These soft and chewy chocolate crinkle cookies made with two kinds of chocolate are coated in sugar and baked until the signature crackles are formed exposing that fudgy center. The entire batch of these classic cookies will be ready in 30 minutes making them perfect to add to your Christmas cookie tray this year!
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With Christmas around the corner, holiday baking is in full effect. We always make my favorite peanut butter blossoms and the best chewy ginger molasses cookies, but this year I thought our Christmas treat plates needed some chocolate!
These decadent chocolate crinkle cookies are unlike any chocolate crinkle cookie you’ve tried – they combine cocoa powder and dark chocolate for a rich and fudgy chocolate flavor that’s perfectly balanced with the powdered sugar on the outside.
While kids will likely enjoy these cookies, the flavor of the cookies is a little dark because of the dark chocolate – this is what makes these cookies so delicious. The flavor is so much richer than if you just use cocoa powder, and I hope you love them as much as I do!
Package these up with other Christmas cookies in some cookie tins with one of these Christmas gift tags for the sweetest neighbor gift!
Why you’ll love these Chocolate crinkle cookies
- All the chocolate!– Dark chocolate and cocoa deliver a rich chocolate flavor with a fudgy consistency.
- No chill dough– These are made in just 30 minutes! No chilling necessary!
- A play on a classic – Christmas crinkle cookies are a very traditional Christmas cookie and the chocolate version is a fun twist on the classic!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Dark chocolate – I use finely chopped dark chocolate, but dark chocolate chips will work just as well. Typically dark chocolate is anywhere from 60-75% pure cocoa. The higher the percentage, the more bitter it’ll be, as it’ll contain more cocoa.
- Unsalted butter – Bring it to room temperature ahead of time that way you’re starting with all the ingredients at the same temperature. This helps the chocolate crinkle cookies bake evenly.
- Large eggs – Again, bring them to room temperature at the same time as your butter.
- All-purpose flour – Now’s the time to break out your kitchen scale if you have one. Measuring the flour accurately is half the battle for making the best chocolate crinkle cookie recipe!
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – Stick to natural cocoa powder rather than Dutch-processed for this recipe. We’re using baking soda, so the dough needs the acid from the cocoa powder to help make it rise to the thickness we’re looking for.
How to make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These chocolate crinkle cookies are super easy to make! It’s just as easy as melting the chocolate then mixing all the ingredients together and baking!
1 – Melt the Chocolate
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pour 3-4 inches of water in a pot and place either a double boiler or an oven safe bowl on top of the pot, above the water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Add the chocolate and butter to the bowl on top of the pot and stir continuously until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
2 – make the cookie dough
Remove the bowl with the melted chocolate from the heat. Add one cup of granulated sugar and mix until smooth, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla and set aside.
Next, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.
Now, add the dry ingredients to the melted chocolate mixture and mix until just combined.
3 – Roll and Coat the Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Put the remaining granulated sugar in one small bowl and the powdered sugar in another small bowl.
Use a medium cookie scoop to measure the dough, then roll into a smooth ball.
Now, roll the ball in the granulated sugar until well coated, then roll in the powdered sugar until it is heavily coated. Place the coated chocolate dough balls on a baking sheet two inches apart.
4 – bake the dark chocolate cookies
Bake for 9-11 minutes, making sure to not over bake. The cookies should look slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven.
Let cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Serve immediately after cooling or put the cookies into an airtight container and store until you’re ready to serve!
Expert Tips & Storage Info
If the powdered sugar starts to melt you can re-dip in powdered sugar after the baked cookies cool.
About 7-8 ounces of chocolate will yield 1 3/4 cups.
These are best if eaten within 2 days of baking for the soft and fudgy texture but are still tasty up to a week as long as they’re kept in an airtight container.
Use a different extract for a slightly different flavor. Orange extract and almond extract both pair well with chocolate. For a wintry flavor, try peppermint extract.
A cookie scoop helps ensure that all the cookies are the same size.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Certainly! If you have some extra time to chill the dough, go right ahead. If you want to get ahead of things during the business of the holidays, cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and leave it refrigerated for up to 2 days until you’re ready to bake.
You can also freeze the dough for a few months. Thaw at room temperature until soft enough to roll, when you’re ready.
How to store dark chocolate crinkle cookies?
Ideally, you want to enjoy them within the first couple of days. However, you can keep them in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature or freeze them for a few months.
More Easy Christmas Cookies
Make sure to try out these other Christmas cookies for your holiday baking!
- Homemade gingerbread cookies – soft and chewy gingerbread cookies, perfect for adding to a gingerbread charcuterie board!
- Christmas kitchen sink cookies – chocolate chip cookies with all sorts of extra added items to make the most delicious Christmas treats!
- Candy cane cookies – the softest sugar cookies turned into candy canes!
- Peppermint sugar cookies – soft and sweet, these are frosted with a peppermint frosting!
- White chocolate cranberry cookies – a fun variation on a classic cookie with the sweet taste of cranberries!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (7-8 ounces) finely chopped dark chocolate (60%-75%)
- 8 TBS unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Pour 3-4 inches of water in a pot and place either a double boiler or an oven safe bowl on top of the pot, above the water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Add the chocolate and butter to the bowl and stir continuously until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.1 3/4 cups (7-8 ounces) finely chopped dark chocolate, 8 TBS unsalted butter
- Remove the bowl with the melted chocolate from the heat. Add one cup of granulated sugar and mix until smooth, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla and set aside.1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 3 tsp vanilla extract
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt
- Add dry ingredients to the melted chocolate mixture and mix until just combined.
- Put the remaining 3/4 cup of granulated sugar in one small bowl and the powdered sugar in another small bowl.3/4 cup powdered sugar, 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- Use a medium cookie scoop to measure the dough, then roll into a smooth ball.
- First roll the ball in the granulated sugar until well coated, then roll in the powdered sugar until it is heavily coated and place on a baking sheet 2″ apart.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, do not over bake. The cookies should look slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven.
- Let cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve once the cookies are cooled.
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