Small Batch Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These small batch chocolate crinkle cookies have rich chocolate flavor, soft and fudgy centers, and crisp-white crackled powdered sugar tops. Made with cocoa powder and chocolate chips, the cookies have a brownie-like chew with slightly crisp edges. The recipe makes just 8 cookies, perfect when you’re craving a chocolate treat without baking a full batch.

From My Kitchen

Oil instead of butter makes all the difference.

These cookies are adapted from my beloved Betty Crocker Cooky Book, where oil was the original choice. I tested a version with butter, but came back to oil because I preferred the texture, especially after the cookies cooled.

Plan Ahead

Texture

2-hour dough chill

Tender with bites of chocolate chips

Chocolate crinkle cookies were always on our Christmas cookie trays growing up, and I wanted to keep that tradition going with a smaller batch.

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

• Brown sugar adds moisture and chew. These are the kind of cookies you can sink your teeth into. I use a combination of granulated and light brown sugar to give them that satisfying bite without taking away from the chocolate flavor. I follow the same method with my gluten-free chocolate crinkles.
• Dutch cocoa gives the cookies a deeper chocolate flavor. It’s my favorite cocoa powder for most of my chocolate recipes, especially when paired with the chocolate chips throughout the dough.
• A double roll in powdered sugar creates the snowy finish. I tested rolling the cookies in granulated sugar first to help the powdered sugar stick — a technique I use for my molasses crinkles and red velvet crinkle cookies. But I found the extra crunch distracted from the brownie-like texture I wanted. Two generous coats of powdered sugar give the cookies their snowy, crackled tops.

How To Make Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Good news: these crinkles start with an easy, one-bowl cookie dough. Stir together the oil and sugars, then add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl and sift in the dry ingredients. Cocoa powder tends to clump, and I love using my little strainer to remove the lumps and evenly distribute everything.

Use a spatula to gently mix the dough. It will remind you of fudgy brownie batter, only thicker. Fold in the chocolate chips, then cover and refrigerate the dough to give it time to firm up.

Keep the Dough Cold

Once the dough has chilled, work fairly quickly to scoop, roll, and coat the cookies. As it warms up, the dough becomes stickier and harder to handle. The powdered sugar can also absorb into the softened dough, leaving you with less of that signature finish.

During my latest round of testing, I found that cookies made with dough taken straight from the refrigerator held their shape better than batches where the dough had softened while I was working with it. If the dough gets too soft, pop it back in the refrigerator before baking.

Powdered Sugar Finish

I like to roll the scooped dough between my palms to make nice, round cookies. But if you’d rather skip the sticky hands, you can drop each scoop directly into the powdered sugar. Use a spoon to roll the dough around a couple of times until generously coated.

The cookies will puff up and crackle as they bake. Look for set edges and puffy centers that are still slightly soft. Avoid underbaking, or the centers may stay gooey and sink as the cookies cool. They’ll still taste good, but you’ll lose that thick, satisfying bite we’re after.

These chocolate crinkles are a favorite for holiday cookie trays. Their striking appearance is a pretty contrast to traditional decorated sugar cookies, and they travel and store well.

Just be sure to let them cool completely before enjoying one. They’re quite crumbly while warm, but firm up as they cool. I actually think they’re even better the next day, once the texture has settled and the chocolate flavor has had time to develop.

Small Batch Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

4.6 from 11 reviews

These small batch chocolate crinkle cookies are made with Dutch cocoa powder and chocolate chips for rich, double-chocolate flavor. The dough needs to chill before baking into 8 cookies with soft, fudgy centers, a brownie-like chew, slightly crisp edges, and crackled powdered sugar tops.

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by Erin Cernich

Yield8 Cookies

Prep10 minutes minutes

ChillChill2 hours hours

Cook12 minutes minutes

Total Time2 hours hours 22 minutes minutes

Equipment

• ▢
  Baking Sheet Lined with Parchment Paper
• ▢
  Cookie Scoop (2 Tablespoon)

Ingredients

• ▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
• ▢ 2 tablespoons canola oil (or any neutral oil)
• ▢ 1 large egg (room temperature)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch or natural)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ▢ 3 tablespoons powdered sugar (for rolling the cookies)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• ▢
  In a medium mixing bowl, add the sugars and oil and whisk until well combined. Then add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.
  1/4 cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢
  Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt over the wet ingredients. Switch to a wooden spoon or spatula and mix just until no dry streaks remain.
  1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
Sifting evenly distributes the ingredients and breaks up lumps in the cocoa powder. Plus, it saves you from having to mix the dry ingredients in another bowl.
• ▢
  Fold in the chocolate chips. The dough will be soft and sticky, like a thicker brownie batter. Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
  1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  
• ▢
  Preheat oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
• ▢
  Add the powdered sugar to a shallow dish.
  3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ▢
  Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough. Roll each portion into a ball between the palms of your hands, then roll twice through the powdered sugar to coat generously. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
  
The dough will be sticky. If it starts sticking to your hands, wipe them clean between rolling the dough balls. Otherwise, the buildup will make the dough harder to roll.
• ▢
  Bake the cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the middle still looks soft. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet set on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes, then transfer them to the rack to cool completely.
Avoid underbaking, as the centers may be too gooey and sink as the cookies cool.
• ▢
  Store the cookies in a covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or place in a single layer in a freezer bag and freeze flat for up to 3 months.

Notes

• Serving size – This is a small batch recipe for 8 cookies that can be doubled.
• Cookie size – If you choose to make smaller cookies, they will take about a minute less to bake. I would not go bigger than a 2-tablespoon scoop, as the centers may not bake properly.
• Cocoa powder – My preference is Dutch for the deep chocolate flavor, but natural cocoa works just as well. 
• Don’t rush the chill – The dough is sticky and needs time in the fridge to firm up to properly scoop and bake without spreading. If the dough is too soft, the cookies will overspread when baked, and the powdered sugar can evaporate into the dough.
• For perfectly round cookies – As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, place a round cookie or biscuit cutter slightly larger than the cookie around each one. Gently swirl the cutter to nudge the edges into a uniform circle.
• Freezing the dough – Chill the dough first, then scoop and roll into balls. Place in a single layer in a freezer-safe bag and freeze flat to prevent sticking, for up to 3 months. Let the dough balls sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before rolling in powdered sugar and baking.

Nutrition Estimates

Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.