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Baking · American

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Fudgy chocolate cookies that crack open under a snowy coat of powdered sugar.

Hands-on
30 min
Hands-off
3 h
Oven preheat
10 min
Total
3 h 40 min
Makes
50 cookies
Serves
25

20 min prep and 3 h 40 min total, including at least 3 hours chilling the dough. Heat the oven during the last 10 minutes of chilling. Baking is 9-11 min per sheet; with two sheets in turn, plan about 20 min.

Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)

Pan cookie sheets, balls placed 5 cm apart (US: cookie sheets, balls placed 2 in apart)

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • christmas-cookies
  • holiday
  • cookie-exchange
  • make-ahead

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan (for the chocolate) · large mixing bowl and wooden spoon or spatula · plastic wrap · shallow bowl for the powdered sugar · teaspoon or small cookie scoop · 2 cookie sheets · cooling racks · oven mitts

Contains: egg · wheat

Method

  1. Melt and cool the chocolate

    Melt 113 g (4 oz) unsweetened chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in short bursts, stirring between each, or in a small saucepan over low heat. Let it cool before using.

    Ready when: Completely smooth with no lumps. Then let it cool until it is no longer hot before it goes into the dough.

  2. Mix the chocolate base

    In a large bowl, stir together 120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil, the melted chocolate, 396 g (2 cups) granulated sugar and 2 tsp vanilla until the sugar is evenly mixed in. Add the 4 eggs one at a time, stirring each in fully before adding the next.

  3. Add the dry ingredients

    Stir in 240 g (2 cups) flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt until you have a thick, even dough.

    Otto tried this firstOtto skips the chill and tries to roll it straight away: the dough is soft as brownie batter and sticks to everything. The chill is not optional.

  4. Chill the dough

    Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until the dough is firm.

  5. Heat the oven

    Near the end of chilling, heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F). Grease the cookie sheets with shortening or cooking spray.

  6. Roll in powdered sugar

    Put 85 g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into the sugar, roll them around to coat them completely and shape them into round balls. Set them 5 cm (2 in) apart on the sheets. Don't flatten them.

    Otto tried this firstOtto squashes each ball flat 'to help it spread'. Flattened dough doesn't crack. Leave them round.

  7. Bake

    Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes.

    Ready when: The edges are set and the tops have puffed, settled and cracked into a white-and-chocolate crackle. The centres still look soft; they firm up as the cookies cool.

  8. Cool

    Move the cookies straight onto cooling racks. Repeat with the remaining dough on a cooled, re-greased sheet.

Swaps

  • Instead of 4 oz unsweetened chocolate + 1/2 cup oil: a richer butter-based version: 227 g (1 1/3 cups) chopped bittersweet chocolate melted with 113 g (8 tbsp) butter, with 135 g sugar, 3 eggs and 200 g flour, baked at 170°C (325°F) for 10-12 minutes This is a different formula, so use all of its amounts together, not a one-for-one swap.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
The dough can chill longer than 3 hours; overnight in the fridge is fine.
Storage
Room temperature, well wrapped: several days. In the fridge: no more than about a week, because the centres are moist. Freezer: layer the baked cookies between waxed paper in a sealed freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the container at room temperature for 1-2 hours and dust with fresh powdered sugar if you like.

If something goes wrong

  • No crackle on top Why: The balls were flattened or not fully coated.
    Roll into round balls, coat them completely in powdered sugar and don't press them down.
  • Cookies ran into each other Why: Placed too close together.
    Leave a full 5 cm (2 in) between balls.
  • Dough too sticky to roll Why: Not chilled long enough.
    Chill at least 3 hours until firm; the dough firms up a lot in the fridge.

Good to know

  • Add 2 tsp espresso powder to boost the chocolate flavour, or swap the vanilla for 1/4 tsp peppermint oil.
  • Shake 5 or 6 balls in the sugar at a time; too many at once stick together.

Safety

  • Don't eat or taste the raw dough: it contains raw flour and raw eggs, which can carry harmful bacteria. Wash hands and bowls with soap after handling it.
  • Don't let kids play with or eat the raw dough. Rolling balls in sugar is a good job for kids, as long as they wash their hands after and don't lick their fingers.
  • Cookie sheets and the oven are very hot. An adult should move the sheets, with oven mitts.
  • Some baking chocolates and powdered sugars are made in facilities with milk, nuts or soy. Check the labels.