Chocolate crinkle cookies on a black surface.

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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Satisfy your cravings with chocolate crinkle cookies—the love child of rich, fudgy brownies and chewy cookies.

Servings: 48 cookies
Prep Time: 45 Minutes
Cook Time: 12 Minutes
Total Time: 60 Minutes, plus at least 2 hours to chill the dough

Ingredients

  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with knife
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (best quality, such as Ghirardelli)
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder (optional)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Confectioners' sugar

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. Combine the chocolate and butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between each bout of heat, until almost melted. The chocolate will continue to melt as it sits. (This technique ensures the chocolate mixture will not get too hot and scorch.) Add the espresso powder and stir until completely melted and smooth.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Use a whisk to smash any lumps of brown sugar. Whisk in chocolate mixture.
  4. Add the flour mixture and whisk until evenly combined. (Note that the mixture will be very wet, more like cake batter than cookie dough.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until firm enough to roll -- at least 2 hours or longer if necessary.
  5. Position two racks in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and place the Confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Roll the chilled dough into 1½-inch balls, then roll each ball in confectioners sugar. (If the dough gets sticky, wash your hands and then dust them with confectioners sugar before proceeding.) Arrange 12 balls evenly on each baking sheet, then place remaining dough back in the refrigerator. Bake the cookies for 9 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, or until puffy and almost dry between the cracks. Cool the cookies on the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
  6. Freezer-Friendly Instructions:The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Scoop the dough into balls, roll in confectioners' sugar, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking, let the cookies cool completely and then store in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Serving size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 100
  • Fat: 4g
  • Saturated fat: 2g
  • Carbohydrates: 16g
  • Sugar: 11g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 1g
  • Sodium: 30mg
  • Cholesterol: 21mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • Yum!!! So easy and so delicious! My advice though is SCOOP DON’T ROLL! Apparently, chocolate crinkle cookies can be finicky and like to be cold like pie crust. So, I chilled 3 hours then scooped with a small 2t cookie scoop four at a time directly into a shallow bowl of powdered sugar. Then, use two forks to roll them until covered and transfer to sheet with the flatter side down. I scooped and covered a dozen in five minutes this way, not rushing at all, and they came out beautifully puffed, crinkled, and delicious! They were picture perfect with no evidence of not rolling by hand. So many folks comment on this sticky messy dough, and I couldn’t tell you if it’s messy or not as I didn’t touch it until I ate it. I also put the remaining dough back in the fridge during baking and used a cool, new sheet for each batch. Honestly, so much easier than a lot of cookies as you don’t have to soften your butter, but you do need to plan ahead for chilling. Will definitely make again! Thanks for another amazing cookie! 🙂

    • — Erin on December 17, 2023
    • Reply
    • Thank you–your comment was very helpful!!

      • — Leanne on January 25, 2024
      • Reply
  • This is one of the best cookies I’ve ever had. I don’t get excited about brownies or cookies, but my daughter wanted to make these for a neighborhood Christmas drop-in we hosted. They were one of everyone’s favorite cookie and we haven’t stopped talking about how good they are!

    • — Andrea Spears on December 14, 2023
    • Reply
  • Good Morning! I have made chocolate crinkle cookies every year (33) for Christmas using a different recipe, and yes there are plenty out there. Every year I am disappointed with the end product. Last Christmas I made your recipe and can’t wait to make them this year. Your recipe is just a bit messy, but the cookie is terrific! Yours is definitely a keeper. Thank you.

