Holiday Crinkle Cookies
Author Notes: This holiday cookie recipe is easy, delicious, cute and crinkly. —Regan Baroni
Food52 Review: These holiday crinkle cookies are old-school (in a good way). As my kitchen filled with the scent of baking chocolate, I remembered the cookies my grandmother used to make. Regan Baroni's recipe makes cookies with a slighty crisp edge and a fudgy middle. I refrigerated the dough overnight, resulting in perfect crinkles in the cookies. Beware the powdered sugar shower you get from each bite, a sign of a cookie well enjoyed! —FrozenFoodie
Makes about 40 cookies
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- In a medium bowl, mix the cocoa, granulated sugar, and vegetable oil.
- Beat in eggs one at a time and stir in vanilla.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; then stir into the cocoa mixture.
- Cover the dough and let cool in fridge for at least 4 hours. (This step is incredibly important to get the crinkles in the cookies)
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and roll dough into 1-inch balls.
- Coat each ball with confectioners sugar before placing on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool and enjoy!
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Holiday Cookie from Anywhere in the World
More Great Recipes:
Desserts|Cookies
Topics: Cookies!, Holiday Entertaining, Christmas, Holidays, Heirloom Recipes
Showing out of comments
6 months ago Bevi
These were a big hit as part of my holiday cookie bags. Chewy, a chocoholic's dream, and very pretty.
6 months ago Willi Galloway
These are extra good if you use dark chocolate cocoa powder!
6 months ago Judy Edwards
Yum! Mine spread out but I'm not complaining. This is the first time I've made them and they are so good!
6 months ago Martin
Yai! So I made these. They do look quite splendid, but I feel they are too sweet. Maybe if you are a chocolate fan you will like these. They are very rich, but if I make them again I will put 1 1/2 cup of sugar. Otherwise, I enjoyed the simplicity of the recipe. Thanks for sharing
6 months ago sosayi
I made these cookies last night. I decided to make a few right away and save the rest to rest in the fridge for 4 hours as requested. Honestly, I got really good crinkles from the cookies I made right away and they tasted good. Looking forward to the rest, but I don't think waiting is as vital as the recipe suggests
6 months ago Regan Baroni
Thanks so much for your comment! This is good information. I haven't tried to make the cookies without the 'chilling in the fridge' step because I have heard from other people's experiences that the chilling is what helps get the good crinkles. Since I'm usually making the cookies for something or someone, I haven't wanted to risk it. But, I'll give it a try to test it out. Thanks so much!
6 months ago Judith Dryer
My husband has gluten issues so I had to make some changes but they still turned out great. I used 1/2 cup GF flour and 1 1/2 cup Quinoa flour. I also had to sub in some brown sugar as I was short on regular white. I was a little heavy-handed with the rolling-into-balls part so they took a bit longer to bake, but they turned out great-delicious and chewy.
6 months ago Regan Baroni
Hi Judith!! Thanks for your comment! I love that you shared your delicious-sounding GF version! Sounds so good!
6 months ago Sara K.
I have made these cookies three times in less than a week for different holiday functions and every time they've come up perfectly! I couldn't ask for a better recipe. They are just the right consistency, slightly fudgy and cakey. Thanks for a great go-to cookie recipe!
6 months ago Regan Baroni
Hi Sara! I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipe! I'm making them again next week! Enjoy and happy holidays!
7 months ago KY
How long can I make the dough ahead and keep it in the fridge for? Or is it better to freeze the cookies after baking?
7 months ago Regan Baroni
Hi KY! I chilled my dough for four hours before baking, but I believe you can chill it overnight for convenience and to ensure that the dough is ready and workable. Hope this helps!
6 months ago hilda
Hi KY! I've made these cookies a bunch of times and have left the dough overnight, you shouldn't have any issues.
about 1 year ago Nichole Powell
I love this recipe, and get tons of compliments whenever I make them! I've tried the recipe as directed, and most recently had to make some small subs (used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour because I was out of my usual, and had to sub in 1/4 c brown sugar because I only had 1 3/4 of white on hand), and both versions turned out beautifully! Thank you for such a delicious and easy recipe!
about 1 year ago Regan Baroni
Hi Nichole! I'm so glad the recipe is a success for you and your family & friends! It's a favorite in my house too! Thanks for the substitution tips - I may try the gluten-free flour next time!
over 1 year ago Rachel C.
My cookies turned out very dry and flat (flatter than the first photo on this recipe!). I followed the directions exactly; does anyone know what could have caused this?
over 1 year ago Rachel C.
Perhaps relevant: when I was working with the cookie dough out, it had the consistency of a thick brownie batter and didn't retain its ball shape on the cookie sheet.
about 1 year ago Regan Baroni
Hi Rachel - I'm so sorry for my delayed response on this recipe. Did you cool the dough for at least 4 hours before trying to roll them into the balls? That is a super important step that I missed the first time I tried to make them. I hope it works out better for you next time.
over 1 year ago Patty Khuly
Worked really well for me. Beautiful. Rolled well after puffing up a bit in the fridge. I waited like 6-8 hours before rolling. I found that the balls were prettier when I coated them more generously w confectioners sugar. I also liked them less flat since they were more brownie-like that way.
about 1 year ago Regan Baroni
Oh my, so sorry for my delayed response, Patty! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! They're definitely one of my favorites!
over 1 year ago Uyen Phillips
Just made these and followed the directions to the t. The dough balls do not flatten as pictured. I took them out after 9 minutes, gently flattened them with my fingers and popped them back in for another 2 minutes. Bottom line, these look fancier than your average brownie squares, but taste better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
over 1 year ago Regan Baroni
Hi Uyen!
The first picture is not mine - I agree they are much flatter in that picture. The second picture (with the powdered sugar falling) are more accurate of the thickness that I had with my batch. I'm glad you enjoyed them! The vanilla ice cream sounds like a fabulous addition.
over 1 year ago hilda
Hi! I tried making these but even after they were refrigerated for 5 hours, the dough didn't really lend itself to roll into balls (it was sticky). Is this how it's supposed to be? The taste still seemed right, it's the texture I think I got wrong..
over 1 year ago Regan Baroni
Hi Hilda!
Sorry for my delay in responding to your comment. I actually made these again recently and wasn't able to replicate the sticky issue that you had... Hmm... did you roll the balls right after pulling them from the fridge? The only thing I can think of is that if they were sitting out for a bit and got to room temperature it could have made them harder to handle? Sometimes, when I've had sticky dough issues, I put a little flour on my hands and it seems to help a bit. Hope you have better luck next time!
over 1 year ago Chef Devaux
Cookies :)
over 1 year ago Haley Sonneland
These are so delish. Can't wait to put them in our regular rotation at home.
over 1 year ago Regine
I mean balls.
over 1 year ago Regan Baroni
Hi Regine! Yes, you will roll the dough into balls and they will spread as they bake. I love these cookies - I hope you do too! Enjoy!
over 1 year ago Regine
You say to roll into balla but on picture they look flatter. Do they spread as they bake? Is texture like a shortbread or softer, etc.? Just curious. I want to make them.
Showing 29 out of 29 comments