Chocolate Crinkle Cookies – The Stay At Home Chef

These cookies have double the chocolate, combining cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips for a decadently fudgy treat. Perfectly crackled and lightly coated in powdered sugar, they’re as beautiful as they are delicious. With their fudgy, brownie-like consistency and that rich chocolate taste, you will definitely want to make more than one batch!

Chocolate lovers will also love our tried and true brownie recipe or our super fudgy flourless chocolate cake.

We use vegetable oil instead of butter, which keeps the cookies incredibly soft and moist—and they stay that way for days! Plus, with a simple freeze-and-bake method, these cookies are as convenient as they are foolproof. Whether you’re baking ahead or looking for a fun project to do with kids, these cookies are a must-try.

Ingredient Notes

• Cocoa powder: Depending on how dark you like your chocolate, you can use either regular cocoa powder or you can go for a dark cocoa if you prefer an even richer chocolate.
• Mini chocolate chips: Similarly to the cocoa powder, you can use either semisweet or milk chocolate chips, depending on your preference.
• Vegetable Oil: This is used instead of butter and keeps the cookies moist and soft for days. Stick with neutral flavored oils for best results.
• Brown Sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Go for high-quality cocoa for best flavor. Depending on how dark you like your chocolate, you can use either regular cocoa powder or you can go for a dark cocoa if you prefer an even richer chocolate. Dutch-process will give a slightly darker color and smoother taste.
• Mini Chocolate Chips: Similarly to the cocoa powder, you can use either semisweet or milk chocolate chips, depending on your preference.
• Powdered Sugar: Be generous when rolling the dough to get a thick layer.

Vegetable Oil

It might seem tempting to use butter instead of oil for your cookies, but trust us on this one! Oil keeps these cookies moist and ensures they stay soft for days. While butter adds flavor, it can alter the texture and make them less fudgy. Stick to neutral-flavored oils like vegetable, canola, or sunflower oil for the best results.

Baking the Cookies

These cookies will still appear very soft even after baking them for the recommended time. But don’t worry, they are done at that point and will harden as they cool. If you over-bake these cookies, they will lose that fudgy texture in the center that makes them so delicious, so trust us on this one!

Freezing Dough For Later

If you want to have cookies that are ready to bake at any time, you can freeze the cookie dough and bake it later on! All you have to do is ball the cookie dough, place it on a cookie sheet, then freeze it until the dough is solid. Then you’ll transfer the dough balls to a resealable plastic bag.

When you’re ready to bake, allow them to thaw slightly for 10–15 minutes, just enough to make the surface tacky. Roll them generously in powdered sugar, then bake according to the recipe instructions. No need to fully thaw the dough!