Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
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Satisfy your cravings with chocolate crinkle cookies—the love child of rich, fudgy brownies and chewy cookies.
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
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
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.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
Whisk well to combine.
Add the melted chocolate mixture.
Whisk until evenly combined.
Add the flour mixture.
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.
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.
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- Double Chocolate Mint Cookies
- Double Chocolate Meringue Cookies
- Blobbs
- Double Chocolate Skillet Cookie
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Satisfy your cravings with chocolate crinkle cookies—the love child of rich, fudgy brownies and chewy cookies.
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
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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- 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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I have been hunting for a great Chocolate Crinkle Cookie for years after the place I used to buy them at closed down. It was a family run bakery & no one could compare to their cookies, until now. I made these, after trying many different recipes, & these are the closest to those cookies that I loved so much. I would highly recommend trying these out if you love Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, you won’t be disappointed!
Made these to add to my Christmas cookie tray – amazing!
I am visiting my family in Texas for the holidays, and have been designated the dessert maker, they will make the dinner and I do all the desserts. I will make pies and cookies galore. Will try this recipe as I had some Chocolate fudge sprinkles from our holiday parties and thought they were out of this world. Read the reviews and was wondering, do I really need to add the espresso? as I have little ones who don`t like the taste of coffee,as well as me. Loved the pictures of the kids eating the cookies, looks like my place, I have to send them outside or they will eat them as soon as they come out of the oven.
Hi Pauline, It’s perfectly fine to omit the espresso powder — I sometimes leave it out as well if I’m making these for the kids. Hope everyone enjoys, and please let me know how they turn out 🙂
So tasty with the espresso powder!
How long in advance do you suggest these can be baked?
Hi Julie, I think they keep well for a day or two — just be sure not to overcook them so they stay fudgy.
I cannot understand the problems I read here. Mine came out EXACTLY as pictured and are very good. I did not see the oven temp and cook time, so my first batch got a tad overcooked. Set it to 350* for 10 minutes and they were perfect.
Hello Jen. I’ve just made the batter for the chocolate fudge crinkles and I’m wondering if the batter is suppose resemble a cookie dough or a fudge batter? It’s a particularly wet mixture and I’m wondering if that’s how it should be. I understand it needs to be refridgerated for a few hours but I was hoping to know ahead of time as I read another person found the mix wet. Thanks in advance, Nicole
Hi Nicole, It is wet, almost like brownie batter; it should firm up in the fridge.
I have never spent so much time trying to make a batch of cookies. These will not to going on my cookie plate. They look nothing like the picture. I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of adding chopped cherries to the recipe. It looked like batter and was not dark in color at all. I had hoped to freeze the dough overnight and then roll in balls and freeze. After 2 days in the freezer they are still flat as pancakes, so I lowered the temperature to 300 and baked longer, I’ve even adjusted the size of balls with no luck. I think it’s time for the trash.
Hi Melody, So sorry that you had a problem with these cookies! Because a few people had challenges with these, I retested the recipe, and made some tweaks. Please read through the updated version of the recipe if you’d like to attempt these again. Sorry again the first batch didn’t turn out so well!
When you put give the time and oven temperature are you using regular oven or convection oven. I put one cookie tray on the second rack to bottom and the other on the middle. The bottom ones burned. I left the dough over night in thefridge and they rolled nice but flattened out not like yours. What do you think I did wrong? I had enough dough for exactly 4 doz. I would like to try again.
Hi Pip, I always use a regular oven as opposed to convection. And, if the cookies are getting too well done while baking on the lower rack, rotate the cookie sheets halfway through to even things out. Also, because a few people had challenges with these cookies, I retested the recipe, and made some tweaks. Please read through the updated version of the recipe if you’d like to attempt these again. Sorry the first batch didn’t turn out so well!
Everyone loved these!
These looked so good I decided to include them in my holiday baking. But my first tray ran together! Is it because i didn’t chill the batter long enough?
Yes, Debra — that is most likely the reason.
Made the Chocolate Fudge Crinkles and they were fantastic. Very intense chocolate taste. Mine did flatten out, but I think they may have been bigger than the tablespoon size she specified, so the next time I’ll try baking them a tad longer (or making them smaller). On the plus side, they were fudgy and delicious as flatter cookies.
