Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe
These Soft Frosted Christmas Cookies are thick, tender, bakery-style sugar cookies topped with creamy homemade frosting and colorful holiday sprinkles. They’re buttery, perfectly sweet, and melt-in your mouth soft making them the ultimate Christmas cookie for gifting, parties, or cozy holiday baking with family.
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Coating:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
1. Mix the Dough
- Add cocoa powder, granulated sugar, oil, and eggs to a bowl.
- Mix until smooth. The mixture will look dark and shiny.
- Add vanilla and stir again.
- In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture.
- Mix on low until the dough comes together. The dough will look thick and sticky. This is normal.
2. Chill the Dough
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- If you want thicker cookies, chill the dough overnight.
3. Roll the Dough
- Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop 1-tablespoon portions of dough.
- Roll each piece into a ball.
- Roll each ball first in granulated sugar.
- Then roll it in powdered sugar.
- Make sure each ball has a thick layer of powdered sugar.
4. Bake
- Place the dough balls on the baking sheet, leaving space between them.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes.
- The cookies should look puffed with clear cracks.
- The centers should look soft but not raw.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving them.
Video
Notes
📝 Notes
- Use **Dutch-process cocoa** for deeper flavor and darker crinkles.
- Chill the dough 1 hour to help cookies hold shape and develop fudgy centers.
- Roll in **powdered sugar twice** for bold, snowy cracks after baking.
- Swap butter with oil for a softer, chewier cookie texture.
- Add a pinch of espresso powder to intensify the chocolate flavor.
- Bake just until edges set — overbaking removes the fudgy center.
- Store cookies in an airtight container up to 4 days to maintain softness.
- Freeze unbaked dough balls and bake straight from the freezer, adding 1–2 minutes to bake time.