Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Whether you need to make a big batch of easy cookies for your holiday cookie exchange or you're just craving fudgy, cake-like chocolate cookies, let us present you with the best chocolate crinkle cookie recipe you've ever had.

This is a foolproof recipe for the dreamiest chocolate crinkle cookies that will look as beautiful as they are delicious.

What Are Chocolate Crinkle Cookies?

Chocolate crinkle cookies have become a holiday staple, but they're also great any time of year. They're cake-like cookies made with unsweetened cocoa powder, vegetable oil, and a handful of other pantry staple ingredients.

Before baking, the cookies are coated in confectioners' sugar. When they bake up, they end up with a cracked (or "crinkled") effect.

They're the perfect cookie for brownie or Devil's food cake lovers because of their rich, fudgy flavor and texture.

How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

You'll find the full recipe below, but here's what you can expect to make these chocolate crinkle cookies.

Make the Dough

Mix your wet ingredients together in a stand mixer or with your hand mixer. Then slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.

Chill the Dough

Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least four hours. This step is very important because it will harden the sticky dough and make it easier to work with.

Form the Cookies

Form the dough into 1-inch balls and coat each ball with a generous amount of confectioners' sugar.

Bake the Cookies

Bake in a 350-degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

How to Store Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for at least a week. After that, the cookies will start to get dry and crumbly.

How to Freeze Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

You can freeze chocolate crinkle cookies, both baked and unbaked.

For baked cookies, simply stash them in an airtight container or zip-top bag in layers with a piece of parchment paper in between each layer. Freeze them for up to three months.

For unbaked cookies, you can place the dough balls (without the confectioners' sugar) on a sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once they're solid, transfer the dough balls to a zip-top bag or airtight container and freeze for up to three months. When you're ready to bake them, simply let the dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then coat them in confectioners' sugar and bake — you may need to add an extra minute or two for the baking time.

Cookdap Community Tips and Praise

“A showy cookie that is rich and moist with a little crispy coating. Delightful. Would be good in variations too. Nuts would be good, mint would be good, almond would be good, cinnamon and chili might be great,” suggests Debra.

“These are my absolute favorite cookies. Very much like a brownie…but not. I refrigerate the dough till firm, then I roll the balls. I freeze the balls before I roll in sugar and bake,” says Crystal G.

“Super yummy and very easy recipe. I made sure to really coat the cookie balls in powdered sugar before baking, and it did not disappoint! They turned out beautifully and they were a nice, chocolate addition to my Christmas cookie exchange,” according to JennaJ.