Description
These chewy chocolate crinkle cookies are rich, fudgy, and coated in a crackled powdered sugar crust that gives them a delightful appearance and texture. Perfect for chocolate lovers, these cookies are easy to make and feature a soft, tender center with a slightly crisp exterior.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ⅓ cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
Coating
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift and mix together the cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this mixture aside.
- Cream wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, white sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until well combined and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium-low speed just until incorporated, about 10 seconds each.
- Make cookie dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet egg mixture and mix on low speed until fully incorporated into a dough.
- Chill cookie dough: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or up to overnight to firm it up; longer chilling will produce thicker cookies.
- Preheat oven and prepare for rolling: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl for rolling the dough.
- Roll cookies: Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of chilled dough and roll them into balls. Coat each ball thoroughly in powdered sugar to create the classic crinkle appearance.
- Bake cookies: Arrange the coated dough balls on a lined baking sheet with enough space between each to allow spreading. Bake for 15 minutes until the cookies have spread and cracked on top. The cookies will still be soft when done.
- Cool cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to set, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- For larger cookies, use 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Smaller cookies made with 1 generous tablespoon dough take about 10 minutes to bake.
- Baking times vary depending on your oven, so check frequently to avoid overbaking.
- Do not overheat the eggs during mixing, as this can lead to tough cookies.
- The dough will be sticky; slightly dampen your hands or coat them with powdered sugar for easier rolling.
- Apply a thick, even layer of powdered sugar on the dough balls for the best crackled look.
- To make taller, softer crinkles, chill the dough longer, use a chilled baking sheet, bake immediately after rolling, and cool cookies on the baking sheet before moving.
- For chewier, denser cookies, chill just as needed, use a room temperature baking sheet, let dough balls rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before baking, and gently press cookies down right out of the oven if too tall.
- Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze unbaked dough balls (without powdered sugar) on a lined tray for 2 hours before transferring to freezer bags for up to 2 months.
- Freeze baked cookies layered with parchment paper in freezer containers for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving or warming.
- Warm thawed cookies at 275°F for 5-6 minutes to refresh their freshly baked flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
