Soft, chewy, and perfectly crackled on top, these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are made from scratch with just a handful of pantry items. A classic chocolate cookie recipe that requires no chill time – perfect for making whenever the chocolate craving strikes!
Satisfy that chocolate cookie fix with a couple of our other easy cookie recipes, like Hot Cocoa Cookies and Chocolate Sugar Cookies.
An Easy Crinkle Cookies Recipe
At first glance, these crinkle cookies may seem a little fancy, but they’re just as easy to make as a batch of chocolate chip cookies or any other classic. You’re looking at just about 30 minutes from the time you start prepping the dough to the time you’re biting into a perfectly baked cookie with a soft, chewy inside and perfectly crackled top.
While lemon crinkle cookies are a springtime favorite, this chocolate version is wonderful all year round. It’s perhaps the most popular crinkle cookies recipe out there and you can never go wrong with chocolate. Unlike my lemon crinkle cookies recipe, these chocolate crinkles are made entirely from scratch, with just a handful of simple ingredients.
Quick, easy, and always a crowd favorite – enjoy them warm with a cold glass of milk!
Ingredients Needed
This easy chocolate crinkle cookies recipe requires a short list of easy-to-find ingredients.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- All-purpose flour – Use the spoon and level technique for even measuring.
- Cocoa powder – Be sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder, as there’s already plenty of sweetness in the cookies.
- Baking soda & Baking powder – Both are leavening agents so the cookies rise and puff up.
- Salt – For flavor.
- Butter – This recipe uses regular salted butter. If you use unsalted, you’ll want to add an extra pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness.
- Sugar – A combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar give these cookies the best flavor and texture.
- Eggs – To bind the dough.
- Sour cream – Makes the cookies nice and soft. It can be replaced with Greek yogurt, if preferred.
- Powdered sugar – Balls of dough are rolled in powdered sugar to give it that lovely white crackled appearance once baked.
How To Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
With no chilling required, you can have these soft chocolate cookies ready to serve in just about 30 minutes. Here’s a summary:
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Make the batter. Beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Mix in the eggs and sour cream. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until just combined.
- Roll the dough in the powdered sugar. Use a cookie scoop to form balls of cookie dough and roll them into a smooth ball. Roll each one in the powdered sugar.
- Bake. Flatten each cookie dough ball slightly with your hand or a glass. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the cookies crinkle and begin to set. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Tips and Variations
For perfectly crackled, soft, and chewy cookies keep these tips in mind.
- Stir in an add-in. If you’re a fan of a little extra in every bite, you can easily stir in a bit of chocolate chips or crushed nuts.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stir the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Overmixing can change the texture of the cookies.
- Bake the cookies in batches. I don’t recommend trying to put two sheet pans in the oven at the same time. Otherwise the cookies won’t bake at the right speed, and it is difficult to tell when these cookies are done because they are dark. If you only have one sheet pan, let the cookies cool for five minutes after each batch before putting them on a cooling rack and reusing the sheet pan.
How to Store Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- To store: Crinkle cookies are best stored on the counter at room temperature in an airtight container. They will last up to 5 days if properly stored before they become dry and crumbly.
- Can I freeze Chocolate Crinkle Cookies? Yes, you can freeze these chocolate crinkle cookies, baked or unbaked, for up to 3 months. Freeze the unbaked balls of dough (without coating them in the powdered sugar) on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Let the dough balls thaw for a few minutes on the counter while the oven pre-heats, then roll in powdered sugar and bake. An extra 1-2 minutes might need to be added to the baking time.
More Easy Cookie Recipes:
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
- DoubleTree Cookies
- Rolo Cookies
- Hot Cocoa Cookies
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) regular salted butter , softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder , sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the salted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar together using a stand or hand mixer for 3 minutes or until fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs and sour cream until completely incorporated.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, sifted unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the powdered sugar into a small bowl.
- Use a 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop to measure balls of the cookie dough. Roll them between your hands into a smooth ball.
- Roll each ball of cookie dough in the powdered sugar. (Be sure to thoroughly coat each cookie dough ball.)
- Place coated cookie balls on the prepared sheet pan. Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass, as these cookies do not spread much.
- Bake in the oven for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies crinkle and the edges set.
- Let them cool on or off the pan for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Repeat with remaining cookies.
This recipe caught my eye because it looked easy and I had all ingredients in hand. The cookies were better than I thought. I will be making this again for sure. And I thought I might try a drop of peppermint extract in the batter next time for a different flavor. Oh, also I added a tiny bit of espresso powder to the mix, as I do with most chocolate things I make.
One of my favorite cookies!