Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Before you start

Chocolate crinkles start as a dough so soft it is closer to a thick brownie batter. After a long chill it firms enough to roll into balls, which are coated in granulated sugar and then heavily in powdered sugar. In the oven the cookies puff and spread, and the dry sugar coat breaks into white islands over the dark chocolate below.

Cocoa gives the chocolate flavor, a little melted chocolate adds fudginess, and oil instead of butter keeps the centers soft even when cold. The granulated sugar layer underneath matters: it absorbs moisture from the dough so the powdered sugar stays bright white rather than dissolving into a gray film.

Ingredients

• Dough85 g (3 oz) bittersweet chocolate — chopped
• 45 g (½ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder — natural or Dutch-process
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 60 ml (¼ cup) neutral oil
• 2 large eggs — room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 125 g (1 cup, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• Coating50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 60 g (½ cup) powdered sugar

Method

1. Melt the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water or in short microwave bursts, stirring until smooth. Let it cool slightly.
2. Whisk the cocoa, sugar and oil together in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla, then the melted chocolate, until glossy.
3. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir just until no dry flour remains. The dough will be very soft.
4. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until the dough is firm enough to scoop and hold a shape.
5. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line the sheets with parchment. Put the granulated and powdered sugars in separate bowls.
6. Roll the dough into 25 g balls. Roll each one first in granulated sugar, then roll it generously in powdered sugar so it is completely white and thickly coated.
7. Set 12 balls on each sheet, 5 cm (2 in) apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies have spread and cracked and the edges are set but the centers still look soft.
8. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a rack. The centers firm as they cool.

Tips for success

• Work with half the dough at a time and keep the rest chilled. Warm dough melts through the sugar coat.
• Do not be shy with the powdered sugar. A thin coat dissolves in the oven and leaves no contrast.
• For the crispest white tops, re-roll each ball in powdered sugar just before it goes into the oven.

Substitutions

Bittersweet chocolate

Leave it out and add 15 g more cocoa. The cookies are slightly less fudgy but still rich.

Neutral oil

Melted butter (60 g) gives a richer flavor; the cookies are a little firmer when cold.

All-purpose flour

A 1:1 gluten-free blend works well because these cookies rely on egg and cocoa more than gluten for structure.

Variations

Peppermint crinkles

Replace 1 tsp vanilla with ½ tsp peppermint extract and press a small piece of crushed candy cane into each cookie as it comes out.

Orange chocolate crinkles

Add the finely grated zest of 1 orange to the sugar and oil mixture.

Troubleshooting

Powdered sugar looks gray or melted

The dough was too warm or the granulated sugar layer was skipped. Keep the dough cold, roll in granulated sugar first, then coat thickly in powdered sugar.

Cookies spread flat with no crinkles

The dough was not chilled long enough or the baking powder is old. Chill for at least 3 hours and check the date on your baking powder.

Cookies are dry and cakey

They were overbaked. Remove them while the centers still look soft; they set as they cool.

Storage

Store airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days. The sugar coating slowly absorbs moisture, so the tops look best on the first day. Freeze uncoated dough balls for up to 3 months; thaw for 10 minutes, coat and bake.

Safety notes

Do not eat the raw dough, which contains raw flour and raw egg. Contains wheat, egg and soy (in many chocolates).