The worse recipe ever! it was so runny I couldn’t form into balls
Tracey, I’m so sorry to hear the cookies were not successful! Did you let them firm up in the fridge for at least 2 hours?
Hi Jenn,
I came across your site when I googled “coconut macaroons”, and they are fab-u-lous! Also made the pecan shortbreads….heaven. I’m attempting the fudge crinckles next. My question is can I freeze all of these and for how long? I’m making cookies for gifts for Christmas. Love your site, we are making the beef with broccoli tomorrow, can’t wait. Thanks, Denise
Hi Denise, Yes you can freeze all of those, and if you make them now, they will be fine through the holidays.
My family loves these cookies. This has become my go-to cookie recipe. After initially chilling the dough, I place the dough balls into freezer bags. If I want to bake only four cookies, I pull out four dough balls, roll them in powdered sugar, and bake from frozen.
Cookies look EXACTLY like the picture. Very attractive presentation. Delicious – fudgy – and surprisingly cake-like. Want to experiment with some add-ins (dried cherries, chocolate chips & nuts).
These were excellent! Easy to make, beautiful to look at, and so delicious. My 10-year-old twins made them and had no problems with the batter — we left it in the fridge overnight before baking. My girls thought the designs that appeared after baking were magical!
A suggestion to those who are having trouble. Sometimes 2 hours isn’t long enough. I’ve always mixed the ingredients and put them in a fridge over night to bake the next day. Kind of inconvenient but if your batches keep coming out flat try the over night method.
followed the recipe exactly – double checked ingredients – as previous review mentioned – my cookies also came out flat as pancakes – not sure what went wrong – end result – garbage can 🙁
So sorry you had trouble with the cookies, Chris. Did you chill the dough for at least 2 hours?
maybe your baking power was old
Dear Jenn,
Would the recipe work if I halved it? I am a starter-baker and have only one baking sheet… So it would take me almost half a day to bake 4 batches of cookies. Thank you very much for the response! And, My family loved your chocolate banana bread – thank you for that 🙂
Hi Marina, Yes that’s absolutely fine.
Mine don’t look at all like the picture. They came out nice and puffy, but then they collapsed. They’re very flat. What did I do wrong? Do I need to bake them longer?
Hi Vicky, Yes it sounds like they were under baked. Be sure to chill the dough long enough too; the colder the dough, the puffier the cookies.
What can I say? Another perfect recipe!!! These are the perfect chcoclate cookie have been looking for, the flavor has that chocolatey taste that most chocolate cookie recipes lack. I didn’t even add the coffee powder, becuase I didn’t have any and they still tasted amazing!
They do get a bit sticky when you roll them, but it did not effect the final product. I made half with cocoa powder and hlaf with the traditional powdered sugar, put on a platter, the contrast looks very elegant!
I made these for my holiday cookie plate last year and they were absolutely delicious! I added some chopped andes mints for a minty version and they were a huge hit!
I don’t know why but mine failed. I followed exactly the recipe. My mixture was like a batter so I chilled it overnight. It became somehow firm but it was very hard to work with then when I put in the oven it turned into liquid. It was flat. It didn’t turn out like in your picture.. 🙁
Hi Marion, Hmmm, I’m not sure what went wrong. Is it possible that you omitted some of the flour?
Hi, i only have semi sweet chocolate and if i use this, how much sugar should i remove from the recipe? Thanks.
Hi Benj, Semi-sweet chocolate will work fine without any adjustments to the recipe; there’s not a big difference. Please come back and let me know how you enjoy them 🙂
I should have mentioned that when using the chocolate chips, there is no need to add the granulated sugar. Because of the sweetness of the chips, I use only the brown sugar.
I have been making these cookies for years, using a slightly different recipe. You can use chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark chocolate) in place of the chocolate bar, with the same results.
I am in the process of making these Chocolate Crinkle cookies…just put the mixture in the fridge. I was expecting the mixture to be more dough-like and instead it is more like a heavy batter. Is this correct? I am hoping it will firm up in the refrigerator so it can be made into balls! Wish me luck!