    • — Nhielscher on December 9, 2023
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn, thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. I have always wanted to make chocolate crinkles, but I kept going back and forth which one to try. Very glad I stumbled on your website and found this one. When I read the ingredients, I knew this was the one I wanted. I followed the recipe strictly, but was forced to make a substitute for Ghirardelli chocolate 100% cocoa as my store did not have it. I used Lindt chocolate bar 95% cocoa instead. Each cookie weighed 25 grams and baked for 11 minutes per cookie sheet. The cookies were awesome!!! Fudgy and great texture!! They are not too sweet which I do like very much. There is that distinct flavor from espresso powder. Just perfect for me. I cannot wait for my close friends to try them! I already sent them pics and they are excited LOL. Oh I also made your Thai pork fried rice today (only I used ground turkey). It was delicious! This is fav website. Thank you again, Jenn! Please do not stop baking & cooking 🙂

    • — Maria Stohr on December 3, 2023
    • Reply
    • 💕

      • — Jenn on December 4, 2023
      • Reply
  • Hi Jenn, greetings from Ireland. Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe . I am wondering how to adapt recipe for Coffee Crinkle Cookies. I would be so happy to receive your suggestion as I would truly love to have both. Thank you for such wonderful recipes.
    Mary

    • — Mary on October 10, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Mary, glad you like the cookies! If you still want the cookies to be chocolate with a coffee flavor, I’d use the optional espresso powder and double the amount. If you’re looking for a coffee version that doesn’t also include chocolate, I’d look for a recipe specific to that, as this one would require too many changes. Hope that helps!

      • — Jenn on October 10, 2023
      • Reply
      • Thank you Jenn, I am actually looking for a coffee version that doesn’t include chocolate.

        I hope you dont mind if I ask if anyone out there has a Coffee Crinkle Recipe (no chocolate) could you please supply link. I have tried two from other sites but they were not successful.

        Thank you
        Mary

        • — Mary on October 10, 2023
        • Reply
  • I am wondering if these could be mailed ( 2-3 day delivery time)? If not, could you recommend another treat recipe that would work? Thanks! Love every recipe I use from your site!

    • — Liz on August 9, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Liz, I don’t think these are the best option for shipping, but a few other options that would work nicely:
      Any of my banana breads
      Toffee Almond Sandies
      Any of my biscotti
      Scottish Shortbread (lasts for up to 1 month)

      Hope that helps and that the recipient enjoys whatever you send!

      • — Jenn on August 9, 2023
      • Reply
      • Thanks a million for all of your great suggestions! So helpful! Liz

        • — Liz on August 10, 2023
        • Reply
  • These are a staple in my home any time of the year, but I now have a new version due to a happy mistake. I now make these with half cup each white and brown sugar (that was my original mistake). But instead of spreading they remained plump and with a delightful light centre. Almost like a truffle cookie! And who can fault a less sugary cookie! So much more chocolate flavour and they do not dry out/go stale as quickly as the original recipe.

    • — Jane R on January 30, 2023
    • Reply
  • Really tasteless. I promise I followed the recipe! And I used Ghirardelli chocolate. I’m so disappointed!

    • — Lin Pierce on December 20, 2022
    • Reply
  • do we use 4oz(113.5G) of chocolate or 5oz? the ghirardelli bar states 4oz is 113.5g. I don’t want to make a mistake?

    • — mrs NC on December 19, 2022
    • Reply
    • Sorry for the confusion — you should use 5 ounces. I’m going to update that in the recipe now!

      • — Jenn on December 22, 2022
      • Reply
  • I have a few quick questions. I am NOT one to go away from the written recipe but have you or any of the readers used semi-sweet choc. bar vs the unsweetened? I have a family member that isn’t found of a dark chocolate taste. Also, I read mixed answers on when to roll in powdered sugar, if planning to freeze them unbaked.

    • — mrs NC on December 19, 2022
    • Reply
    • You can use semi-sweet chocolate instead of unsweetened. And if you’re going to freeze them, I’d roll them in confectioners’ sugar first. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on December 22, 2022
      • Reply
  • My dough came out thick. I checked and rechecked my measurements. I did just use a whisk and then a wooden spoon. What did I do wrong? Can’t rate it yet as I haven’t actually baked them.

    • — Rhonda on December 17, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Rhonda, Did you use the spoon and level method to measure the flour? Even a few extra ounces can make a big difference. This article/video explains it nicely.

