Chocolate crinkle cookies are the perfect addition to any holiday celebration. These classic holiday cookies are rich and fudgy like brownies with soft cakey centres and crunchy edges coated in powdered sugar. It’s no wonder these easy cookies are a favourite with everyone!
When we think about must bake cookies for Christmas, we have the obvious answer being sugar cookies, and maybe some gingerbread men, but chocolate crinkle cookies also have a solid place on that cookie tray.
I have had a recipe on the site for a while for red velvet crinkle cookies, but I thought it was about time we went back to the classics with a dairy free version of traditional chocolate crinkle cookies.
I’ll let you decide which flavour is your favourite!
The standout of these cookies is the dramatic monochrome presentation of the dark, rich chocolate cookie with that white crackle pattern from the powdered sugar coating. They are pretty, festive, super easy to make, and most importantly addictingly good.
These cookies are the showstopper you’ll love to put out over the holidays for friends and family while being able to be made easily within an hour using pantry staples. It’s really exactly the kind of recipe we need in our lives over Christmas.
Key Ingredients
You’ll need a few simple pantry staple ingredients to make these cookies.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Dairy-free butter – I use Nuttelex Buttery in replace of butter in most of my recipes as it is the best replacement I have found for flavour and texture, however any dairy-free spread will work. In the US I believe the best alternative is Earth Balance.
- Brown sugar – gives a rich caramel flavour to the cookies that enhances the chocolate flavour while also helping give the cookies that soft and chewy centre.
- White sugar – in addition to the brown sugar, white sugar helps ensure the cookies do spread slightly while baking and gives them that crispy edge.
- Egg – binds the cookie together so it holds its shape and helps give that soft and chewy texture.
- Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour in the US.
- Cocoa powder – giving that rich chocolate flavour to the cookies. Use a good quality cocoa powder for best results.
- Bicarbonate of soda – known as baking soda in the US, helps out cookies puff up and spread while baking creating that crinkle pattern.
- Vanilla extract – always add vanilla to your chocolate bakes as it works to enhance the richness of the chocolate flavour.
- White sugar and icing sugar – you’ll need some extra white sugar plus the icing sugar for coating as you’ll roll the dough balls in each to ensure a crisp white coating for maximum crinkle effect.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make these dairy free chocolate crinkle cookies you will need a couple of mixing bowls, baking trays, a spatula, a cookie scoop and either a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer.
Start by lining your trays with baking paper and a light spray of cooking oil, and preheating the oven.
Next, in your mixing bowl using your electric beaters or in the bowl of a stand mixer using your paddle attachment, beat together the dairy free butter and both the brown and white sugars until creamy. Add in the egg and vanilla and continue mixing until well combined.
In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat slowly until a soft dough forms.
From here, you can optionally place the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up a little before rolling into balls. I find if I am making these on a hot summer day leading up to Christmas then I like to do this as room temperature is very warm and that small amount of chill time just ensures that the dough holds its shape a bit better.
Scoop out tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Coat the balls first in the white sugar before dunking into the powdered sugar. Use your hands to roll the balls again in the powdered sugar to make sure it sticks and they are fully coated.
Place the cookie balls on the prepared baking trays. Don’t press them down, they will flatten as they bake. You want to make sure each cookie ball has enough space around them to allow for spreading.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Bake time will depend on your oven and how soft and chewy vs crunchy you like your cookies. The cookies will still be soft when you take them out of the oven so let them cool for 5-10 minutes on the tray first before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for baking cookies!
- When the cookies are first removed from the oven, they will still be soft and pliable. Get a metal dessert spoon and gently press it around the edges of your cookie to shape them back into a circle if they have spread unevenly. This is how you get consistent, even and perfectly round cookies!
- Bake a test cookie first before doing the full batch! If you’re unsure about how long to bake them, do a test cookie first so you can see how your oven bakes and work out the best timing to get that texture exactly right.
- Always shy on the side of underbaking for the best texture. These cookies are so good slightly underbaked, so if you’re unsure if they are ready or not and it’s been the recommended time, take them out.
- Don’t skip rolling in white sugar before the icing sugar. The first coating of white sugar ensures that the powdered sugar doesn’t soak into the cookie dough and will leave you with the best results.
More holiday cookie recipes:
Rocky Road Cookies
Christmas Sparkle Cookies
Classic Ginger Snap Biscuits
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 125 grams dairy-free butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups plain flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup white sugar extra for coating
- ½ cup icing sugar for coating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, beat dairy-free butter, brown and white sugar and vanilla until creamy with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and continue to beat until mixed through.
- In a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder and bicarb together and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and continue to beat until a dough forms.
- Using a tablespoon or a cookie scoop, roll balls of dough before first rolling the dough ball in a small bowl of white sugar to coat, and then into a bowl of icing sugar, until the outside of the ball is coated.
- Place the balls of dough evenly apart on the baking tray, ensuring there is enough space for the cookie to spread. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are just crisp and the middles are still soft. Let them cool on the tray for 10 minutes to set before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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