The Ultimate Soft & Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies: Easy Recipe with Perfect Crackle Top Tips
Follow this straightforward recipe to create soft, fudgy chocolate crinkle cookies with the signature crackled powdered sugar coating. This recipe yields decadent, brownie-like cookies perfect for holiday baking or any time you crave a rich chocolate treat.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Total Time: 2 hr 32 min
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, for double chocolate flavor)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and 1 cup of the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This takes about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. If using, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight. Chilling the dough helps prevent spreading and improves the crackle effect.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the 1 cup of powdered sugar in a shallow dish.
- Scoop the chilled dough into balls, about 1.5 tablespoons each. Roll each ball thoroughly in the powdered sugar until completely coated.
- Place the coated dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The edges should look set, but the centers will still look slightly soft. Do not overbake if you want fudgy cookies.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The crackle pattern will become more defined as they cool.
Notes
- For the best crackle, ensure the dough is well-chilled. If you skip chilling, the cookies will spread more.
- For an intense chocolate flavor, use high-quality, dark cocoa powder.
- If the powdered sugar coating starts to crack while baking, gently roll the cookies in more powdered sugar immediately after removing them from the oven.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 195
- Sugar: 18
- Sodium: 65
- Fat: 11
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Unsaturated Fat: 4
- Trans Fat: 0.2
- Carbohydrates: 24
- Fiber: 1.5
- Protein: 2.5
- Cholesterol: 35