Hi Kristan, Don’t worry, it will firm up…if it gets too sticky as you’re working with it, dust your hands with powdered sugar as necessary when you roll them into balls.
These are so perfect, I have to actually try to not think about them, or I’d make them all the time – and then I’d have to run way more every day …seriously – really really good ….
I was given a batch of these cookies for the holidays by Max (a little boy I work with) . They were amazing.i immediately asked his mom, Amy, for the recipe. She introduced me to once upon a chef and I’ve been hooked ever since! I made these cookies for everyone. Absolutelry fantastic, and very impressive looking
I made these cookies last Christmas for my neighbors. They were delicious, and will be included on my gift plates every year!
I made these for a bake sale last month and they went quickly. I made them again yesterday and for a Christmas-y touch I rolled them very small (got about 80 out of one batch) and added a candy cane kiss on top as they came out of the oven. Fudge-y and delicous with the added mint flavor from the kiss.
wow, i can never make good cookies, they are always always flat or hard, these were delicious and perfect. I was just called to make cookies for caroling, will definitely be making these!!
These look incredibly scrumptious… hungry.
I learned to make a similar cookie back in home-economics class….dates me! These are great with the espresso flavor addition to them….grown up version.
Love these cookies. My mom used to make a version of these, but these are even better.
These are simple, delicious and beautiful! I just made them for teacher appreciation week at school and they were perfect.
These are so good and so easy and make me so happy! I’ve made them so many times they have almost become a staple in our house. Thanks!
I was perusing your recipes and came across these and decided I would make these. i have made other versions of chocolate crinkle cookies and they were just OK. These are a notch above the others and I think in addition to the rich, melted chocolate bar, the espresso really takes this to a new level. Anyone I have given these cookies to, even my son, who is NOT a chocoholic are smitten with these and their main comment to me is Oh my God! Delicious. I agree!
I just LOVE Chocolate Fudge Crinkles – So tasty and beautiful!!
MAde these at Christmas for a family dinner and they are a favorite now! They are so good straight from the freezer! Yummy!
I made these for a party and they turned out great and my kids devoured the extras!
this cookie has become a traditon at Christmas at our house. I might not wait until Christmas this year to have them again!
Well here’s to Jennifer yet again. I wanted to make crackle cookies this year (never tried before). After reading a few recipes in this years magazines, I decided to move on !! All of them called for powdered cocoa and I knew the cookies would be dry. But then it dawned on me……. try the archives of MY GO TO GIRL !!!
and there it was. I always know that Jennifer has done the work, so without question I was off in a flash to the store. I made them this morning and they are just beyond outrageous. Now I hate when people play with other peoples recipes, but in the spirit of Christmas, I stuck one of the candy cane hershey kisses in the center of the cookie the second they came out of the oven. (I then stuck the cookies, sheet and all, in the fridge to keep the kiss from melting).
Well might I say that these are hands down the best holiday cookie I have ever had.
THANK YOU SO MUCH JENNIFER, YOU NEVER LET ME DOWN !!!!! you should post this one again ever year.
happy baking ladies ~
Hi Jennifer, Don’t panic…as long as you measured the ingredients properly, the dough will firm up. Your butter may have been very soft or your chocolate very hot, which could slow things down. You could always put the dough in the freezer for a bit (but not too long!) to speed things up. Hope that helps!
Help! I have had the dough in the ref. for a few hours and when I tried to make the dough into balls, all it did was stick to my hands! What do I do?
Jennifer, If it sticks, wash your hands, then dust them with Confectioners sugar before proceeding.
These look great and so full of flavor!
I was hoping to pop some in to the oven now, unfortunatly, ran out of chocolate bar :-p aaahh
Do you think I could substitute the bar for unsweetened cocoa?
Thanks for sharing!! 😀
Catherine — Unfortunately, the recipe won’t work with cocoa powder…the real chocolate is what makes them fudgy. Wait to make them til you have a bar 🙂
Oh my, 4 batches! They must have turned out wonderfully. My mouth started watering as I read this because I love brownies and chocolate, so next time I get some really fantastic chocolate, I will try these.
wooops! I meant ARE. 🙂
These our one of our family favorites. We make them every christmas!