Chocolate Crinkles (Jane's recipe)

Chocolate crinkle cookies are a classic chocolate cookie and always a holiday favorite! They are rich chocolate cookies that are rolled in powdered sugar and, once baked, have crackled or “crinkled” tops. Crinkle cookies are a Betty Crocker original cookie that dates back to the first half of the 20th century.

You’ll find a lot of crinkle cookie recipes calling for either butter or oil and, after testing versions with each, oil seems best for chocolate crinkle cookies. Versions made with butter are drier and just don’t taste like the traditional crinkles. The cookies should be fudgy and rich with a good balance of moisture. Vegetable oil is key in achieving the right flavor and texture.

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 oz melted unsweetened chocolate (cooled)
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix granulated sugar, oil, chocolate and vanilla. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

[The key to making the best chocolate crinkle cookies is chilling the dough. It’s a step you don’t want to skip otherwise your cookies won’t bake correctly and could come out of the oven flat.]

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

[Note: for cracks to appear while baking, the outside of the cookie must dry out while the interior is still spreading and setting. Do not use a convection oven setting; you want the temperature at 350 degrees.]

Using teaspoonfuls of dough, shape into balls. Roll in powdered sugar to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake until almost no indentation remains when touched (10 to 12 minutes).

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Kiss Cookies Variation

While dough is refrigerating, unwrap Hershey kisses, place in a small bowl, and freeze until ready to use.

Bake the cookies. Remove from oven. Immediately press a frozen kiss into each cookie, then place cookie sheet into the freezer just until chocolate is set and no longer shiny. Remove from freezer and allow to cool completely.