      • — Jenn on December 17, 2022
      • Reply
  • Hi Jen
    I made these cookies the past few Christmases This time they didn’t have the cracks in them after I baked them, they taste delicious So not an issue. But curious what did I do wrong?

    • — JOANIE on December 16, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Joanie, sorry you had a problem this time around! Did you let the dough firm up in the fridge for 2 hours?

      • — Jenn on December 17, 2022
      • Reply
  • Used gluten free flour but these do not spread or look like the picture, used the right amount of everything. What could be wrong. Tks

    • — Joan McGill on December 16, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Joan, I’m sorry you had a problem with these! What brand of gluten-free flour were you using? A lot of readers have commented that they’ve had good luck with King Arthur gluten-free flour and Cup4Cup gluten-free flour. You could also try cutting the flour back a little and use 2.25 cups. Hope that helps!

      • — Jenn on December 17, 2022
      • Reply
  • Once you take the frozen dough out of the freezer, do you then roll it in the confectioners sugar, or do you let them defrost and then roll in the sugar?

    Thank you.

    • — Annette Buonacore on December 16, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Annette, I would thaw them first. Enjoy!

      • — Jenn on December 17, 2022
      • Reply
  • Jenn- Love this recipe! It is a favorite in my house. I plan to make these for a school event and must bake them on a weeknight. Can I make the dough a day ahead and leave in the fridge for a day?

    • — Lisa on September 24, 2022
    • Reply
    • Glad you like these! Yes, making the dough a day ahead should be fine.

      • — Jenn on September 26, 2022
      • Reply
  • I made the cookies, and they were a big success. Given the cookies’ resemblance to brownies, do you think it would work to add some chopped walnuts?

    • — Jim F on September 1, 2022
    • Reply
    • Glad they were a hit! Yes, Walnuts should work in these. 🙂

      • — Jenn on September 7, 2022
      • Reply
      • The walnuts worked beautifully.

        • — Jim F on September 12, 2022
        • Reply
        • So glad to hear it — thanks for following up! 🙂

          • — Jenn on September 13, 2022
          • Reply
  • I made the cookies, and they were a big success. Given the cookies’ resemblance to brownies, do you think adding some chopped walnuts would work?

    • — Jim F on September 1, 2022
    • Reply
  • I love these! My oven runs a bit hot and I had to turn it down a bit, but the cookies were a hit! Messy, but worth, lol!

    Will using more of your recipes.

  • Hi Jenn can I use dark chocolate for this recipe?

    • Hi Meena, This recipe is a bit finicky so I’d recommend sticking with the unsweetened.

  • Great recipe! They were sticky to roll but so worth it. So happy they look as pretty as they taste. My family was so surprised by how chocolatey they taste. These will be made again

  • I just pulled the last pan of cookies out of the oven. They are delicious and everything worked exactly as indicated in the recipe. One thing that I did find is that it took a bit of time to roll the balls. As the dough warmed, the cookies spread more and flattened when baked. After I saw that happening, I kept the rolled balls were very cold until it was time to bake them. The remaining cookies had a consistent shape and size. Next time, I will roll all the balls and refrigerate them well before starting to bake them. I think this extra time will be worth the effort.

  • Jenn, I do enjoy your website and often turn to it for the best recipes. I do prefer to weigh out my flour instead of spooning and leveling. For me, it is faster and more accurate. I normally use 125 grams of flour as one cup. You find varying conversion weights online. Is this an accurate weight to use for your recipes? While weights always matter, it seems that in the recipes I find weighing the flour is the most important thing, since how you fill the cup can vary so much. Thanks.

    • Hi Mary, glad to hear you liked the website! Yes, you will see a lot of variation online regarding how much one cup of all purpose flour weighs. I published this recipe a long time ago and have since changed the amount that I always get when I weigh 1 cup of all purpose flour (to 130 grams). I’ve updated the recipe accordingly. Hope that clarifies!

