Chewy chocolate crinkle cookies are the ideal addition to your holiday repertoire. They’re so good—and so easy to make—that you might just find yourself baking a batch any time of year.
The “crinkle” in the recipe’s name comes from the distinctive crackled top. As the cookies bake, the powdered sugar coating spreads and cracks into little nooks and crannies, with a delicate dusting of sugar creating a delicious network of sweet flakes, making them not just delicious, but beautiful too.
These cookies are from our collection of the perfect Christmas cookie recipes. You can make them even more festive with a simple twist like chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies. Their almost snowy surface makes them a delightful decoration all on their own. But since they have such a chewy brownie-like interior, these easy chocolate crinkle cookies are a welcome guest anywhere sweet sides are served.
There’s a reason this is one of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes. Each and every cookie looks like a beautiful icy snowscape, and every bite has a burst of decadent, chewy chocolate. But these easy chocolate crinkle cookies give you that gorgeous presentation without a lot of effort. Let’s get started.
Stir in the sugar until it’s evenly dissolved. Stir in each egg fully before adding the next.
Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt until it takes on a thickened consistency of cookie dough. And that’s all it takes! That’s why we call this our “Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies” recipe. Now just refrigerate until the dough is set.
Use a cookie scoop to gather a tablespoonful of dough at a time, and roll in the powdered sugar until fully coated. This is one of the most important steps since this is where that crackle really starts. Shoot for an even, round sphere, fully covered with powdered sugar, and don’t let it flatten as you put it on your greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes
As they bake, they’ll expand then settle down, forming those distinctive cracked surfaces.
The best part of chocolate crinkle cookies? The crinkle. So let’s talk about how to ensure those crinkle cookies crack.
The first key is the ingredients. The dough has a little more baking powder than usual, which will help the cookies rise and expand as they bake. Meanwhile, the powdered sugar will form a firm shell as it heats in the oven. As the expanding dough presses against the outer surface, the result is that perfectly crackled texture.
Because the dough expands, you’ll want to roll the dough into balls and then coat in powdered sugar before placing them on the baking sheet. Flattened dough won’t expand and crinkle. Also, be sure to give each cookie plenty of space on the cookie sheet! Place them a full 2 inches apart from each other for the right results.
Having trouble getting your dough to stay in the right shape? Try chilling your dough in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before you roll them into balls. That’ll make them a lot easier to work with.
Good luck holding on to these once you put them out! The unique combination of flavors and textures means that they’re likely to be snatched up before you can worry about storing them. But if you do, these cookies have a moist interior, meaning you shouldn’t store them in the fridge for more than about a week.
To store them for longer, place the baked cookies between layers of waxed paper and seal tightly in a freezer-safe container. Once frozen, they’ll last for up to 3 months.
When it’s time to bring them out, let the cookies thaw in the container at room temperature for 1-2 hours. If you like, sprinkle some fresh powdered sugar on top when it’s time to serve, to get that same dusting of sweetness as when they were first baked.
What’s our favorite thing about chocolate crinkle cookies? The chocolate. Obviously. But there’s more to crinkle cookies than that. There are so many flavors to try! The Betty Crocker Kitchen loves to experiment with crinkle cookies, and here are just a few of our faves:
Want an even easier Chocolate Crinkle Cookies recipe? Try these Fudge Crinkle Cookies. Cut down on ingredients—and save a few steps—when you start with Betty Crocker™Cake Mix.
For our gluten-free friends, there’s no reason you should miss out on the goodness. Our Gluten-Free Chocolate Crinkles cut out the gluten, without skimping on flavor.
And of course, there’s that classic cousin of the crinkle, the Molasses Cookie, topped with sugar and filled with flavor.
Want to get festive fast? Grab Betty Crocker™ Limited Edition Soft Baked Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Mix and try this shortcut recipe: Inside Out S'more Cookies. It’s a little bit different from the classic Chocolate Crinkle Cookies recipe, but every bit as delicious—and it takes half the fuss!
| Food Component / Nutrient | Amount | % , Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | 2&½g | 4% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 4% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Monounsaturated Fat | ½g | % Value Not Available |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | % Value Not Available |
| Omega-3 | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Cholesterol | 10mg | 3% |
| Sodium | 35mg | 1% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 10g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0% |
| Soluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Insoluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Sugars | 7g | % Value Not Available |
| Protein | 1g | % Value Not Available |
| Vitamin D | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Calcium | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Iron | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Potassium | 20mg | 1% |
| Vitamin A | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin C | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin E | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Thiamin | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Riboflavin | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Niacin | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin B6 | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Folic Acid | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin B12 | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Pantothenic Acid | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Phosphorus | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Magnesium | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Zinc | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Manganese | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Selenium | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Copper | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Beta-Carotene | Value Not Available | % Value Not Available |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | ||
