Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
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These Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are rich and fudgy, coated in sugar then baked to perfection. Perfect for that chocolate craving and a must for your holiday table!
The Best Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe
Oh these cookies! These chocolate crinkle cookies!
These cookies look fabulous and are adorable. To me they look like little ornaments. But that’s not it. If you’ve never tried these cookies they are to die for, they’re crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside like a brownie. They are so good. Totally worth all the trouble.
These cookies are a holiday staple. I first started making these about 5 years ago and never looked back since. Now, I make them every year for the holidays. I even double the recipe because they are everyone’s favorite.
Why Are They Called Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These cookies get their well deserved name because of the way the cookie splits and cracks along the sugar covered top as it bakes. These cookies are perfectly crispy on the outside, yet fudgy on the inside.
Most crinkle cookies get only one single coating of sugar, but my recipe goes even further. I rolled mine firs in granulated sugar, then powdered sugar. This adds a little extra crunch to the outside of the cookie. Totally worth it.
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
As with most cookie recipes, always make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. Start by mixing the butter and sugar together. Your butter should be softened but not melted. Mix until well combined.
Add in the eggs one at a time and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Stir in the Grand Marnier. The Grand Marnier will give these chocolate a hint of orange flavor. Chocolate and orange are a great combination. However, if you prefer an alcohol free version, use orange extract or vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix until well incorporated. Do not over mix.
You have to cover and chill this cookie dough for at least 4 hours and this step cannot be skipped. This cookie dough is quite sticky, so chilling is a must. It ensures thicker cookies and that fudgy texture we love. It also prevents the cookies from spreading out too much.
All that’s left is to form into cookie balls, roll through the two sugars and bake.
How to Store Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
I usually store mine in an airtight container either on the counter or in the fridge. Stored properly like this, they will last 3 to 5 days. That’s assuming nobody eats them all before then.
Can You Freeze Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These cookies are great for freezing. I usually double the recipe, leave a dozen out for us to enjoy and freeze the rest. I store them in an airtight container in the freezer and will last up to 3 months.
Looking for More Christmas Cookies? Try These:
- Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Thumbprint cookies
- Classic Shortbread Cookies
- Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate Rumballs
- Chocolate Fudge Cookies
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- 12 tablespoon butter (unsalted, softened (1 1/2 sticks))
- 2 cups sugar (granulated)
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon Grand Marnier
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For Rolling Cookies In
- ½ cup sugar (granulated)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (same as icing sugar or confectioners sugar)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer add the softened butter and sugar and mix until well combined.
- Add the eggs, one at a time and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Stir in the Grant Marnier.
- In another large bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl and mix until combined. Do not over mix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours to overnight.
- Place the remaining sugar and powdered sugar in 2 separate shallow plates or bowls. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Use a cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies. Roll the cookie balls first in the granulated sugar and then in powdered sugar. Make sure they are coated properly.
- Transfer the cookies balls to the prepared baking sheets and arrange about 1 ½ inches apart. You should be able to fit about 12 cookies per sheet.
- Place the baking sheets to the preheat oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies are puffed and cracked. If placing 2 cookie sheets at once, switch them halfway through.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to racks to cool completely.
Notes
- If you don’t have 3 baking sheets, you can use the same one, however, let the baking sheet come to room temperature before placing the next batch of cookies on it.
- What Can I Substitute Grand Marnier with? Use any other orange liquor. For a non alcoholic version use orange extract or vanilla extract. If using extract use only 1 tsp.
- Stored properly in an airtight container, these cookies will last 3 to 5 days.
- These cookies freeze well. Place them in an airtight container, and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
You state 4 eggs in ingredients. You state slightly beaten? You state add one egg at a time? Please clarify? Not sure how you add slightly beaten eggs one at a time??
Thanks for catching that, they shouldn’t be beaten.
I just made this recipe, and I followed it but the cookies turned into a sheet where you can’t tell they’re cookies… This happened to me once before when I made cookies with butter… Any ideas what goes wrong?
Are you melting the butter or just softening it? You can put the cookie dough in the fridge to firm up a bit before rolling it.
I softened the butter, and I put the dough in the fridge too… But I did not roll the cookies, I made them like meatballs… Was that the mistake maybe?
We roll them exactly how we roll meatballs as well. You’re using real butter versus a margarine/ other hydrogenated oil substitute? I’m not sure what could be going wrong!
Yesterday I had my 6 year old granddaughter and 3 of my friend’s girls making cookies and we made the chocolate crinkle cookies eith chocolate kisses in the middleThey turned out great and very impressive . Everyone was happy with sampling the cookies. Yum!!!
Made these for the holiday parties… big hit with everyone. Love how different they look… I used Demerara sugar which gave the cookies a little more crunch…
I make red velvet cookies like these using a red devils food cake mix! Huge hit at Christmas time!
I make these according to America’s Test kitchen recipe. Always works. I add mint chocolate chips to the batter, people rave about them
I was intrigued by these cookies I never heard of before. I just got around to making these today and they turned out perfect, wonderful to find something new and scrumptious! The only modification I made was to use the orange zest of almost a whole orange. I had bought some orange essence but it just didn’t seem to provide a bright orange flavour I was looking for. I didn’t try the Grand Marnier which I’m sure would be excellent.
So glad you liked them Allie, we loved these cookies too, they were great!
Hi Allie
Try the orange zest you can buy in stores, it’s much easier and has a great taste. I always use it for my orange chicken
Chocolate and orange = divine combination! I must try these cookies sometime.