  • Made these Gluten Free using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking flour and they turned out great. Baked for 9 minutes. Served warm with a cold glass of milk. Delicious addition to our cookie recipe box.

  • Currently have second cookie sheet in oven. They look just like your photo but sadly the dough is really sticky to work with. I left it in the fridge for 4 hours, but have now had to put it in freezer before making next sheet…I can only get one sheet of cookies rolled and dusted as it is so sticky, even if I dust my hands.
    As many others have said, I love your recipes, but I may have to go back to another recipe I have for these cookies. I would give these 3 and a half stars, because of the sticky dough.

    • I have reread the recipe and it turns out I forgot extra half cup of flour. I would like to give this recipe 5 stars as they are delicious and it is my ability to follow instructions that deserves a 3 ha ha!

  • Morning Jenn
    I made these cookies and were awesome. When looking at your cookies they are more rounded whereas mine became flat like cookies. Why?

    • Hi Sara, Glad you liked them! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe? If not, what brand of flour did you use?

    • This happened with me as well. I used King Arthur flour

      • Hi Ainsley, I’m sorry you had a problem with these! If you make them again, I’d use an additional 1/4 cup flour.

  • Outstanding recipe & super easy to make!

  • Made this recipe at the holidays, baking part of the recipe after chilling and the freezing the balance to bake off as we go. Love having cookies ready to go when the mood strikes. These were really good and a definite hit with my family!

  • Fantastic fudgy chocolate cookie! Super easy to make, the kids alway help. We make this every holiday as part of our cookie tray. Thank you!

    • — Victoria Arduini
    • Reply
  • I have not come across a single recipe from Jen that ended badly. Once upon a chef is my favorite cookbook and favorite website for recipes. I have also made many of my friends Once Upon a Chef fans. Sadly, this is the one recipe I came across that really disappointed. I had to just throw the dough away. I followed the recipe exactly and ended up with flat cookies like many others. This recipe just didn’t work for me.

  • My sweet tooth and all the rest of me, love these cookies. Just tossed the recipe I have been making for the last fifty five years that were made with oil and all white sugar. I thought they were good, but they could not compare to these with butter, brown sugar and espresso…great depth of flavor. Wow. For ease in handling, I wear vinyl gloves when rolling the balls. Thanks Jenn for making an old favorite even better

    • — Carol Winkelman
    • Reply
  • I want to start off by saying I have made several recipes from this website before and they came out perfect…..but I did not like these cookies.

    I followed this recipe exactly as is. These cookies were very time consuming and very tedious to make. Especially rolling out all 48 of them. They smelled very yummy when they came out of the oven and looked very chocolatey. But they tasted bland and dry. Just a boring ordinary cookie. Nothing special. For all the effort and time I spent making these cookies they were not worth it. I will not be making these again. Sorry!

    • Add 1/2 Dutch process cocoa powder and reduce flour by 1/2 cup to amp up flavor.

      • — Ellen Maxwell on March 23, 2022
      • Reply
  • Thank you Jenn for another fab recipe. I remember making these as a young girl, with my Mom’s help of course. We used the classic Betty Crocker recipe which called for oil and cocoa. Jenn’s recipe was a breeze and they turned out perfectly. When I bake I prefer using organic unsalted butter (butter is healthier) with the unsweetened baking chocolate. I would choose this recipe over Betty Crocker’s in a heartbeat. The only thing I would not do is open the oven door and rotate my pans half-way through baking. Doing that can cause the cookies to drop and become flat – due to the cold air rushing into the oven. That said, I did not rotate my pans – and they still turned out beautifully. I personally used all organic ingredients, including my favorite King Arthur Organic All-Purpose Flour and allowing all ingredients to come to room temperature before starting. That makes all the difference in the world – and I have Jenn to personally thank for that very helpful and professional tip. Thank you Jenn!

    • Love this recipe; I didn’t change a thing. So chocolatey and the texture is perfect.

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