These festive Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are ideal for the holidays, with a fudgy brownie center and a crisp, crackly powdered-sugar exterior. I include them in my cookie boxes every year and they always get rave reviews.
Christmas cookie season is here, and I’m excited to share the chocolate brownie crinkle cookies I brought to a recent cookie swap. These little brownie bombs bake like cookies but keep a fudgy interior beneath a snowy powdered-sugar top.
Biting into a warm, freshly baked chocolate crinkle cookie is a small, legendary moment—rich, chewy, and irresistibly chocolatey. They’re best fresh from the oven but still delightful for days, making them perfect for holiday tins, cookie swaps, and edible gifts.
Brownie-Style Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
The ingredients are simple and probably already in your pantry: unsalted butter, quality chocolate, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and all-purpose flour. You’ll melt butter with most of the chocolate, then fold in eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour, finishing with finely chopped chocolate for pockets of melty goodness.
Q: What chocolate can I use?
I like using a quality chocolate bar for the best texture and flavor, but chocolate chips or chunks will work. This recipe uses both bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate for balance; use all semi-sweet if you prefer a sweeter cookie, or mix dark and milk chocolate in a pinch.
Reader Reviews:
★★★★★ “AMAZING and DELICIOUS! They were super easy to make. I made the dough one night and baked the next day. Crisp outside and fudgy brownie inside. This recipe is a keeper.” – Nicole
★★★★★ “The BEST brownie cookies I’ve ever had! They are so delicious I can’t stop eating them.” – Katie
Cookie baking tips:
A small digital scale yields fast, accurate measurements for flour and sugar. Measure and prep all ingredients before starting; it speeds the process and keeps baking stress-free during the holidays.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Pin Recipe
Rate Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 TBSP unsalted butter (70 grams)
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate bar
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- 2 large eggs (cold from the fridge)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (102 grams)
- additional granulated sugar for rolling (as needed)
- confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) for rolling (as needed)
Instructions
-
Measure all ingredients and set aside. Keep eggs cold until ready to use.
-
Coarsely chop 6 oz of the chocolate and finely chop the remaining 2 oz; keep separate.
MICROWAVE METHOD
-
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and 6 oz chopped chocolate. Microwave in short bursts, stirring between each, until melted—about 60–90 seconds total.
DOUBLE BOILER METHOD
-
Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan with ½–¾ inch of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
-
Add butter and 6 oz coarsely chopped chocolate to the bowl and stir until just melted, then remove from heat.
COOKIE DOUGH PREP
-
Whisk granulated sugar into the melted chocolate and butter; the mixture will look grainy.
-
Add eggs one at a time, whisking vigorously to temper them into the chocolate. Mix about a minute per egg, plus another minute at the end, until smooth and glossy.
-
Whisk in vanilla and salt, then gently stir in the flour until just combined.
-
Fold in the remaining 2 oz finely chopped chocolate.
-
Cover and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight for easier handling and better flavor.
READY TO BAKE?
-
Preheat oven to 350°F and place the rack in the center. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
Put confectioners sugar in a bowl (sift or whisk if lumpy) and some granulated sugar in another bowl for rolling.
-
Use a medium cookie scoop or spoons to portion the chilled dough into even balls.
-
Roll each ball in granulated sugar, then coat generously in powdered sugar so they’re well covered.
-
Arrange cookies on the prepared sheets, spacing them apart, and bake one sheet at a time at 350°F for 12 minutes, rotating halfway. The powdered sugar will crack, creating the classic crinkle. Let cookies rest on the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
-
Cool to room temperature and enjoy. Freshly baked cookies have a fudgy, brownie-like center and a delightful crinkled top.
Notes
These cookies are at their most brownie-like right after baking. Leftovers become more like chewy brownie cookies with a slightly firmer exterior and still taste wonderful.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition facts are estimates from an online calculator and may vary.
Nutrition
These chocolate crinkle cookies are adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s snowy-topped brownie drops. They make wonderful edible gifts—wrap them in festive baggies or tuck them into a holiday mug for a thoughtful present. They’re also a hit in cookie tins and at swap parties.
If you love cookies, I rotate several favorites during the season. Try peanut butter macadamia white chocolate cookies, red velvet cake cookies made with boxed mix for a shortcut, or a sheet-pan cookie cake when feeding a crowd.
delicious dessert recipes
Giant Christmas Wreath Cookie Cake
White Chocolate Dipped Christmas Cookies
Cranberry Cheesecake Streusel Bars
Cranberry Orange Pumpkin Bread
If you try these brownie-style chocolate crinkle cookies this season, please leave a comment or tag @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can see your creations—I’d love to celebrate them with you!