These cookies are so good. They are my dad’s all-time favorite cookie, in a close race with my Chocolate Chip Cookies. Since I bake so often, my family and I try to give my desserts to friends. With these cookies though, I can proudly say that has never happened! My family (aka my dad) always eats all of these on our own.
These cookies are traditional Christmas cookies, but I promise they are great for any time of the year. I make them for folks year-round and I have never gotten a complaint!
These cookies are probably the fudgiest substance on earth! They have so much chocolate flavor, it is unbelievable. They also have the most amazing finishing touch: powdered sugar.
What Makes Them So Fudgy?
Brown Sugar. With no white sugar in the cookies, they are under the whole influence of brown sugar. Brown sugar is what makes cookies chewy and fudgy but usually, cookies have about equal amounts of white sugar and brown sugar. Not these! The brown sugar also temps down the classically tooth aching sweet cookie for a more complex flavor profile.
Why are They Crinkled?
The sugar that you roll them in creates this effect. Usually, when cookies are baked, the top stays flexible and grows and bends with the cookies. In these cookies, however, the top dries out quickly while baking. This means that when they are being baked, the top pulls apart, creating a cracked effect. This does not mean that they are not super moist and delicious though, they are, I promise! The sugars they are rolled in do a great job at pulling that moisture out and making them as cracked as possible! I got the wonderful idea of rolling them in white sugar along with powdered sugar from America’s Test Kitchen. This keeps the powdered sugar from melting as well.
Freezing
A great thing about these cookies is that you can freeze them before or after baking!
To freeze before baking, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in a plastic bag. The dough can be frozen like this for up to three months. When you are ready to eat it, take the dough out and thaw at room temperature for 45 minutes. Proceed as usual.
To freeze after baking, place cookies in Tupperware or a ziplock bag, separated by parchment paper. They can be frozen like this for up to two months. When ready to eat, let that at room temp until thawed, usually about 45 minutes.
Final Tips
- Whisk brown sugar in the butter mixture very well. This will make sure that there are no lumps of random sugar in the mixture.
- Roll in granulated sugar first. This is really important. If you do not, the powdered sugar could melt and they will not look like they should.
- Do not over-bake! I have made this mistake many times, and it is really important that you do not. It will ruin the amazing texture of the cookies.
Thats it! I hope you love these cookies as much as my family and I do!
Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate18
cookies25
minutes10
minutes35
minutesIngredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
3 fake eggs (I use Ener-G egg replacer)
1 Tbsp espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life’s Semi-Sweet Morsels)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter and chocolate for one minute. Stir and pour into a medium mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, “eggs”, and vanilla extract and. mix again.
- Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and mix together. It should be a pretty thick mixture, but still very stick to the touch. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Place powdered sugar and granulated sugar in separate shallow dishes, I use pie dishes. Scoop dough into 2 Tbsp balls and roll in granulated sugar and then powdered sugar. Lastly, place on a baking tray and bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until you see cracks running through the entire cookie (even the center).
- Enjoy!
Notes
- The cookies may not look done when they are in the oven, but if they have cracks running through them, then they are!
- As always, you can choose whether you would like to use allergy substitutes or not.
