Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Made with two different types of chocolate, Dutch-processed cocoa powder and chopped bittersweet chocolate, these cookies are exceptional. Rolled in powdered sugar before baking, these cookies crack and crinkle in the oven and are so festive for the holiday season!

When I read in Zoe Francois’ latest book, Zoe Bakes Cookies, that the trick to making crinkle cookies is to double dip the dough balls, once in granulated sugar and then in confectioners’ sugar, I was intrigued. I had made crinkle cookies in the past, but never with great success, never with dramatic cracks running across the surfaces, never with the texture I had desired.

In the intro to the recipe, Zoe describes these crinkles as both “fudgy and crunchy at the same time,” which sounded ideal, and so I made them immediately. Sure enough the crinkles emerged from the oven looking just as the recipe’s accompanying photo: snow-capped with beautifully cracked surfaces. What’s more, the flavor and texture were exceptional: intensely chocolatey, perfectly chewy and moist, almost like a brownie in cookie form.

These chocolate crinkles require a little more work than other cookies, but they are so worth the effort, especially for holidays and most especially for the chocolate lover in your life.

Tips for Success

1. Use a scale to measure. This recipe calls for cocoa powder, which is very hard to measure accurately using volume measures.
2. Use a stand mixer if you have one. I have made these both by hand and with a stand mixer, and I have to say, the stand mixer is the better one for the job here. If you don’t mind getting an arm workout you absolutely can whisk/beat by hand, but a stand mixer makes the job easier and also more effectively whips the butter into a light and airy texture.
3. Follow the recipe precisely. I have made these several times, and because I like to try to get some steps out of the way ahead of time, for one batch, I placed the sugar-coated balls in the fridge overnight. The following day, I proceeded, rolling each sugar-coated ball in the confectioners’ sugar before baking. The cookies still tasted good, but they didn’t emerge looking as “snow-capped” as previous batches. I suspect this is because the dough absorbed some of the sugar, whose purpose is to act as a barrier between the dough ball and the confectioners’ sugar. In subsequent batches, when I made sure to chill the sugar-coated dough balls for no more than 15 minutes, they baked beautifully, the white powdered sugar looking as snowy as ever.

Final Note

While these cookies emerge from the oven with the confectioners sugar looking pristine, as they cool, some of that sugar inevitably will begin to dissolve. With one batch, I tried re-dusting the cookies with powdered sugar, but that doesn’t really work because the powdered sugar goes everywhere, including the cracks.

Know that the flavor is unaffected by the “melting snow” and if anything the flavor of these cookies improves with time. I think they are perhaps best two or three days after baking.

From Zoe Bakes Cookies:

How to Make Chocolate Crinkles, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients. For this recipe you’ll need Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I’m using this Cacao Barry Extra Brute, which comes highly recommended by Stella Parks of Serious Eats.

You’ll also need some bittersweet chocolate, which you will chop finely. I’m using Valrhona 70% cacao:

For best results, use a scale to measure:

Start by combining the butter, sugar, and vanilla:

Beat until light and fluffy:

Then add an egg and beat until combined:

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder:

Whisk until smooth:

Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet and mix to combine:

Chop the chocolate

Add it to the batter:

And mix until incorporated.

To be honest, this is a job best left to a stand mixer:

So if you have one, this is a recipe to break it out for:

Once the batter is done, portion it into tablespoon-sized (or 22-gram) balls:

Place them on a small tray:

Roll the balls between your palms, then roll each ball in sugar:

Freeze the balls for 15 minutes:

Then roll each ball in confectioners’ sugar:

Bake each tray of cookies for 8 to 10 minutes at 375ºF:

The cookies should be puffed and crinkled upon removing:

Allow them to cool completely on the sheet pan before serving or storing:

These are heavenly and taste even better on days 2 and 3, so don’t be afraid to make them ahead of time.

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