Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are soft, chewy, and so chocolatey. Rolled in powdered sugar for a festive look, these classic Christmas cookies taste like a fudge brownie. And are the perfect addition to any holiday cookie tray or dessert spread!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Recipe

December is finally here! Which means it’s finally Christmas season. Aka CHRISTMAS COOKIE SEASON! And we’re kicking things off with one of my absolute favorite Christmas cookie recipes: Chocolate Crinkles!!!

Have you had these before? I didn’t grow up baking them, but as soon as I tried them as an adult, it was love at first bite. If you love brownies, or brownie-style cookies, you will absolutely LOVE these! And that’s a pinky promise.

Why You Should Bake These Cookies:

• A classic Christmas cookie that’s perfect for cookie trays and platters!
• They taste like rich chocolate brownies… but in easy to share cookie form!
• So festive and beautiful, they’re total showstoppers. They even look gorgeous on the baking sheet!
• Loaded with gooey chocolate chips, they taste extra decadent.
• Crackly on top, just like brownies or ginger molasses cookies!
• Always a hit with chocolate lovers! And so much more fun than regular chocolate chip cookies.

Key Cookie Ingredients

• Flour: The ONLY flour I advise using for the flour mixture is all-purpose flour! I cannot advise on how to make these gluten free, but a 1 for 1 GF flour is likely your best bet. I don’t suggest using nut or coconut flour.
• Cocoa Powder: Be sure to use 100% unsweetened cocoa powder, not Dutch-process cocoa.
• Baking Powder: Always use fresh baking powder. Expired baking powder may no longer be active, which will prevent your cookies from puffing up. And it could add a funny taste to your cookies. Never use baking soda in this recipe!
• Salt: I like to use fine sea salt, but in a pinch, any salt will work.
• Chocolate:  You’ll use chopped chocolate to create the brownie-like cookie dough batter. And then mix-in mini chocolate chips to the cookie dough! Regular chocolate chips will also work fine. They’ll just create larger chocolate pockets.
• Butter: I always suggest using unsalted butter, but in a pinch, salted butter will work fine. Simply omit the salt called for in the recipe.
• Sugar: You’ll use 3 varieties of sugar for this recipe! You’ll use brown sugar and granulated sugar in the cookie dough. And then after you roll the dough into balls, you’ll roll them in granulated sugar and powdered sugar.
• Eggs: I know 4 eggs may sound like a lot, but these give the cookies their rich, fudge-like texture. No need to add the eggs one at a time! Be sure your eggs are at room temperature.
• Sour Cream: If you can’t find sour cream, full-fat plain Greek yogurt is the best substitute. Be sure your sour cream (or Greek yogurt) is at room temperature.
• Oil: Any neutral oil will work fine here, but I suggest vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted refined coconut oil.
• Vanilla Extract: Always use REAL vanilla extract, not artificial or imitation vanilla.

Make the Cookie Dough First

• Add the Dry Ingredients: Whisk the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Melt the Chocolate and Butter: You can do this in the microwave or by using a double boiler.
• Make the Egg Mixture: Whisk both sugars and the eggs until well combined. Then beat in sour cream, oil, and vanilla. Fold in the melted chocolate, stirring until evenly combined. 
• Fold in the Dry Ingredients: Be sure not over mix here!
• Chill the Cookie Dough: Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours, or overnight. If you refrigerate it overnight, you might need to let it sit at room temperature. I suggest 20 minutes, or until it’s easily scoop-able.

Preheat the Oven

Do NOT preheat your oven to 350! Instead, preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F) 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake. The lower temperature helps the cookies bake up moist and fudgy! You’ll also want to line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray them with non-stick spray. You can set those aside until you’re ready to bake.

Roll the Chilled Dough into Balls

• The easiest way to do this is by using a medium spring-loaded cookie scoop! This allows you to scoop out level mounds of the cookie dough. And make all of your cookies the same size!
• Roll the cookie dough granulated sugar first. Then roll it in the confectioners’ sugar immediately after. You want to make sure each ball of cookie dough is well coated in sugar.
• Place the cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2-inches in between each cookie for spreading.
• Once the cookies come out of the oven, place the baking sheet on a cooking rack to cool completely!

Storing Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

• Storing chocolate crinkle cookies is easy! Simply transfer the fully cooled cookies to an airtight container with a tight fitting lid.
• I suggest placing them in a single layer, if possible. Or, if you must stack them, place a few sheets of parchment paper in between each layer.
• Stored as suggested, they will keep at room temperature up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator up to 1 week.