These soft, chewy Crinkle Brownie cookies are loaded with chocolate fudge brownie flavor and coated with a white sugar crackle coating.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This brownie crinkle cookies recipe is the perfect balance of fudgy and chewy, with a crispy outer shell. They're mixed with semisweet chocolate chips, making them irresistible. If you love brownies, you'll love these cookies!
If you're looking for an easy cookie recipe that will impress your guests, give these crinkle cookies a try!
For more Christmas cookie ideas, see our Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread cookies, Crumbl Churro Cookies, Danish Wedding Cookies (Snowballs), and Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Crinkle cookies are a Christmas tradition! This crinkle cookie recipe is easy to make, even for baking beginners! Plus, they're pretty festive looking, so they're perfect for holiday gatherings and gift giving.
- Flour
- Cocoa powder, natural unsweetened (like Hershey regular or dark cocoa)
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter, room temperature
- Granulated sugar for the batter, and extra to roll cookies in.
- Brown sugar, packed in measuring cup
- Egg, room temperature
- Vanilla extract
- Semi sweet chocolate chips
- White chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar, lumps broken up
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Crinkle Brownie Cookies
This brownie crinkle cookies recipe is simple to make, and always a hit with kids and adults alike. Follow along with the visual tutorial and you cookies will turn out crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Prepare the Cookie Dough
First, preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper, or spray with non stick cooking spray. Set aside for later.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla until fluffy.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl of creamed butter & sugars mixture until the flour mixture is blended in.
- Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough and stir in with a spatula or wooden spoon. Distribute the chips evenly.
Roll In Sugar and Bake
Roll the cookie dough into balls, about 36 total. Put the powdered sugar in a bowl, and break up and big lumps. Set it next to another bowl with the ¼ cup of granulated sugar.
- Roll the cookie dough balls first in the granulated sugar, then roll generously in the powdered sugar. Place on the parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Leave about 2" between cookies, and set the tray in the preheated oven. Bake for 9 minutes at 350 F. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Baking Note: Cookie Slamming Hack
If the cookies are not spreading enough at the 7 minute mark, simply remove the pan from the oven and do the cookie tray slam.
You take the tray of partially baked cookies and slam it down hard on the counter, causing the cookies to spread out a little more. Pop back in the oven to cook another 2 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these cookies any time of the year, however, they are traditionally popular at Christmas. These cookies make an great presentation for any event, cookie exchange, or gift giving bundle.
For more any time desserts masquerading as Christmas treat, see our Christmas Bundt Cake, Homemade Peppermint Patties, Christmas Gourmet Popcorn, and 3 Minute Fudge recipes.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Related Recipes
Substitutions
You can substitute any flavor of baking chips for this recipe. You can also make them without any chocolate chips at all, and have nice regular chewy plain brownie crinkle cookies!
Variations
A super quick variation for these Crinkle Brownie Cookies, it to use a store bought brownie mix for the cookie base! Add in chocolate chips and follow the rest of the recipe instructions.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. These rimmed cookie baking sheets come as a set of two with a cooking rack that fits perfectly inside the nested sheets for easy storage.
- Rimmed Cookie Sheet Set w cooling rack
- Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer
Storage
Store these cookies in your cookie jar or on a plate for up to two days. For longer, cover with plastic wrap or in a ziploc bag to preserve freshness.
You can also freeze the dough balls and take out what you need when ready to bake. Let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight so they don't build up condensation while defrosting on your kitchen counter.
Tips for Success
- Don't over bake the cookies. They may look a little soft when you first take them out of the oven. Trust me, they will be perfect when they cool, as they continue baking a little the first 5 minutes out of the oven. This will give you the crunchy outside and soft brownie texture inside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can freeze them before rolling in powdered sugar and baking, or you can freeze them after baking. Either way, store them in a plastic tub or freezer safe zipper bag. The dough balls will freeze up to 3 months.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
📖 Recipe
Crinkle Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
For the Crinkle Cookie Dough
- 1 cup flour
- 5 oz unsweetened cocoa powder sift to break up lumps
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter at room temp
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 egg at room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
For the Rolling Sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line one or two rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the Crinkle Brownie Cookie Dough
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.1 cup flour, 5 oz unsweetened cocoa powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla until fluffy.½ cup butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl of creamed butter & sugars mixture until the flour mixture is blended in. Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough and stir in with a spatula or wooden spoon. Distribute the chips evenly.½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips, ½ cup white chocolate chips
- Roll the cookie dough into balls, about 36 total. Put the powdered sugar in a bowl, and break up and big lumps. Set it next to another bowl with the ¼ cup of granulated sugar.1 cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Roll the cookie dough balls first in the granulated sugar, then roll generously in the powdered sugar. Place on the parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Leave about 2" between cookies, and set the tray in the preheated oven. Bake for 9 minutes at 350 F. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Don't over bake the cookies. They may look a little soft when you first take them out of the oven. Trust me, they will be perfect when they cool, as they continue baking a little the first 5 minutes out of the oven. This will give you the crunchy outside and soft brownie texture inside.
- If you don't want 'from scratch' Crinkle Brownie Cookies, you can still make these using a store bought brownie mix! Stir in some chocolate chips, and follow the cookie instructions from there.
- Freeze unbaked cookie balls for up to 3 months, just take out and defrost what you need to bake!
Leave a Reply