Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

5 from 2 votes

Fudgy chocolate cookies with brownie-like centers, rolled first in granulated sugar and then powdered sugar so the coating cracks instead of melting in. One bowl, no mixer, and about 30 minutes of chilling before they bake.

Prep Time15

Cook Time11

Resting Time30

Course: christmas cookies, cookie tray treats, Dessert, holiday baking, snacks

Cuisine: American

Servings: pieces

Calories: 53kcal

Author: Rose Sioson

Equipment

1 ice cream scoop (2 tablespoon size)

Ingredients

1 cups All-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cups white sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup vegetable oil or avocado oil
2 pcs eggs large
1 teaspoons Vanilla extract
½ cup Confectioners’ sugar/ powdered sugar for coating

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
1 cups All-purpose flour, 1 teaspoons baking powder, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
In a separate large bowl, mix together the granulated sugar and vegetable oil until well combined.
1 cups white sugar, ¼ cup vegetable oil or avocado oil
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
2 pcs eggs , 1 teaspoons Vanilla extract
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. The result should be a thick, fudgy dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Chilling helps the dough firm up and makes it easier to handle.
Using an ice cream scoop, portion out the chilled dough and roll it into balls. Make sure they are evenly sized.
Place the rolled dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving enough space between them.
Pop the baking sheets into the freezer for another 30 minutes. Chilled dough helps the crinkles keep their shape while baking.
After chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll each dough ball in powdered sugar until generously coated and place them in the baking sheet leaving enough space between them.
½ cup Confectioners’ sugar/ powdered sugar for coating
Bake in the preheated oven for 11 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers are still soft.
Allow the chocolate crinkles to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Makes 18 to 24 cookies, depending on how big you scoop them. A tablespoon scoop gets you closer to 24, a heaping one closer to 18.

Chill the dough at least 30 minutes. An hour is better. Warm dough spreads before the surface can set, which gives you flat cookies with no cracks.

Roll heavily in powdered sugar. More than feels reasonable. A thin coat gets absorbed into the dough as it bakes and you lose the contrast. Roll a second time right before baking if you want a whiter finish.

If the dough balls spread too much, put them back in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes before they go in the oven.

Use natural unsweetened cocoa, not Dutch-process. Natural cocoa is slightly acidic and reacts with the baking powder to give the lift that forces the crack. If Dutch is all you have, add ¼ teaspoon baking soda alongside the baking powder.

Don't overbake. Pull them at about 11 minutes, when the edges are set and the centers still look slightly underdone. They finish setting on the pan.

The centers sink as they cool. That's normal, not a mistake.

One tray at a time, middle rack, on parchment. Crowded racks bake unevenly and powdered sugar can scorch on a bare pan.

Variations. ½ teaspoon peppermint extract for peppermint crinkles. ½ teaspoon cinnamon plus a pinch of cayenne for the Mexican chocolate version. 1 teaspoon espresso powder with the dry ingredients deepens the cocoa without tasting like coffee.

Freeze the dough balls up to 3 months. Roll in powdered sugar right before baking rather than before freezing, since the coating goes damp in the freezer. Bake from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes.

Store baked cookies airtight at room temperature up to a week. Don't refrigerate, the fridge dries them out faster than the counter.

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